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AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 8



INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING





NOTE:	This is a final, advanced version of a chapter of Agenda 21, as 
adopted by the Plenary in Rio de Janeiro, on June 14, 1992.  
This document will be further edited, translated into the 
official languages, and published by the United Nations for the 
General Assembly this autumn.





........../2



INTRODUCTION

8.1.  The present chapter consists of the following programme areas:

	(a)	Integrating environment and development at the policy, planning 
and management levels;

	(b)	Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework;

	(c)	Making effective use of economic instruments and market and 
other incentives;

	(d)	Establishing systems for integrated environmental and economic 
accounting.


PROGRAMME AREAS

		A.  Integrating environment and development at the policy,
		    planning and management levels

Basis for action

8.2.  Prevailing systems for decision-making in many countries tend to 
separate economic, social and environmental factors at the policy, planning 
and management levels.  This influences the actions of all groups in 
society, including Governments, industry and individuals, and has important 
implications for the efficiency and sustainability of development.  An 
adjustment or even a fundamental reshaping of decision-making, in the light 
of country-specific conditions, may be necessary if environment and 
development is to be put at the centre of economic and political 
decision-making, in effect achieving a full integration of these factors.  
In recent years, some Governments have also begun to make significant 
changes in the institutional structures of government in order to enable 
more systematic consideration of the environment when decisions are made on 
economic, social, fiscal, energy, agricultural, transportation, trade and 
other policies, as well as the implications of policies in these areas for 
the environment.  New forms of dialogue are also being developed for 
achieving better integration among national and local government, industry, 
science, environmental groups and the public in the process of developing 
effective approaches to environment and development.  The responsibility 
for bringing about changes lies with Governments in partnership with the 
private sector and local authorities, and in collaboration with national, 
regional and international organizations, including in particular UNEP, 
UNDP and the World Bank.  Exchange of experience between countries can also 
be significant. National plans, goals and objectives, national rules, 
regulations and law, and the specific situation in which different 
countries are placed are the overall framework in which such integration 
takes place.  In this context, it must be borne in mind that environmental 
standards may pose severe economic and social costs if they are uniformly 
applied in developing countries. 

Objectives

8.3.  The overall objective is to improve or restructure the 
decision-making process so that consideration of socio-economic and 
environmental issues is fully integrated and a broader range of public 
participation assured.  Recognizing that countries will develop their own 
priorities in accordance with their prevailing conditions, needs, national 
plans, policies and programmes, the following objectives are proposed:

	(a)	To conduct a national review of economic, sectoral and 
environmental policies, strategies and plans to ensure the progressive 
integration of environmental and developmental issues; 

	(b)	To strengthen institutional structures to allow the full 
integration of environmental and developmental issues, at all levels of 
decision-making;

	(c)	To develop or improve mechanisms to facilitate the involvement 
of concerned individuals, groups and organizations in decision-making at 
all levels;

	(d)	To establish domestically determined procedures to integrate 
environment and development issues in decision-making.

Activities

(a)	Improving decision-making processes

8.4.  The primary need is to integrate environmental and developmental 
decision-making processes.  To do this, Governments should conduct a 
national review and, where appropriate, improve the processes of 
decision-making so as to achieve the progressive integration of economic, 
social and environmental issues in the pursuit of development that is 
economically efficient, socially equitable and responsible and 
environmentally sound.  Countries will develop their own priorities in 
accordance with their national plans, policies and programmes for the 
following activities: 

	(a)	Ensuring the integration of economic, social and environmental 
considerations in decision-making at all levels and in all ministries;

	(b)	Adopting a domestically formulated policy framework that 
reflects a long-term perspective and cross-sectoral approach as the basis 
for decisions, taking account of the linkages between and within the 
various political, economic, social and environmental issues involved in 
the development process;

	(c)	Establishing domestically determined ways and means to ensure 
the coherence of sectoral, economic, social and environmental policies, 
plans and policy instruments, including fiscal measures and the budget; 
these mechanisms should apply at various levels and bring together those 
interested in the development process;

	(d)	Monitoring and evaluating the development process 
systematically, conducting regular reviews of the state of human resources 
development, economic and social conditions and trends, the state of the 
environment and natural resources; this could be complemented by annual 
environment and development reviews, with a view to assessing sustainable 
development achievements by the various sectors and departments of 
government; 

	(e)	Ensuring transparency of, and accountability for, the 
environmental implications of economic and sectoral policies;

	(f)	Ensuring access by the public to relevant information, 
facilitating the reception of public views and allowing for effective 
participation.

