ESA/STAT/AC.66
UNSD/ESCWA Workshop
on Environmental Statistics, Indicators and Accounting
(Cairo, 1-5
November 1998)
I. ORGANIZATION
OF THE WORKSHOP
1. The Workshop
on Environmental Statistics, Indicators and Accounting was jointly organized
by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the
United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in Cairo from 1 to 5 November
1998. The Workshop was hosted by the Ministry of State for Environmental
Affairs of Egypt. The Workshop was also part of the technical activities
for the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of ESCWA (1973-1998). The
Workshop also addressed the topics of environmental household surveys,
population and environment in the Arab countries, gender sensitive indicators
for indoor and outdoor environment, and GIS and environment statistics.
2. The Workshop
was coordinated by Mr. Abdullah El-Naggar, Regional Adviser, ESCWA,
Mr. Peter Bartelmus, Chief, Environment, Energy and Industry Statistics
Branch, UNSD, and Mr. Ahmad Hamza, Senior Advisor to the Ministry of
State for Environmental Affairs, Egypt. Mr. Labeeb Abdunnur, Chief,
Statistics Division of ESCWA, also participated in the Workshop. Five
resource persons participated in the Workshop: Ms. Reena Shah from UNSD
and four from the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs, Egypt.
They are Dr. Samia Galal Saad, Professor of Environmental Engineering
and Consultant to the Minister, Mr. Mohamed El-Nazer, Consultant to
the Minister, Mr. Moussa Mustafa, Egyptian Project Manager of Information
System and Mr. Ali Amasha of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency.
3. Twenty-eight
participants from the 13 member States of ESCWA (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Yemen and the United Arab Emirates) attended the Workshop. The full
list of participants is attached as Annex 1.
II. OPENING
SESSION (agenda item 1)
4. Her Excellency,
Ms. Nadia Makram Ebeid, Minister of the State for Environmental Affairs,
Egypt, Dr. Hazem El-Beblawi, Executive Secretary of ESCWA, General Ihab
Elwi, President of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
(CAPMAS), and Mr. Peter Bartelmus, UNSD delivered statements to the
opening session (Annex 2). This was followed by a plenary session in
which two lectures were made by Dr. Ismail Sabri Abdallah, former Minister
of Planning in Egypt, and Dr. Hazem El-Beblawi. Dr. Abdallah discussed
the world environmental issues and, in particular, those related to
the ESCWA region. Dr. El-Beblawi presented the role of ESCWA in the
development of the region. The participants expressed their interest
in and appreciation of these excellent lectures. The two lectures will
be published later under separate cover.
III. ELECTION
OF OFFICERS (agenda item 2)
5. It was agreed
that the Workshop would be chaired jointly by UNSD and ESCWA. A technical
committee consisting of Ms. Maa'ther Sawalha (Palestine), Mr. Khamis
Raddad (Jordan), Mr. Marwan Moudallal (Lebanon) and Mr. Abdul Wahab
Aziz Ahmed (Egypt) volunteered to assist in writing the final report
of the Workshop.
IV. ADOPTION
OF AGENDA AND WORK SCHEDULE (agenda item 3)
6. The agenda
and work schedule were adopted by the Workshop (Annex 3). A list of
documents that were presented by UNSD is attached as Annex 4.
V. INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMES OF ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS (agenda item
4)
7. Mr. Bartelmus
presented an overview of international work in the field of environmental
statistics, indicators and accounting, including the activities and
plans of UNSD. Mr. El-Naggar provided a description of the activities
of ESCWA in the environmental field and the plans of ESCWA in environment
statistics and environmental household surveys. Mr. Ala'a Sarhan of
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Arab League Liaison
Office described some of UNEP's activities in the region.
VI. DISCUSSION
OF COUNTRY EXPERIENCES (agenda item 5)
8. Mr. El-Naggar
presented a summary of country experiences and papers submitted to the
Workshop on environmental household surveys. Several participants described
some of their activities, and this exchange of information was found
to be very useful.
VII. ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS AND INDICATORS (agenda item 6)
9. Ms. Reena
Shah presented the major international work in environmental statistics
and indicators focusing on the Framework for the Development of Environment
Statistics (FDES) and related methodologies. She also described the
list of environmental indicators developed by the Inter-governmental
Working Group on the Advancement of Environment Statistics and approved
by the Statistical Commission for international compilation by UNSD.
