1. Introduction to the SEEA A policy perspective
Sokol Vako
United Nations Statistics Division
Training for the worldwide implementation of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting Central Framework for Africa
2-5 February 2015, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Importance of bigger picture; julian will have details on the accounts

2. Policy settings Post-2015 UN development agenda/SDGs
Green Growth/Green Economy
Broader measures of progress/Beyond GDP
Natural Capital Accounting/ WAVES
Aichi targets (e.g. Target 2)
Poverty and environment
TEEB 2

3. Para.38 of the Rio+20 report
“We recognize the need for broader measures of progress to complement GDP in order to better inform policy decisions, and in this regard, we request the UN Statistical Commission in consultation with relevant UN System entities and other relevant organizations to launch a programme of work in this area building on existing initiatives.” 3

4. Challenges ahead for our operations
Fundamental rethink and transformational change in mainstreaming sustainable development
How we set the statistical agenda, how we keep the agenda under review and how we promote the statistical agenda and the authority of official statistics
How we engage within and between the national, regional and international statistical system with a bottom-up approach based on national priorities
How we integrate policy and statistics in our operations
How we integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions in our operations 4

5. Implications for statistical community
A need to bring statistical decisions into the political process of defining development goals, targets and indicators
An early and adequate engagement of the statistical community is vital
A leadership role for the national statistical offices in the national statistical system and engage with the national stakeholders
A need to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems to compile and report development indicators through balanced and resourced national statistical systems based on national priorities 5

6. Statisticians, politicians and policymakers, business sector, scientific/academic community and general public must join hands! 6

7. SEEA
Internationally agreed statistical framework to measure environment and its interactions with economy
Adopted as international statistical standard by UN Statistical Commission in 2012
Developed through inter-governmental process
Published by UN, EU, FAO, IMF, OECD, WB 7

8. SEEA: A Statistical Standard
Countries are “encouraged to implement the standard”
International organizations have obligations to assist countries in implementation
Implementation strategy adopted by Statistical Commission in March 2013
Data reporting mechanism will be established

9. The Suite of SEEAs 1993 Handbook – interim publication
2003 Updated SEEA handbook – manual of best practices
2006 UNSC decided to elevate SEEA to an international standard
2012 SEEA – The Central Framework (international standard)
2013 SEEA – Experimental Ecosystem Accounting
2013 SEEA – Applications and Extensions
Subsystems:
SEEA – Water (adopted in 2007)
SEEA – Energy
SEEA – Agriculture

10. Information is vital …and it needs to be integrated
The economy impacts on the environment and the environment impacts on the economy
To understand these linkages we need to integrate environmental and economic information
This is the explicit purpose of the SEEA 10

11. Integrated statistics
Linking policy needs and statistics
Understanding the institutional arrangements
Integrated statistical production process/chain and services
Consistency between basic data, accounts and tables and indicators
Indicators
Accounts
SEEA
Basic data
Economic Environmental Social
Statistics 11

12. Problem: Information silos
Data developed to answer one particular question or problem
Difficult to figure out if all information is included
Not always easy to see the whole picture, or how it relates to other things 12

13. Solution: Integrated information
Holistic picture
Consistency of information and identification of data gaps
Interconnections between economy, environment and society 13

14. Provides a quantitative basis for policy design
Linking environmental and socio-economic data is essential for policymakers
Enables analysis of the impact of economic policies on the environment and vice versa
Provides a quantitative basis for policy design
Identifies the socio-economic drivers, pressures, impacts and responses affecting the environment
Supports greater precision for environmental regulations and resource management strategies
Provides indicators that express the relationships between the environment and the economy
Support relevant perspectives on the dimensions of economic development, environmental sustainability and social equity 14

15. The SEEA Policy Quadrants
People and the environment
II.
The economy and the environment
Sustainability
IV.
Risks
III.
Ecosystems 15 15

16. Sustainability I. Improving access to services and resources II.
Managing supply and demand and reducing impacts
Sustainability
IV.
Mitigating and adapting to extreme events
III.
Improving the state of the ecosystems 16 16

17. The SEEA Central Framework Accounts
Flow accounts: supply and use tables for products, natural inputs and residuals (e.g. waste, wastewater) generated by economic activities.
physical (e.g. m2 of water) and/or monetary values (e.g. permits to access water, cost of wastewater treatment, etc.)
Stock accounts for environmental assets: natural resources and land
physical (e.g. fish stocks and changes in stocks) and/or monetary values (e.g. value of natural capital, depletion)
Activity / purpose accounts that explicitly identify environmental transactions already existing in the SNA.
e.g. Environmental Protection Expenditure (EPE) accounts, environmental taxes and subsidies
Combined physical and monetary accounts that bring together physical and monetary information for derivation indicators, including depletion adjusted aggregates

18. SEEA Conceptual Framework
Territory of reference
Environment
Imports/Exports
Economy
Economic Units
Enterprises
Households
Government
Non-profit institutions
Instruments
-Financial/Monetary
-Taxes/subsidies
- Financing
-Resource rent
-Permits
Activities
-Production
-Consumption
-Accumulation
Outside territory of reference
Outside territory of reference
Analytical and Policy Frameworks
-Productivity analysis
-Natural resource management
-Climate change
-Green Growth/Green Economy
-Post-2015 Development Agenda
Natural inputs
Residuals (e.g., emissions, waste)
Ecosystem
services
Individual Environmental Assets (e.g., land, water, mineral and energy, soil, aquatic)
Ecosystem Assets
Transboundary Environmental Flows

19. SEEA Implementation Guide and Diagnostic Tool

20. Nature of the Implementation Guide
Broad direction and support to national level implementation
Introductory and overview document
Works within the framework of the SEEA implementation strategy
Recognize differences between countries and regions in actual situations and contexts
Reflect lessons learned on implementation from past compilers
Promote awareness of key implementation issues and risks

21. Background
National environmental and economic policy priorities linked to national programming and budgeting cycles
Need for integrated information for evidence based policy making for sustainable development
Link of national policy and statistical priorities to regional and international agenda
Post-2015 agenda / SDGs / Broader measures of progress/WAVES/ UNEP TEEB

22. National policy setting and policy issues
Main policy issues and instruments (regulations, fiscal, pricing, financial, trade, etc.)
Environmental plans and strategies
Sustainable Development Strategy
National Policy for the Environment Management
National Statistical Strategy
National sector plans/strategy (energy, water, waste, etc.)
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)
National Policy for Climate Change
Energy (renewable, energy efficiency)
Deforestation
Low carbon agriculture

23. National stakeholders
Establish national coordination board/committee
Identify national stakeholders:
National Statistical Institutes
Central Banks
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Finance
Water agencies/boards
Ministry of Energy
Ministry of Forestry ….

24. Broad assessment of data availability
Lots of data available
... But the data is not coordinated
Water resources
Forestry
Electricity consumption and production
Treated water
Wastes
Climate change vulnerability
Agriculture
National accounts
Fish
Protection expenditures
Other data
Ecosystem health

25. Actions
Establish the national coordination board/committee with users and producers
Prepare national statement of strategy
Decide on priority accounts and related time series, indicators and policy applications
Institutional arrangements (strategies and plans)
Data quality assessment (following demands from strategies and plans)

26. Actions
Pilot SEEA compilation (suggested as priorities like water, energy, forest, environmental protection expenditures, land cover/use)
Plans by accounts:
objectives, institutional arrangements, outputs, activities, sources, timelines, requirements for external assistance
Dissemination and communication strategy on nationally agreed accounts and time series of statistics and indicators