(b)	Improving planning and management systems

8.5.  To support a more integrated approach to decision-making, the data 
systems and analytical methods used to support such decision-making 
processes may need to be improved.  Governments, in collaboration, where 
appropriate, with national and international organizations, should review 
the status of the planning and management system and, where necessary, 
modify and strengthen procedures so as to facilitate the integrated 
consideration of social, economic and environmental issues.  Countries will 
develop their own priorities in accordance with their national plans, 
policies and programmes for the following activities:

	(a)	Improving the use of data and information at all stages of 
planning and management, making systematic and simultaneous use of social, 
economic, developmental, ecological and environmental data; analysis should 
stress interactions and synergisms; a broad range of analytical methods 
should be encouraged so as to provide various points of view;

	(b)	Adopting comprehensive analytical procedures for prior and 
simultaneous assessment of the impacts of decisions, including the impacts 
within and among the economic, social and environmental spheres; these 
procedures should extend beyond the project level to policies and 
programmes; analysis should also include assessment of costs, benefits and 
risks;


	(c)	Adopting flexible and integrative planning approaches that 
allow the consideration of multiple goals and enable adjustment of changing 
needs; integrative area approaches at the ecosystem or watershed level can 
assist in this approach;

	(d)	Adopting integrated management systems, particularly for the 
management of natural resources; traditional or indigenous methods should 
be studied and considered wherever they have proved effective; women's 
traditional roles should not be marginalized as a result of the 
introduction of new management systems;

	(e)	Adopting integrated approaches to sustainable development at 
the regional level, including transboundary areas, subject to the 
requirements of particular circumstances and needs;

	(f)	Using policy instruments (legal/regulatory and economic) as a 
tool for planning and management, seeking incorporation of efficiency 
criteria in decisions; instruments should be regularly reviewed and adapted 
to ensure that they continue to be effective;

	(g)	Delegating planning and management responsibilities to the 
lowest level of public authority consistent with effective action; in 
particular the advantages of effective and equitable opportunities for 
participation by women should be discussed;

	(h)	Establishing procedures for involving local communities in 
contingency planning for environmental and industrial accidents, and 
maintaining an open exchange of information on local hazards.

(c)	Data and information

8.6.  Countries could develop systems for monitoring and evaluation of 
progress towards achieving sustainable development by adopting indicators 
that measure changes across economic, social and environmental dimensions.

(d)	Adopting a national strategy for sustainable development

8.7.  Governments, in cooperation, where appropriate, with international 
organizations, should adopt a national strategy for sustainable development 
based on, inter alia, the implementation of decisions taken at the 
Conference, particularly in respect of Agenda 21.  This strategy should 
build upon and harmonize the various sectoral economic, social and 
environmental policies and plans that are operating in the country.  The 
experience gained through existing planning exercises such as national 
reports for the Conference, national conservation strategies and 
environment action plans should be fully used and incorporated into a 
country-driven sustainable development strategy.  Its goals should be to 
ensure socially responsible economic development while protecting the 
resource base and the environment for the benefit of future generations.  
It should be developed through the widest possible participation.  It 
should be based on a thorough assessment of the current situation and 
initiatives.


Means of implementation

(a)	Financing and cost evaluation

8.8.  The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual 
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be 
about $50 million from the international community on grant or concessional 
terms.  These are indicative and order of magnitude estimates only and have 
not been reviewed by governments.  Actual costs and financial terms, 
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the 
specific strategies and programmes governments decide upon for 
implementation.

(b)	Researching environment and development interactions

8.9.  Governments, in collaboration with the national and international 
scientific community and in cooperation with international organizations, 
as appropriate, should intensify efforts to clarify the interactions 
between and within social, economic and environmental considerations.  
Research should be undertaken with the explicit objective of assisting 
policy decisions and providing recommendations on improving management 
practices.