10. Working
groups on the selection and use of indicators
The Workshop was divided into three working groups with the following
country participation.
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
Palestine Oman Bahrain
Jordan Qatar Egypt
Iraq United
Arab Emirates Lebanon
Egypt Kuwait Syria
Saudi
Arabia
Yemen
The task of the working groups was to consider the table on "Selection
and Use of Indicators" (Annex 5) which was provided to the workshop
for discussion. Each group reported back to the plenary on their findings.
A summary of these findings is presented in Annexes 7-9.
11. Working
groups on indicator compilation: data availability, collection and dissemination
The same three working
groups met again to discuss the indicators included in UNSD's questionnaire
on environmental indicators. The discussion was based on a work sheet
containing a series of questions (attached as Annex 6). Group 1 focused
on water indicators, Group 2 on air/climate indicators, and Group 3
on land/soil and natural disaster indicators. The results of these working
group discussions are contained in Annex 7-9.
VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING (agenda item 7)
12. Mr. Bartelmus
described the objectives, structure, concepts and policy uses of the
System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA). He
also presented the worksheets contained in the draft "Operational
Manual on Environmental Accounting" expected to be published by
UNSD in 1999.
IX. ENVIRONMENTAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS (agenda item 8)
13. Mr. El-Naggar
introduced the subject and described the statistical methodology to
conduct environmental household surveys. In his discussion he focused
on the objectives, sampling methods and items to be included in the
questionnaires, as well as the tools for measuring environmental data
and their compilation, analysis and dissemination. He also informed
the Workshop that ESCWA will draft a technical manual on this subject
and invited the member States to submit contributions to the manual.
X. OTHER ISSUES (agenda item 9)
14. Ms Samia
Galal Saad, technical adviser to the Egyptian Minister of Environment,
prepared a paper on "Environmental Deterioration: Gender Specific
Health Indicators". Mr. Mohamed El-Nazer, technical adviser to
the Egyptian Minister of Environment, presented a paper on "Population,
Natural Resources and the Environment in the Arab World". Mr. Moussa
Moustafa of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), prepared
a paper on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and he and Mr. Ali
Amasha of the EEAA presented an overview of GIS.
XI. CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING: DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL
AND REGIONAL PROGRAMMES OF ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS (agenda item 10)
Implementation
of national programmes
15. Mr. Bartelmus
and Ms. Shah described typical approaches to developing and implementing
projects of environmental statistics and accounting. Mr. El-Naggar explained
how to prepare a country project on environmental household surveys.
Training and
technical cooperation
16. UNSD provided
an overview of training courses on environment statistics carried out
by statistical training institutes and other institutions. Member States
could benefit from technical advisory services available from ESCWA
and other international organizations in environment statistics and
environmental household surveys.
XII. CLOSING SESSION (agenda item 11)
Conclusions
and Recommendations
Conclusions:
(i) Sustainable
development calls for an integrated approach to economic, environmental
and social policies. Such policy integration requires comprehensive
databases organized in and compiled through appropriate statistical
frameworks and systems.
(ii) The
availability of a wide range of timely and reliable environment
statistics and accounts is of utmost importance to all countries
of the region.
(iii) The
Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES) presents
a particularly important and useful approach to the development
and organization of environment statistics. The selection of environmental
indicators relevant to the environment phenomena of each country
is a crucial activity in any environment statistics programme. The
selection of such indicators should be the result of close collaboration
between data users and producers.
(iv) The
System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA)
permits the assessment of the interactions between the environment
and economy of a country in an integrative manner. It is a useful
tool for the measurement of genuine economic performance and growth,
taking environmental costs into consideration.
(v) The role
of the household in environment is frequently missing in environment
statistics programmes. Its importance should be emphasized for inclusion
in national programmes of environment statistics. A draft technical
manual on this subject will be prepared by ESCWA.
(vi) The
statement of the Executive Secretary of ESCWA includes objectives
for environment statistics and environmental household surveys,
which should be considered as a directive to member States embarking
on this field.
Recommendations
- The availability
and quality of environment statistics in member States should be strengthened.
