Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template Before the work planning session, we’ll go into a bit more detail about the Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template. We’ve used both already. The Diagnostic Tool in preparing your presentations on Wednesday. And the Inventory Template in the FDES training yesterday. I’ll try to keep to the highlights.

Overview Background Implementation steps The Diagnostic Tool (Strategic planning) The Inventory Template (Knowing what you have) Group exercise Prepare 2-minute “elevator speech” (90min) Present to Prime Minister We’ll give a bit of background on the need for integrated information. This reviews some of the material in the opening presentation. Implementation of the SEEA is a multi-step, multi-stakeholder process. The first step in implementation is Strategic Planning. The Diagnostic Tool helps us guide the conversation among stakeholders, experts and supporters. The Inventory Template helps us to systematically document what data we already have. The last section will be a group exercise where we’ll use the steps of the Diagnostic Tool to develop a short proposal. An “elevator speech” is a practiced, 2-minute presentation. If you see your Deputy Minister in the elevator and you have 2 minutes, what would you say? Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 2

Background Decisions and national visions are becoming more cross- sectoral and complex Sustainable development, green economy, maintaining natural capital to support jobs & economic growth… SDG 15.9 By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts Environment statistics support more than half the SDGS FDES & SEEA provide an integrated, coherent & comprehensive platform for integrating environmental statistics and linking to economic accounts Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation steps Implementing new statistics requires Strategic Planning including an assessment of what you already have. New statistics need to be relevant to users. Environment statistics need collaboration across stakeholders. Strategic planning Building statistical and institutional mechanisms Strengthening national statistical systems Producing accounts Implementation is a cycle of planning, building, strengthening and production. The objective is not only to produce accounts. In doing so, we need to ensure that the accounts address policy needs. We also need to create mechanisms improve the national statistical system so that producing the accounts becomes easier and the results are more useful. Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation: 1. Strategic Planning 1. Strategic planning (Diagnostic Tool): Iterative understanding of priorities and capacities National vision Engage NSS We need strategic plans to identify the policy and institutional landscape. Before we start working on compiling accounts, we need to engage partners, identify the priorities, and understand what we already have in terms of data, capacity and ongoing initiatives. We can then use the strategic plans to inform our work plans and proposals to build support. What is important is to link the needs in your country (indicators for policies) with what you have (data and capacity). There is no point in developing capacity and accounts that no one will use. Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation: 1. Strategic Planning Knowing what data you have Inventory is based on steps of GSBPM To document relevant statistical activities This is especially important outside of NSOs since most departments don’t think of themselves as producers of statistics. Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation: 2. Building statistical and institutional mechanisms Needs Leadership Funding Monitoring Implementation plan Data sharing New surveys New compilation The next step in implementation is building the statistical and institutional mechanisms to support and implement your work plan. Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation: 3. Strengthening National Statistical Systems International guidance on statistical production Share data Centralize processes Quality guidelines Identify priority gaps Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Implementation 4: Produce the statistics Partnerships Get started Learn by doing Incremental improvement Examples: Netherlands: First energy account many people, two years; second update, one person 6 weeks. Canada: 10 people updating 10+ accounts per year Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Part 1: Diagnostic Tool

Strategic Planning… A. Understand B. Do 1. Policy priorities 2. Institutions 3. Knowledge 4. Progress 5. Context 6. Priorities for environment statistics 7. Constraints & Opportunities C. Evaluate = Work plan You need to understand… Before you do… And then evaluate and understand more… Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Strategic Planning The Diagnostic Tool is flexible and iterative: Repeat the process with new stakeholders Start at any step: May focus on leveraging existing work (Step 4) There may be institutional mechanisms in place with specific priorities (Step 2) Useful for comparing notes with other countries Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 12

Understand: 1. Policy Priorities What are your national priorities related to the environment, sustainability, biodiversity and green economy? Are there immediate concerns about environment and natural resources? Where would you find a statement of these priorities? This becomes your Vision Statement Priorities can be found in legislation, national development plans, sustainable development strategies, Ideally, they would link environment and economy (e.g., natural heritage, jobs, poverty reduction, food security…) Ecosystem assets/issues Water Wetlands Biodiversity, Protected areas/species Land Forests Agricultural areas Climate/carbon Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Understand: 1. Policy Priorities National policy priorities (Examples): Economic development Jobs Food security Water security Environmental concerns (Examples): Conservation versus Development Access to & distribution of natural resources Supply/demand/cost of natural resources Degradation and depletion Mitigating risk of extreme events… (Could ask for suggestions from participants and list on flip chart or screen) Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 14

Understand: 2. Institutions Who are the stakeholders in environment, sustainability and green economy? Producers of information Users of information Supporters of improved information and statistical processes Are there institutional mechanisms already in place to make decisions? Some stakeholders may be interested in promoting the use of their data Others may be looking for data to use Others may be looking for opportunities to improve the efficiency of data collection and production of indicators Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 15

Understand: 2. Institutions Stakeholders (Examples): National statistical offices Environment & natural resource agencies Finance & planning departments Industry associations, development partners, NGOs Institutional mechanisms (Examples): Sustainable development committee Task force reporting to international agencies Interdepartmental statistics working group Commission on… National statistical offices can help integrate data and apply quality frameworks Environment and natural resource agencies can provide and use data Finance and planning agencies also have and need data Industry associations, development partners and NGOs can support and use data Institutional mechanisms Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 16

Understand: 3. Knowledge What are the key national data sources that can be used as a basis for environment statistics? What are the key documents and research initiatives related to these sources? Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 17