(c)	Enhancing education and training

8.10.  Countries, in cooperation, where appropriate, with national, 
regional or international organizations, should ensure that essential human 
resources exist, or be developed, to undertake the integration of 
environment and development at various stages of the decision-making and 
implementation process.  To do this, they should improve education and 
technical training, particularly for women and girls, by including 
interdisciplinary approaches, as appropriate, in technical, vocational, 
university and other curricula.  They should also undertake systematic 
training of government personnel, planners and managers on a regular basis, 
giving priority to the requisite integrative approaches and planning and 
management techniques that are suited to country-specific conditions.



(d)	Promoting public awareness

8.11.  Countries, in cooperation with national institutions and groups, the 
media and the international community, should promote awareness in the 
public at large, as well as in specialized circles, of the importance of 
considering environment and development in an integrated manner, and should 
establish mechanisms for facilitating a direct exchange of information and 
views with the public.  Priority should be given to highlighting the 
responsibilities and potential contributions of different social groups.


(e)	Strengthen national institutional capacity

8.12.  Governments, in cooperation, where appropriate, with international 
organizations, should strengthen national institutional capability and 
capacity to integrate social, economic, developmental and environmental 
issues at all levels of development decision-making and implementation.  
Attention should be given to moving away from narrow sectoral approaches, 
progressing towards full cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation.



B.  Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework

Basis for action

8.13.  Laws and regulations suited to country-specific conditions are among 
the most important instruments for transforming environment and development 
policies into action, not only through "command and control" methods, but 
also as a normative framework for economic planning and market instruments.  
Yet, although the volume of legal texts in this field is steadily 
increasing, much of the law-making in many countries seems to be ad hoc and 
piecemeal, or has not been endowed with the necessary institutional 
machinery and authority for enforcement and timely adjustment.

8.14.  While there is continuous need for law improvement in all countries, 
many developing countries have been affected by shortcomings of laws and 
regulations.  To effectively integrate environment and development in the 
policies and practices of each country, it is essential to develop and 
implement integrated, enforceable and effective laws and regulations that 
are based upon sound social, ecological, economic and scientific 
principles.  It is equally critical to develop workable programmes to 
review and enforce compliance with the laws, regulations and standards that 
are adopted.  Technical support may be needed for many countries to 
accomplish these goals.  Technical cooperation requirements in this field 
include legal information, advisory services and specialized training and 
institutional capacity-building.

8.15.  The enactment and enforcement of laws and regulations (at the 
regional, national, state/provincial or local/municipal level) are also 
essential for the implementation of most international agreements in the 
field of environment and development, as illustrated by the frequent treaty 
obligation to report on legislative measures.  The survey of existing 
agreements undertaken in the context of conference preparations has 
indicated problems of compliance in this respect, and the need for improved 
national implementation and, where appropriate, related technical 
assistance.  In developing their national priorities, countries should take 
account of their international obligations.

Objectives

8.16.  The overall objective is to promote, in the light of 
country-specific conditions, the integration of environment and development 
policies through appropriate legal and regulatory policies, instruments and 
enforcement mechanisms at the national, state, provincial and local level.  
Recognizing that countries will develop their own priorities in accordance 
with their needs and national and, where appropriate, regional plans, 
policies and programmes, the following objectives are proposed:

	(a)	To disseminate information on effective legal and regulatory 
innovations in the field of environment and development, including 
appropriate instruments and compliance incentives, with a view to 
encouraging their wider use and adoption at the national, state, provincial 
and local level;

	(b)	To support countries that request it in their national efforts 
to modernize and strengthen the policy and legal framework of governance 
for sustainable development, having due regard for local social values and 
infrastructures;


	(c)	To encourage the development and implementation of national, 
state, provincial and local programmes that assess and promote compliance 
and respond appropriately to non-compliance.

Activities

(a)	Making laws and regulations more effective

8.17.  Governments, with the support, where appropriate, of competent 
international organizations, should regularly assess the laws and 
regulations enacted and the related institutional/administrative machinery 
established at the national/state and local/municipal level in the field of 
environment and sustainable development, with a view to rendering them 
effective in practice.  Programmes for this purpose could include the 
promotion of public awareness, preparation and distribution of guidance 
material, and specialized training, including workshops, seminars, 
education programmes and conferences, for public officials who design, 
implement, monitor and enforce laws and regulations.