The use of available international statistical concepts and definitions
is highly recommended. Databases on environment statistics should
be established in member States.
- Member States
are invited to publish on a regular basis compendia on environment
statistics based on international statistical guidelines, where appropriate,
to enhance international comparability. UNSD and ESCWA should develop
guidelines on the scope and coverage of such compendia.
- Statistical training
institutions in the ESCWA region in collaboration with other regional
and international institutions, wherever possible, are encouraged
to develop training courses in environmental statistics and accounting,
and GIS in order to strengthen the capabilities of member States in
these fields. UNSD and ESCWA could provide technical assistance in
the preparation of such courses.
- UNSD and ESCWA
should continue to facilitate collaboration and information exchange
among member States through workshops and seminars on environmental
statistics, indicators and accounting.
- ESCWA should
assist member States to access sources of financial and technical
support for environment statistics projects and programmes.
- Member States
are called upon to participate in the international compilation of
environmental indicators carried out by UNSD and contribute to ESCWA's
regional programme of data collection, and in particular to its future
programme of environment statistics.
- ESCWA should
establish a regional database on environment statistics as part of
ESCWA's information system to strengthen the flow of information among
member States and international organizations.
- Member States
are invited to conduct environmental household surveys to identify
indicators on environmental impacts of household activities and their
effects on household conditions, and to assess the awareness of households
of environment issues.
- The efforts of
ESCWA in establishing a regional project in environmental household
surveys are strongly commended, and ESCWA is urged to assist member
States in the formulation and implementation of projects.
- ESCWA is urged
to continue its efforts in producing a technical manual on environmental
household surveys. Member States are encouraged to submit any material
and contributions that could assist in producing such a technical
manual. An Expert Group meeting should be held to discuss a draft
version of this manual before publication.
- Cooperation and
exchange of environmental data and expertise between countries in
the ESCWA region should be strengthened.
- Efforts between
various international and regional organizations in the field of environment
statistics should be coordinated.
- Pilot projects
on environment statistics and environmental accounting in one or more
country in the ESCWA region should be established as a means of encouraging
other countries in the region.
- The establishment
of environment statistics units or sections in national statistical
offices or environmental ministries in ESCWA's member States is strongly
recommended.
- Data producers
and users are encouraged to closely collaborate in the implementation
of any programme in environment statistics.
- Member States
expressed their appreciation to the United Nations for its contribution
in environment statistics and asked for regular revision of guidelines
and technical manuals, such as the Glossary of Environment Statistics.
In this context it was recommended that such manuals contain practical
examples of how to implement the proposed methodologies.
- It was noted
that the Arabic translation in United Nations documents could be improved
if ESCWA services could be utilized to identify translators with technical
and professional knowledge in the subject and have good command in
Arabic and English.
Annex 1
List of participants
Bahrain
Dr. Khalid Abdulla
Department of Economics
College of Business Administration
University of Bahrain
Iraq
Mr. Kadhim A.
Lafi
Central Statistical Organization
Mr. Jamil Toma Petrous
Planning Commission
Regional Planning Office
Jordan
Mr. Khamis Abdel
Rahman Raddad
Department of Statistics
Mr. Jabur Ali
Daradkah
General Corporation for the Environment Protection (GCEP)
Kuwait
Ms. Awatef Moh'd
Youssef Al-Saleem
Ministry of Planning
Statistics and Information Sector
Kuwait
Lebanon
Mr. Marwan Moudallal
Ministry of Environment
Lebanon
Oman
Mr. Nabil Murtadha
Al-Lawatiya
Ministry of Environment
Mr. Yacoub Khamis
Sonya
Ministry of National Economy
Palestine
Ms. Maa'ther
Feras Sawalha
PCBS
Mr. Mahmmad
Abdel Hadi Alaramin
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and Natural Resources
Mr. Anwar Nemer
Shehab
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and Natural Resources
Qatar
Mr. Jamal Abdulla
Al-Medfa
Central Statistical Organization
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Abdulaziz
A. H. Albader
Department of General Statistics
Mr. Tariq A.
