Historical background

In 1993 the United Nations published the Handbook of National Accounting: Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA). This handbook was the result of the discussion on environmental-economic accounting in international workshops organized by UNEP and the World Bank. The discussion of concepts and methods, however, had not come to a final conclusion and the handbook was issued as an "interim" version of work in progress.

As a result of the publication of the SEEA handbook, several developing and developed countries started experimenting on the compilation of the SEEA. In particular the London Group on Environmental Accounting - a group formed mainly by countries active in the field - was created in 1994 to provide a forum for practitioners to share their experiences in developing and implementing environmental accounts. The increased discussion of concepts and methods of environmental accounting together with country experience has facilitated the convergence of compilation methodologies for selected modules of the SEEA.

In 2001, UNSD and UNEP published the Handbook of National Accounting: Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting - An Operational Manual which was prepared by the Nairobi Group (a group of experts from national and international agencies and non-governmental organizations established in 1995). This handbook reflected the on-going discussion on environmental accounts since the publication of the SEEA in 1993 and the experiences in developed and developing countries. It provides a step-by-step guidance on how to implement the more practical modules of the SEEA and elaborates the uses of integrated environmental and economic accounting in policy-making. A user-friendly software to facilitate the SEEA compilation was developed by UNSD and the Fondazione ENI Enrico Mattei.

In parallel with the work of the Nairobi Group, the Statistical Commission, in 1997 at its twenty-ninth session requested the London Group to collaborate with UNSD on the revision of the SEEA. The revision that was carried out through a series of expert meetings and was built upon a wide public discussion process has concluded in 2002. The revised Handbook of National Accounting: Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting, Rev. 1 (SEEA 2003) has recently been issues as a “white cover” publication prior to official editing and will be published jointly by the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) and the World Bank.

In support to the SEEA 2003, the Handbook of National Accounting: Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting for Fisheries (SEEAF), has recently been issued as a “white cover” publication prior to official editing and will be published jointly with FAO Fisheries Department. The handbook provides guidelines on environmental-economic accounting for capture fisheries and aquaculture and illustrates examples of compilations and uses of these accounts for selected countries.

In response to the request of countries to mainstream environmental-economic accounting and related statistics and to raise the profile of the accounts, the United Nations Statistical Commission established in 2005 the United Nations Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic Accounting (UNCEEA) with the approval of its terms of reference. The UNCEEA is chaired by Mr. Walter Radermacher, President of Federal Statistical Office Germany and UNSD serves as its permanent Secretariat.

The UNCEEA objectives are: :(a) to mainstream environmental-economic accounting and related statistics; (b) to elevate the SEEA to an international statistical standard; and (c) to advance the SEEA implementation in countries. The UNCEEA will therefore steer and direct the process of the revision of the SEEA-2003 and it is currently in the process of adopting a list of issues for inclusion in the research agenda that has to be solved by various city groups and expert groups.

In collaboration with the Subgroup on Water Accounting of the London Group, UNSD has finalized the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water (SEEAW), which was adopted as an interim international statistical standard in March 2007 by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC). The UNSC further encouraged the implementation of the SEEAW in countries and requested UNSD to develop an implementation strategy. In response to the request from the UNSC, UNSD is undertaking training and promotion workshops in all regions and is working in close collaboration with the users and producers' communities to advance the SEEAW implementation.

Under the auspices of the UNCEEA, UNSD has launched a global assessment on environment statistics, accounting and related statistics with the objectives: (a) to assess the current status of national implementation of environment statistics, environmental-economic accounting and related statistics; (b) to identify priorities and future plans in the programmes above; and to assess the impeding factors in the collection, compilation and dissemination of environment statistics, environmental-economic accounting and related statistics. Phase 1 of the Global; Assessment covering general information on the programmes of environment statistics and environmental-economic accounting has been completed. Phase 2 dealing with consisting of follow-up questionnaire on specific natural resources has started with the dispatch of the questionnaire on energy statistics and balances in June 2007. The Global Assessment of Energy and Emission Accounts and of Water Statistics and Accounts will be launched shortly.