(b)	Establishing judicial and administrative procedures

8.18.  Governments and legislators, with the support, where appropriate, of 
competent international organizations, should establish judicial and 
administrative procedures for legal redress and remedy of actions affecting 
environment and development that may be unlawful or infringe on rights 
under the law, and should provide access to individuals, groups and 
organizations with a recognized legal interest.

(c)	Providing legal reference and support services

8.19.  Competent intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations could 
cooperate to provide Governments and legislators, upon request, with an 
integrated programme of environment and development law (sustainable 
development law) services, carefully adapted to the specific requirements 
of the recipient legal and administrative systems. Such systems could 
usefully include assistance in the preparation of comprehensive inventories 
and reviews of national legal systems.  Past experience has demonstrated 
the usefulness of combining specialized legal information services with 
legal expert advice. Within the United Nations system, closer cooperation 
among all agencies concerned would avoid duplication of databases and 
facilitate division of labour.  These agencies could examine the 
possibility and merit of performing reviews of selected national legal 
systems.

(d)	Establishing a cooperative training network for sustainable 
development law

8.20.  Competent international and academic institutions could, within 
agreed frameworks, cooperate to provide, especially for trainees from 
developing countries, postgraduate programmes and in-service training 
facilities in environment and development law.  Such training should 
address both the effective application and the progressive improvement of 
applicable laws, the related skills of negotiating, drafting and mediation, 
and the training of trainers.  Intergovernmental and non-governmental 
organizations already active in this field could cooperate with related 
university programmes to harmonize curriculum planning and to offer an 
optimal range of options to interested Governments and potential sponsors.

(e)	Developing effective national programmes for reviewing and enforcing 
compliance with national, state, provincial and local laws on 
environment and development

8.21.  Each country should develop integrated strategies to maximize 
compliance with its laws and regulations relating to sustainable 
development, with assistance from international organizations and other 
countries as appropriate.  The strategies could include:

	(a)	Enforceable, effective laws, regulations and standards that are 
based on sound economic, social and environmental principles and 
appropriate risk assessment, incorporating sanctions designed to punish 
violations, obtain redress and deter future violations;

	(b)	Mechanisms for promoting compliance;

	(c)	Institutional capacity for collecting compliance data, 
regularly reviewing compliance, detecting violations, establishing 
enforcement priorities, undertaking effective enforcement, and conducting 
periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement 
programmes;

	(d)	Mechanisms for appropriate involvement of individuals and 
groups in the development and enforcement of laws and regulations on 
environment and development.

(f)	National monitoring of legal follow-up to international instruments

8.22.  Contracting parties to international agreements, in consultation 
with the appropriate secretariats of relevant international conventions as 
appropriate, should improve practices and procedures for collecting 
information on legal and regulatory measures taken. Contracting parties to 
international agreements could undertake sample surveys of domestic 
follow-up action subject to agreement by the sovereign States concerned.
Means of implementation

(a)	Financing and cost evaluation

8.23.  The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual 
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be 
about $6 million from the international community on grant or concessional 
terms.  These are indicative and order of magnitude estimates only and have 
not been reviewed by governments.  Actual costs and financial terms, 
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the 
specific strategies and programmes governments decide upon for 
implementation.

(b)	Scientific and technological means

8.24.  The programme relies essentially on a continuation of ongoing work 
for legal data collection, translation and assessment.  Closer cooperation 
between existing databases may be expected to lead to better division of 
labour (e.g., in geographical coverage of national legislative gazettes and 
other reference sources) and to improved standardization and compatibility 
of data, as appropriate.

(c)	Human resource development

8.25.  Participation in training is expected to benefit practitioners from 
developing countries and to enhance training opportunities for women.  
Demand for this type of postgraduate and in-service training is known to be 
high.  The seminars, workshops and conferences on review and enforcement 
that have been held to date have been very successful and well attended.  
The purpose of these efforts is to develop resources (both human and 
institutional) to design and implement effective programmes to continuously 
review and enforce national and local laws, regulations and standards on 
sustainable development.

(d)	Strengthening legal and institutional capacity

8.26.  A major part of the programme should be oriented towards improving 
the legal-institutional capacities of countries to cope with national 
problems of governance and effective law-making and law-applying in the 
field of environment and sustainable development.  Regional centres of 
excellence could be designated and supported to build up specialized 
databases and training facilities for linguistic/cultural groups of legal 
systems.