Ismail
Meteorology and Environmental Protection
Syria
Mr. Marwan Misky
Central Bureau of Statistics
Ms. Sawsan El-Atrash
Ministry of Environment
Yemen
Mr. Jaffar Hussein
Al-Haddad
Central Statistical Organization
Mr. Abdulrhman
Hassan Al-Shahary
Environment Protection Council - Sana'a
United Arab
Emirates
Mr. Majid Sultan
Al Ali
Ministry of Planning
Central Statistical Department
Egypt
Mr. Mahmoud
Mahmoud Ibrahim
Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs of Egypt
Mr. Adel Al-Shafieh
Ministry of State for Environment Affairs of Egypt
Mr. Ahmed Mohktar
Abdou
CAPMAS
Mr. Abdul Wahab
Aziz Ahmed
CAPMAS
Mr. Mohamed
Abdelgalil Eldesoky
CAPMAS
Cairo University
Mr. Mohamed
Mostafa Hassan
ISSR - Cairo University
Cairo Demographic
Centre
Mr. Ala'a Ahmed
Sarhan
Cairo Demographic Centre
National Planning
Institute
Ms. Azza Mohammed
Hassan Yehia
National Planning Institute
United Nations
Statistics Division, New York
Mr. Peter Bartelmus
Chief, Environment, Energy and Industry Statistics Branch
United Nations Statistics Division
New York
Ms. Reena Shah
Statistician, Environment Statistics Section
United Nations Statistics Division
New York
ESCWA Statistics
Division
Mr. Labeeb Abdunnur,
Chief
Statistics Division
Beirut
Mr. Abdullah
El-Naggar
Regional Adviser on Data Processing
and Co-ordinator of Household Surveys
Beirut
Ms. Amal Nicola
Secretary
Statistics Division
Beirut
Annex 2
Speech of
Her Excellency, Ms. Nadia Makram Ebeid
Minister of the State for Environmental Affairs, Egypt
On behalf of myself
and the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs, I welcome you here
in Egypt to this important forum which coincides with the Silver Jubilee
of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA).
The importance
of this forum stems from the fact that it represents a serious attempt
to relate between individuals in the Arab world and the important issues
in our lives which affects our future. The world around us is ever-changing,
and every new development confirms the fact that the Arab world interacts
with international developments and is affected by regional changes.
In this regard,
I would like to note the importance of environmental studies, which
provides an opportunity for active participation via the environmental
information it provides through observation and collecting of information
related to all sectors of development and environmental situations,
in addition to the statistical processes and presenting such data in
a simplified manner, which invokes everyone to face up to environmental
issues with knowledge and conviction. Furthermore, environmental studies
provide researchers with a documented background for environmental statistics
on the local, national and regional levels, in addition to informing
decision-makers of events in an impartial and factual manner, enabling
them to work confidently on a factual basis.
As you know,
the relationship between man and the environment is a relation of reciprocality,
interaction and mutual effect. In order to interpret and reach a true
understanding of such interactions, we have to follow a scientific approach
in the form of conducting environmental surveys which provide true indications
for existing relationships in dealing with environmental resources in
order to reach positive approaches and generalize them, and at negative
ones and eliminate them. The hope of every national environmental program
in the world is still to make the environment a component of the everyday
life of any individual.
There is no
doubt that the issues included in your Workshop will provide an opportunity
to exchange expertise and present new concepts, and we welcome the new
expertise and the new knowledge that they represent.
The Workshop will
contribute in assisting the participants in laying down policies to
deal with environmental data and information, processing them with various
statistical techniques together with their effects on changing the negative
behavior of the individual, emphasizing the principle of self reliance
and undertaking personal initiatives for solving problems which will
make the individual as a source of knowledge among the others forming
a public opinion and participation based on awareness, skill and dedication.
We learned from our experience that prevention is not only better than
treatment, but it is also less expensive. Our Workshop is a serious
attempt to forecast problems and to find appropriate scientific answers
in order to contain and limit their effects.
This gathering
from various Arab states confirms the fact that links with the world
are completed one after the other and that environmental pollution does
not recognize geographical borders. So, I hope this forum will become
an invitation to start a new era in which we work as one hand, exchanging
expertise and discussing our points of views. You will find us here
in Egypt active participants as we believe in the right of the next
generations to life.
Thank you and
I wish you all the success.
