Report on the coordination of international statistical activities in the area of the environment

Summary

This report presents the results of a regional study conducted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico, in their respective roles as technical secretariat and coordinator, of the Working Group on Environmental Statistics of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of ECLAC. The objective was to carry out an in- depth study of the international statistical activities in the area of environmental statistics, with a view to strengthening coordination of those  activities and optimizing their contribution to the development of environmental statistics in the region. The study is based primarily on the results of a survey in which 33 ECLAC member countries were invited to take part in order to (a) report on the current status of statistical programmes in the area of the environment; (b) identify the activities in the area of environmental statistics supported by international cooperation; and (c) determine the challenges and needs of Latin American and Caribbean countries in this area. In addition, a bibliographical review was conducted using other sources of information, such as websites.

The results of the study show that 80.5% of national institutions have an environmental statistics programme  but  lack  the  necessary  human  and  financial  resources.  Another  major  challenge  for environmental statistical programmes is the lack or inadequacy of inter-agency agreements.

In terms of international cooperation, the study reveals that most of the countries in the region (72%) participate in initiatives that directly or indirectly promote development of environmental statistics. In addition, 28% of the institutions that took part stated that they had environmental statistics programmes supported by international cooperation.

According to countries and regional agencies, the priority areas for international cooperation support are training and technical assistance with technical and methodological issues ranging from the generation of basic statistics to the establishment of environmental accounts.

As  revealed  in  the  study,  there  are  various  organizations  and  initiatives  relating  to  the development of environmental statistics in the region. Some initiatives cover the entire region, while others  such  as  those  of  the  Andean  Community  and  Central  America  and  the  Caribbean  have  a subregional  focus.  Therefore, the Statistical Conference of the Americas plays an important role in promoting coordination of these initiatives by inviting various organizations to participate in the meetings of the Conference and its working groups. . For example, the Andean Community, the Central American Commission on Environment and Development and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) all participate in the meetings of the Working Group on Environmental Statistics.

With regard to financing of international cooperation, the main donors have made relatively few investments in the development of environmental statistics. Some activities are financed bilaterally or by multilateral  institutions,  but  many  are  isolated  activities  such  as  technical  assistance,  fact-finding missions, support for conferences or activities relating to monitoring of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals  and which require relatively little funding. Therefore, donors must recognize the present demands in the area of development of environmental statistics in order to channel more funds towards this emerging area. For this  reason, it is important to direct and transmit these requirements gradually, perhaps via the Working Group on Environmental Statistics of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of ECLAC.

Lastly, some recommendations based on the evidence provided by the study are put forward for consideration  by  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Statistical  Conference  of  the  Americas  and  the Statistical Community of Latin America and the Caribbean:

1.   The institutions of the countries of the region must take the necessary steps to secure the human  and  financial  resources  needed  for  the  operation  of  the  environmental  statistical programmes.

2.   Adequate time and resources must be set aside in order to establish inter-agency agreements and coordination mechanisms.

3.   Where  possible,  institutions  should  include  activities  (technical  assistance,  horizontal cooperation, expert participation in regional forums, etc.) in bilateral projects in order to generate  synergies in regional and subregional initiatives and to create opportunities for exchange with other countries.

4.   In order to enhance coordination in the area of environmental statistics, institutions should keep the Working Group on Environmental Statistics informed of their activities and projects in this area.

5.   National institutions should  seek better coordination and inter-agency collaboration  with international, regional and subregional organizations in order to avoid duplication of efforts in the collection of statistical information.

6.   Institutions should state their needs regarding the development of environmental statistics and draw up project proposals focusing specifically on the issue.

7.   With the help of ministries of the environment, existing funds for projects aimed at dealing with environmental problems (for example, climate change, management of water resources and forests.) could be tapped by incorporating in such projects a component that supports the development/strengthening of environmental statistics.