		C.  Making effective use of economic instruments and market
		    and other incentives

Basis for action

8.27.  Environmental law and regulation are important but cannot alone be 
expected to deal with the problems of environment and development.  Prices, 
markets and governmental fiscal and economic policies also play a 
complementary role in shaping attitudes and behaviour towards the 
environment.

8.28.  During the past several years, many Governments, primarily in 
industrialized countries but also in Central and Eastern Europe and in 
developing countries, have been making increasing use of economic 
approaches, including those that are market-oriented. Examples include the 
polluter-pays principle and the more recent natural-resource-user-pays 
concept.

8.29.  Within a supportive international and national economic context and 
given the necessary legal and regulatory framework, economic and 
market-oriented approaches can in many cases enhance capacity to deal with 
the issues of environment and development. This would be achieved by 
providing cost-effective solutions, applying integrated pollution 
prevention control, promoting technological innovation and influencing 
environmental behaviour, as well as providing financial resources to meet 
sustainable development objectives.

8.30.  What is needed is an appropriate effort to explore and make more 
effective and widespread use of economic and market-oriented approaches 
within a broad framework of development policies, law and regulation suited 
to country-specific conditions as part of a general transition to economic 
and environmental policies that are supportive and mutually reinforcing.

Objectives

8.31.  Recognizing that countries will develop their own priorities in 
accordance with their needs and national plans, policies and programmes, 
the challenge is to achieve significant progress in the years ahead in 
meeting three fundamental objectives:

	(a)	To incorporate environmental costs in the decisions of 
producers and consumers, to reverse the tendency to treat the environment 
as a "free good" and to pass these costs on to other parts of society, 
other countries, or to future generations;

	(b)	To move more fully towards integration of social and 
environmental costs into economic activities, so that prices will 
appropriately reflect the relative scarcity and total value of resources 
and contribute towards the prevention of environmental degradation;
	(c)	To include, wherever appropriate, the use of market principles 
in the framing of economic instruments and policies to pursue sustainable 
development.

Activities

(a)	Improving or reorienting governmental policies

8.32.  In the near term, Governments should consider gradually building on 
experience with economic instruments and market mechanisms by undertaking 
to reorient their policies, keeping in mind national plans, priorities and 
objectives, in order to:

	(a)	Establish effective combinations of economic, regulatory and 
	 voluntary (self-regulatory) approaches;

	(b)	Remove or reduce those subsidies that do not conform with 
sustainable development objectives;

	(c)	Reform or recast existing structures of economic and fiscal 
incentives to meet environment and development objectives; 

	(d)	Establish a policy framework that encourages the creation of 
new markets in pollution control and environmentally sounder resource 
management;

	(e)	Move towards pricing consistent with sustainable development 
objectives.

8.33.  In particular, Governments should explore, in cooperation with 
business and industry, as appropriate, how effective use can be made of 
economic instruments and market mechanisms in the following areas:

	(a)	Issues related to energy, transportation, agriculture and 
forestry, water, wastes, health, tourism and tertiary services;

	(b)	Global and transboundary issues;

	(c)	The development and introduction of environmentally sound 
technology and its adaptation, diffusion and transfer to developing 
countries, in conformity with chapter 34.

(b)	Taking account of the particular circumstances of developing 
countries and countries with economies in transition

8.34.  A special effort should be made to develop applications of the use 
of economic instruments and market mechanisms geared to the particular 
needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, 
with the assistance of regional and international economic and 
environmental organizations and, as appropriate, non-governmental research 
institutes, by:

	(a) 	Providing technical support to those countries on issues 
relating to the application of economic instruments and market mechanisms;

	(b) 	Encouraging regional seminars and, possibly, the development of 
regional centres of expertise.

(c)	Creating an inventory of effective uses of economic instruments and 
market mechanisms

8.35.  Given the recognition that the use of economic instruments and 
market mechanisms is relatively recent, exchange of information about 
different countries' experiences with such approaches should be actively 
encouraged.  In this regard, Governments should encourage the use of 
existing means of information exchange to look at effective uses of 
economic instruments.