Speech of
Mr. Hazem El-Beblawi
Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Ms. Obeid,
General Elwi,
Mr. Bartelmus,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are gathered
here today for the opening of the Workshop on Statistics, Indicators
and Accounting and Environmental Household Surveys, with the participation
of 13 members of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA), which I have the honour to head.
Many compelling
reasons encouraged me to take part personally in this opening ceremony,
the most important of which was to express sincere thanks and appreciation
to Ms. Nadia Mukarram Obeid, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs
of Egypt, for her interest in having the Ministry host this workshop
under her generous sponsorship and for providing the means and tools
to make it a success. In addition, technical contributions to the workshop
include a number of working papers by consultants and specialists of
the Ministry and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, thus bringing
some of Egypt's expertise, experience and penetrating vision on the
subject to the attention of experts from other ESCWA members. In this
way, the Ministry is helping to strengthen interaction and scientific
and technological exchange among the Arab countries. For all these reasons
I felt it my duty to express our thanks for this sponsorship and our
gratitude to the gracious person responsible for it.
A further reason
for my participation is the transcendent importance of the subject,
for the environment is the world which we experience, the world we know
and at the same time do not know. Its constituent elements surround
us on all sides, and we ourselves are elements of it, affecting it and
affected by it, both negatively and positively. We hope, within our
human vision and through our strivings, to achieve our objectives and
realize our aspirations, both immediate and long-range, direct and indirect,
towards arriving at ecological balance through the coordination and
proper utilization of those elements in such a way as to bring about
continuity and renewal of the natural vital resources that the environment
offers us and to ensure sustainable development to preserve human life,
at least as we know it.
When we speak of
ecological balance and optimum and coordinated utilization of those
elements and constituents of the environment, we are indeed speaking
of important matters:
- The positive
and the negative;
- Subtraction
and addition;
- Variations
and variables;
- Environmental
relationships and influences and the extent to which variables are
interconnected;
- Measurement and
methods of expressing by means of indicators.
In speaking
of all this, we are speaking the language of the times - the language
of "statistics". From this standpoint, "environmental statistics"
comprises statistics of all kinds, some of them known and currently
in use, for which definitions, concepts and methods of measurement
and combination have been developed, while others belong to other
areas, for which statistical practices and concepts have not yet
been firmly established. The latter are perhaps remote from the
experience and knowledge of statistical practitioners, who will
find it necessary, however, to take them up and corroborate the
soundness of their measurements, their proper execution, their results,
and their faithful portrayal of reality.
In saying this it
is surely not my intention to instill into environmental statisticians
dread of the substantial tasks they will have to perform in developing
statistical thinking and practice and extending them to include new
areas and applications. On the contrary, I simply wish to express appreciation
of their vital role and of the fact that experts in the economic and
social fields and the fields of sustainable development and ecological
balance will urgently need their efforts, their statistics and their
indicators. We all wish them success in achieving those ambitious goals
for environmental statistics.
We are sharing in
this opening ceremony with you in order to support your technical efforts
and reaffirm the importance of environmental statistics, in addition
to the fact that we view the activities of the Workshop as part of the
programme of celebrations of the silver jubilee of ESCWA, which was
created by resolution 1818 of the Economic and Social Council, adopted
at its fifty-fifth session on 9 August 1973, and which began its work
on 1 January of that same year.
It is gratifying
that the ESCWA member States have been greatly concerned, and for many
years, with environmental questions and considerations, which are among
the fundamental factors that must be taken into account in modern-day
planning of social and economic development. Moreover, they exert considerable
effort to deal with the environmental legacy of earlier development
activities in which adequate attention was not devoted to the environmental
aspect.