Understand: 3. Knowledge Key data sources (Examples): Land cover maps, ownership, soil inventory, Water supply & quality, forestry, agriculture, fisheries data Energy, minerals statistics Socio-economic statistics Documents and research initiatives (Examples): Environment statistics compendia State of the environment reports Energy balances SDG indicators… Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 18

Understand: 4. Progress What progress has already been made in work related to environment statistics? SEEA-CF Environmental-economic accounts SEEA-EEA Ecosystem accounts FDES compendia SDG indicators TEEB studies WAVES studies Climate National Communications Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 19

Understand: 4. Progress Examples of existing accounts and statistics: SEEA-CF Assets (land, soil, timber, aquatic, water) Supply and use (timber, fish, water, air) Monetary flows (protection expenditures) SEEA-EEA Ecosystem Extent, Condition and Capacity Carbon Biodiversity Ecosystem Services Supply (physical or monetary) Compendia based on FDES Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 20

Understand: 5. Context What related statistical development activities could benefit (and benefit from) improved environment statistics? Statistical standards, quality and process guidelines Spatial data standards Environmental data inventories Biodiversity or ecosystem assessments Reporting on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Green economy studies Identify opportunities to build on and work with related initiatives Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 21

Understand: 5. Context What related international development activities could benefit (and benefit from) better environment statistics? UN Agencies International NGOs Bilateral Identify opportunities to build on and work with related initiatives Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 22

Do: 6. Set priorities for new work Now that we understand the: Priorities Institutions Knowledge Progress and Context What does this suggest as priorities for future development of environment statistics? Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 23

Do: 6. Set priorities for new work Which accounts (or components) should be developed first? (Examples): Land Accounts support many objectives Water Accounts inform water security, use Energy Account are an opportunity to harmonize energy information, identify gaps & link to Carbon Waste Accounts can identify opportunities for efficiency and impact reduction Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 24

Do: 7. Consider opportunities and constraints What are the opportunities for immediate actions to address these constraints? (Examples) National Plan, SD strategies being developed Need to address SDG indicators Funding available, need a proposal NBSAP: Link biodiversity targets to accounts International initiatives (REDD+, SDGs, WAVES, IPBES, CBD…) Have much data, need to integrate SEEA training REDD+ is the initiative to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation SDGs are the Sustainable Development Goals as recommended by the Post 2015 development agenda WAVES is World Bank Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services IPBES is the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services CBD is the Convention on Biological Diversity Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 25

Do: 7. Consider opportunities and constraints What are the constraints to achieving these priorities? (Examples) Too little technical capacity Too few people with expertise No platform for integrating spatial data No funding No institutional mechanism for collaboration and sharing Need to prepare national engagement: meetings, mechanisms, prototypes… Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 26

Do: Develop a work plan Identify a 3-5 year Work Plan that Addresses national sustainable development priorities Engages stakeholders Leverages knowledge, progress and current initiatives Overcomes constraints Takes advantage of opportunities  to develop priority statistics within an integrated statistical infrastructure Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 27

Do: Develop a work plan Immediate next steps (data, institutions, capacity) (Examples): Conduct inventory of available data Create a platform for sharing data Engage partners in addressing data needs for international initiatives Initiate national SEEA training program Seek a coalition of partners for funding Develop a prototype account (proof of concept) Establish working groups and design a process Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template 28

Part 2: Inventory Template

Knowing what you have Part of strategic planning is to understand what data already exist Important for NSOs and data providers NSOs should already produce metadata on their own statistical activities (surveys, administrative data, secondary collections) International statistical community uses GSBPM to document statistical processes and how they link Consolidation of common processes Reducing duplication Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

The statistics “Supply Chain” Inventory is based on steps of GSBPM To document statistical activities Statistics Accounts Indicators Publications, databases Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Inventory concepts Granularity: What level to document? Survey Account Indicators database Significance: Is it important? Relevance to environment statistics Used for policy decisions or reporting Ongoing National in scope Authoritative source Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Inventory components Description Sources and contents Methods Outputs Name, description, responsible… Sources and contents Variables measured, sources Methods Transformation and validation Outputs Variables, geographic scope & scale, reference period… Access Formats, requirements, Internet address.. Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

How to do an inventory Similar to approach used by Statistics Canada (Databases for Environmental Analysis, 1998) Two students under expert supervision Three months from beginning to end Over 1,200 databases documented Process: Pre-fill from known information (e.g., Web) Contact data manager  send form Review and revise Updated in 2012 from Internet only Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Take home messages Implementing new environment statistics requires: Strategic planning (Diagnostic Tool) Knowing what you already have (Inventory Template) It can’t be done alone Engage stakeholders Address constraints and take advantage of opportunities Take advantage of ESCAP’s services to advise Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Questions and comments?

Next session 90 minutes to update main points of Diagnostic Tool presentation Lunch Short (2min) “elevator speech” to Prime Minister: Because the national vision to … …requires addressing the priorities of … To do this, we already have … But we need better measures of … We can’t do this now because … So we need to … This will take … months and cost $... Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

References ECE GSBPM: http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/metis/The+Generic+Statistic al+Business+Process+Model ESCAP: http://www.unescap.org/ IMF-DQAF: http://dsbb.imf.org/Pages/DQRS/DQAF.aspx Paris 21. NSDS: http://www.paris21.org/ UNSD. 2013. Fundamental principles of official statistics. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/gp/fundprinciples.aspx UNSD. 2013. FDES: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/fdes.htm UNSD. 2014. SEEA: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/seea.asp Training materials: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/workshops.asp?fType=2 World Bank. WAVES: https://www.wavespartnership.org/ Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template

Acknowledgement Materials prepared by: Michael Bordt Regional Adviser on Environment Statistics ESCAP Statistics Division bordt@un.org Environment Statistics Diagnostic Tool and Inventory Template