(d)	Increasing understanding of the role of economic instruments and 
market mechanisms

8.36.  Governments should encourage research and analysis on effective uses 
of economic instruments and incentives with the assistance and support of 
regional and international economic and environmental organizations, as 
well as non-governmental research institutes, with a focus on such key 
issues as:

	(a)	The role of environmental taxation suited to national 
conditions;

	(b) 	The implications of economic instruments and incentives for 
competitiveness and international trade, and potential needs for 
appropriate future international cooperation and coordination;

	(c) 	The possible social and distributive implications of using 
various instruments.

(e)	Establishing a process for focusing on pricing

8.37.  The theoretical advantages of using pricing policies, where 
appropriate, need to be better understood, and accompanied by greater 
understanding of what it means to take significant steps in this direction.  
Processes should therefore be initiated, in cooperation with business, 
industry, large enterprises, transnational corporations, as well as other 
social groups, as appropriate, at both the national and international 
levels, to examine:

	(a)	The practical implications of moving towards greater reliance 
on pricing that internalize environmental costs appropriate to help achieve 
sustainable development objectives;

	(b)	The implications for resource pricing in the case of 
resource-exporting countries, including the implications of such pricing 
policies for developing countries;

	(c) 	The methodologies used in valuing environmental costs.

(f)	Enhancing understanding of sustainable development economics

8.38.  Increased interest in economic instruments, including market 
mechanisms, also requires a concerted effort to improve understanding of 
sustainable development economics by:

	(a)	Encouraging institutions of higher learning to review their 
curricula and strengthen studies in sustainable development economics;

	(b)	Encouraging regional and international economic organizations 
and non-governmental research institutes with expertise in this area to 
provide training sessions and seminars for government officials;

	(c)	Encouraging business and industry, including large industrial 
enterprises and transnational corporations with expertise in environmental 
matters, to organize training programmes for the private sector and other 
groups.



Means of implementation

8.39.  This programme involves adjustments or reorientation of policies on 
the part of Governments.  It also involves international and regional 
economic and environmental organizations and agencies with expertise in 
this area, including transnational corporations.

(a)	Financing and cost evaluation

8.40.  The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual 
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be 
about $5 million from the international community on grant or concessional 
terms.  These are indicative and order of magnitude estimates only and have 
not been reviewed by governments.  Actual costs and financial terms, 
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the 
specific strategies and programmes governments decide upon for 
implementation.



		D.  Establishing systems for integrated environmental and
		    economic accounting

Basis for action

8.41.  A first step towards the integration of sustainability into economic 
management is the establishment of better measurement of the crucial role 
of the environment as a source of natural capital and as a sink for 
by-products generated during the production of man-made capital and other 
human activities.  As sustainable development encompasses social, economic 
and environmental dimensions, it is also important that national accounting 
procedures are not restricted to measuring the production of goods and 
services that are conventionally remunerated.  A common framework needs to 
be developed whereby the contributions made by all sectors and activities 
of society, that are not included in the conventional national accounts, 
are included, to the extent consistent with sound theory and 
practicability, in satellite accounts.  A programme to develop national 
systems of integrated environmental and economic accounting in all 
countries is proposed.

Objectives

8.42.  The main objective is to expand existing systems of national 
economic accounts in order to integrate environment and social dimensions 
in the accounting framework, including at least satellite systems of 
accounts for natural resources in all member States. The resulting systems 
of integrated environmental and economic accounting (IEEA) to be 
established in all member States at the earliest date should be seen as a 
complement to, rather than a substitute for, traditional national 
accounting practices for the foreseeable future.  IEEAs would be designed 
to play an integral part in the national development decision-making 
process.  National accounting agencies should work in close collaboration 
with national environmental statistics as well as the geographic and 
natural resource departments.  The definition of economically active could 
be expanded to include people performing productive but unpaid tasks in all 
countries.  This would enable their contribution to be adequately measured 
and taken into account in decision-making.

Activities

(a)	Strengthening international cooperation

8.43.  The Statistical Office of the United Nations Secretariat should:

	(a)	Make available to all member States the methodologies contained 
in the SNA Handbook on Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting;

	(b)	In collaboration with other relevant United Nations 
organizations, further develop, test, refine and then standardize the 
provisional concepts and methods such as those proposed by the SNA 
Handbook, keeping member States informed of the status of the work 
throughout this process;

	(c)	Coordinate, in close cooperation with other international 
organizations, the training of national accountants, environmental 
statisticians and national technical staff in small groups for the 
establishment, adaptation and development of national IEEAs.