With a view to achieving
these objectives, the member States have created ministries, agencies
and national institutions that strive to carry out environmental policies,
ensure that they are taken into account and provide for their protection
by means of laws and legislation to guarantee respect for the fundamental
principles of ecological balance, as well as a culture and awareness
of the environment. The efforts of those ministries and institutions
have, without a doubt, begun to bear fruit, and we hope they will have
even greater success in performing this arduous and many-sided task
between the various areas of life and the many institutions of the State.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sharing with us
in the organization of this workshop is the United Nations Statistics
Division, in New York. We thank the Division for its many efforts in
this regard and for its concern and responsiveness to the invitation
of ESCWA for the holding of this regional workshop. That response was
in line with the note of the Secretary-General on the work of the Task
Force on Environment Statistics transmitted to the United Nations Statistical
Commission at its twenty-eighth session, held from 27 February to 3
March 1995. The note is concerned with basic environmental statistics,
environmental indicators, environmental accounting, the establishment
of the related statistical concepts and methods, methods of data collection
and dissemination, technical cooperation through technical support,
the issuing of specialized manuals, capacity-building through training
and the implementation of national projects. In addition, the Statistical
Committee of ESCWA, in a recommendation made at its second session,
held in 1997, emphasized the importance of conducting environmental
household surveys and invited the United Nations bodies concerned to
cooperate in the training of cadres in the field of environment.
In line with its
interest in this area, ESCWA reaffirms its concern with the activities
mentioned in the note of the Secretary-General and the recommendations
of the Statistical Committee. It has also concerned itself since the
early 1990s with the notion of environmental household surveys, which
are aimed at obtaining knowledge of the ways in which households affect
and are affected by environmental issues and affairs, in terms of their
behaviour, their awareness and their culture, and using that knowledge
to arrive at social, economic and environmental indicators to enable
planners both to protect households from negative environmental effects
and to strengthen and develop their contribution to environmentally
sound behaviour, ecological balance and its preservation.
This theme is new
and important and will be brought up during the workshop. We hope that
knowledge and experience will continue to be gained in this area and
that through national, regional and international cooperation ESCWA
will be able to produce a statistical manual on environmental household
surveys. ESCWA will work to prepare a regional project in this connection,
for which an interest in providing financial and technical support has
already been expressed by some environmental agencies.
The concern of the
ESCWA Regional Household Survey Project early on with moving in the
direction of environmental household surveys is in keeping with, and
indeed a statistical implementation of, many of the requirements of
the articles of the Arab Declaration on Environment and Development
and Future Perspectives, issued by the Arab Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Development held at Cairo from 10 to 12 September 1991.
What is more, this
concern is thoroughly consonant with the requirements of 8 of the 27
principles contained in the Declaration adopted by the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro from
3 to 14 June 1992.
In this context,
we hope that the Workshop will study and discuss this issue and arrive
at fruitful recommendations.
General Elwi,
I welcome you and
your participation, as Chief of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization
and Statistics of Egypt, in this distinguished gathering. We appreciate
your efforts in the field of statistics and the enormous and well-known
role of the Egyptian Agency in promoting and developing national statistical
work in the Arab countries through the large number of technical cadres
working with the Agency.
We hope the Central
Agency will advance and flourish, and reaffirm, as always, our strong
desire for joint programmes of work with you. I should perhaps mention
with appreciation your interest in the initiatives of ESCWA towards
cooperation with you numerous fields. Let me cite, just as examples,
the problem of dealing with deficiencies in practical experience in
the field of statistical sampling and that of environmental household
surveys, regarding which you offered valuable suggestions regarding
statistics in late 1992. Perhaps this workshop will mark the beginning
of concrete steps towards joint work in these fields.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank you for
attending, for your interest and for your kind attention, and I am sure
you will be successful in your endeavours under the patronage of Her
Excellency, the Minister of State for Environmental Affairs.
Speech of Mr. Ihab Elwi
President, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Egypt
Her Excellency Dr.
Nadia Makram Ebeid, The Minister of State for Environmental Affairs
H.E. Dr. Hazem El-Beblawi,
Executive Secretary for ESCWA
H.E. The Representative
of UNSD in New York
Dear Attendants,
In my name and on
behalf of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics
it is my pleasure to welcome you in the Regional Workshop on Environmental
Statistics, Indicators and Accounting. We all know the importance of
such meetings specially in the field of environment which is being given
attention by most of the States in order to maintain it from the hazards
that threaten it. Such hazards which increase with the scientific and
technological progress. The UN and its agencies has given a great attention
to environment through the UNEP which has been established in 1972 and
through organizing meetings and workshops at both international and
regional levels to discuss the topics and issues of environment and
to exchange expertise in this field. The most important of such meetings
was the Rio-Earth Summit in 1992.
There is a relation
between the increase of population and production and consumption. The
more population is, the more economic activity and accordingly more
production and more consumption will be.
Statistics indicate
that population in Egypt has been multiplied during the period from
1897 to 1947 where the number of population increased from 9.7 million
to more than 18 million while it was increased to 59.3 million in 1996
against 48.3 in 1986.
The increase of
population and in turn the economic activity had in addition to its
positive effects, negative effects on environment, as the increase in
the number of factories and their production lead to the contamination
of the environment of surrounding areas, and as accordingly lead to
environmental unbalancing. Among the causes of environmental pollution
is that the cultivated area is small compared with the total area and
number of population. The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and
Statistics being the party responsible for providing the statistical
data and information in Egypt is undertaking the following activities
in the field of environmental statistics:
1. Paying attention
to the statistics which serve the environment and its statistics.
2. Developing
such data and statistics and making them available for researchers.
3. Conducting environmental surveys like maternity and child survey
conducted in 1991 and the smoking spread research in Egypt in 1986,
1988 and 1989.
4. Cooperating with international and regional organizations in filling
in the questionnaires relative to environment.
The Agency participated
with researches and environmental statistics in the different conferences
and workshops organized by regional or national authorities in the field
of environment.
In conclusion,
I would like to convey our thanks to the Statistics Divisions of the
United Nations and of ESCWA for their initiative to hold this workshop
in Cairo in order to exchange international and Arab expertise in the
field of environmental statistics, indicators and accounting.
I wish also
more prosperity and progress for the Ministry of State for Environmental
Affairs of Egypt under the leadership of H.E. the Minister Nadia M.
Obied and I do hope also that we can establish a unit in the Central
Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics concerning with environmental
surveys.
Finally, I hope
that the workshop reaches good and useful recommendations for the benefit
of the entire world.
Some
Environmental Indicators of Egypt
Change
|
Statement
|
1.
Total cultivated area in Egypt in 1996/1997
|
7,558,599
acres
|
Individual per capita of cultivated area
|
0.13
acre i.e. (546m2)
|
2.
Gardens and landscaped area in Cairo Governorate in 1996
|
3,911,000
m2
|
Individual per capita
|
0.58m2
|
3.
Average of population in Cairo Governorate
|
31,75
/ person/1km2
|
Speech of Mr. Peter
Bartelmus
United Nations Statistics Division
Your Excellency
and former colleague (so I understand), current colleagues, ladies and
gentlemen,
I wish to convey
to you the greetings and best wishes for success of the Director of
the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in New York.
Personally, it is
an honour and great pleasure for me to enjoy the warm hospitality of
Egypt and, together with my colleagues from ESCWA, to welcome you all
to this important workshop. As you might know, this workshop is one
in a series of meetings, which we in UNSD organized in all regions of
the world. Their purpose is to lay the foundations for a coordinated
worldwide programme of environment statistics.
The importance of
this particular workshop lies in its attempt to draw the concept of
sustainable development from lofty heights of rethorics and academics
down to Earth - where it really applies.
Nobody doubts anymore
that our small planet has its limits. However, nobody really knows how
closely we have been pushed to these limits. Long is the list of books,
articles and international conferences describing evocatively the loss
and degradation of vital natural resources of water, fertile soils,
forests, and of mineral deposits - so important for economic development
in your region. At least since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 these losses
are known to be brought about by economic activity which in turn is
undermined by natural resource depletion - in other words, the long-term
sustainability of economic performance is impaired.
The present workshop
is to elaborate the tools with which to shed light on the elusive question
of sustainability in growth and development. The tools are hard data
and data-based analyses, ranging from environmental statistics and indicators
to the greening of our national accounts. We will show that such data
and analyses make it possible to express sustainability in quantifiable
terms as the maintenance - not only of machines, buildings and roads
- but also of our natural capital wealth.
In this manner,
the vision of sustainable development is made visible, so it can become
an integral part of planning and policy making in our countries.
I thank you for
your interest and support in this crucial contribution to maintaining
the quality of the environment and, ultimately, of life on earth.