8.44.  The Department of Economic and Social Development of the United 
Nations Secretariat, in close collaboration with other relevant United 
Nations organizations, should:

	(a)	Support, in all member States, the utilization of sustainable 
development indicators in national economic and social planning and 
decision-making practices, with a view to ensuring that IEEAs are usefully 
integrated in economic development planning at the national level;

	(b)	Promote improved environmental and economic and social data 
collection.

(b)	Strengthening national accounting systems

8.45.  At the national level, the programme could be adopted mainly by the 
agencies dealing with national accounts, in close cooperation with 
environmental statistics and natural resource departments, with a view to 
assisting national economic analysts and decision makers in charge of 
national economic planning.  National institutions should play a crucial 
role not only as the depositary of the system but also in its adaptation, 
establishment and continuous use.  Unpaid productive work such as domestic 
work and child care should be included, where appropriate, in satellite 
national accounts and economic statistics.  Time-use surveys could be a 
first step in the process of developing these satellite accounts.

(c)	Establishing an assessment process

8.46.  At the international level, the Statistical Commission should 
assemble and review experience and advise member States on technical and 
methodological issues related to the further development and implementation 
of IEEAs in member States.

8.47.  Governments should seek to identify and consider measures to correct 
price distortions arising from environmental programmes affecting land, 
water, energy and other natural resources.

8.48.  Governments should encourage corporations:

	(a)	To provide relevant environmental information through 
transparent reporting to shareholders, creditors, employees, governmental 
authorities, consumers and the public;

	(b)	To develop and implement methods and rules for accounting for 
sustaining development.

(d)	Strengthening data and information collection

8.49.  National Governments could consider implementing the necessary  
enhancement in data collection to set in place national IEEAs with a view 
to contributing pragmatically to sound economic management.  Major efforts 
should be made to augment the capacity to collect and analyse environmental 
data and information and to integrate it with economic data, including 
gender disaggregated data.  Efforts should also be made to develop physical 
environmental accounts.  International donor agencies should consider 
financing the development of intersectoral data banks to help ensure that 
national planning for sustainable development is based on precise, reliable 
and effective information and is suited to national conditions.

(e)	Strengthening technical cooperation

8.50.  The Statistical Office of the United Nations Secretariat, in close 
collaboration with relevant United Nations organizations, should strengthen 
existing mechanisms for technical cooperation among countries.  This should 
also include exchange of experience in the establishment of IEEAs, 
particularly in connection with the valuation of non-marketed natural 
resources and standardization in data collection.  The cooperation of 
business and industry, including large industrial enterprises and 
transnational corporations with experience in valuation of such resources, 
should also be sought.

Means of implementation

(a)	Financing and cost evaluation

8.51.  The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual 
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be 
about $2 million from the international community on grant or concessional 
terms.  These are indicative and order of magnitude estimates only and have 
not been reviewed by governments.  Actual costs and financial terms, 
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the 
specific strategies and programmes governments decide upon for 
implementation.

(b)	Strengthening institutions

8.52.  To ensure the application of IEEAs:

	(a)	National institutions in developing countries could be 
strengthened to ensure the effective integration of environment and 
development at the planning and decision-making levels;

	(b)	The Statistical Office should provide the necessary technical 
support to member States, in close collaboration with the assessment 
process to be established by the Statistical Commission; the Statistical 
Office should provide appropriate support for establishing IEEAs, in 
collaboration with relevant United Nations agencies.

(c)	Enhancing the use of information technology

8.53.  Guidelines and mechanisms could be developed and agreed upon for the 
adaptation and diffusion of information technologies to developing 
countries.  State-of-the-art data management technologies should be adopted 
for the most efficient and widespread use of IEEAs.

(d)	Strengthening national capacity

8.54.  Governments, with the support of the international community, should 
strengthen national institutional capacity to collect, store, organize, 
assess and use data in decision-making.  Training in all areas related to 
the establishment of IEEAs, and at all levels, will be required, especially 
in developing countries.  This should include technical training of those 
involved in economic and environmental analysis, data collection and 
national accounting, as well as training decision makers to use such 
information in a pragmatic and appropriate way.



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