Annex 3
Agenda
1. Opening
session
2. Election of
officers
3. Adoption of
agenda and work schedule
4. International
programmes of environment statistics
(a) UNSD
(b) ESCWA
(c) Others
5. Discussion
of country experiences (based on country papers)
6. Environmental
statistics and indicators: concepts, methods and use
(a) presentation
by resource persons and discussion
(b) working groups on the selection and use of indicators
(c) working groups on indicator compilation: data availability,
collection and dissemination
7. Environmental
accounting: concepts, methods and use
(a) introduction
to integrated environmental and economic accounting
(b) compilation of key modules of the SEEA
(c) policy use of environmental accounts
8. Environmental
household surveys
(a) introduction
of the subject
(b) discussion of statistical methodology to conduct environmental
household surveys
9. Other issues
(a) gender sensitive
indicators for indoor and outdoor environment
(b) GIS and environment statistics
(c) population and environment in the Arab countries
10. Capacity
building and training: development of national and regional programmes
of environment statistics
(a) implementation
of national programmes
(b) training and technical cooperation
11. Closing session:
presentation and adoption of final report
Work
Schedule
|
TIME
|
Day
|
9:00-10:00
|
10:00-11:00
|
11:00-11:30
|
11:30-14:00
|
14:00-14:30
|
14:30-16:00
|
16:00-17:15
|
17:15-17:45
|
17:45-19:00
|
Sunday
1/11/1998
|
Registration
|
Opening
session
|
Coffee
Break
|
Plenary
session:
Two
lectures:
(i)
Dr. El-Beblawi
(ii
Dr. .......
|
Election
of Officers
|
LUNCH
|
International
programs of environmental statistics (a) UNSD
|
Coffee
Break
|
(b)
ESCWA and others
|
Day
|
9:00-10:30
|
10:30-11:00
|
11:00-12:30
|
12:30-13:00
|
13:00-14:30
|
14:30-16:00
|
16:00-17:15
|
17:15-17:45
|
17:45-1900
|
Monday
2/11/1998
|
Gender
Sensitive
Indicators
for Indoor and Outdoor Environment
|
Coffee
Break
|
Environmental
Statistics
& Indicators
(a)
Presentation & discussions:
-
Frameworks and system
-
Statistical topics & variables
|
Coffee
Break
|
-
From Statistics to indicators
-
Indicators of sustainable development
|
LUNCH
|
(b)
Working groups on the selection & use of indicators
|
Coffee
Break
|
(b)
Presentation to Plenary
|
Tuesday
3/11/1998
|
(c)
Working groups on indicators, compilation, data availability,
collection and dissemination
|
Coffee
Break
|
(c)
Presentation to plenary
|
Coffee
Break
|
GIS
and Environment Statistics
|
LUNCH
|
Population
and Environment in the Arab Countries
|
Coffee
Break
|
Discussion
country experiences/ Env. HSLD surveys
|
Wednesday
4/11/1998
|
Environmental
Accounting Concepts, Methods and Use
(a)
Int. to integrated environmental and economic accounting
|
Coffee
Break
|
(b)
Compilation of Key modules of the system of integrated environmental
& economic accounting a step-by-step approach
|
Coffee
Break
|
(b)
Continued.
|
LUNCH
|
(c)
Continued
|
Coffee
Break
|
Discussion
country experiences/ Env. HSLD surveys
|
Thursday
5/11/1998
|
Environmental
Household Surveys
(a)
Introduction to the subject, (b) Statistical Methodology to conduct
environmental household surveys
|
Coffee
Break
|
Environmental
Household Surveys (continued)
|
Coffee
Break
|
Capacity
building and training development of national and regional programs
of environmental statistics
(a)
Implementation of national programs
(b)
Training and technical cooperation
|
LUNCH
|
Closing
session:
(a)
Presentation and adoption of final report (b) Distribution of
Attendance Certificate of the Workshop
|
|
|
Annex 4
List of Documents
presented by UNSD
1. A Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (United
Nations, 1984)
2. Concepts and Methods of Environment Statistics: Human Settlements
Statistics (United Nations, 1988)
3. Concepts and
Methods of Environment Statistics: Statistics of the Natural Environment
(United Nations, 1991)
4. Handbook of
National Accounting: Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting
(United Nations, 1993)
5. A Framework
for Indicators of Sustainable Development (1994)
6. Glossary of
Environment Statistics (United Nations, 1996)
7. Greening the
National Accounts (1998)
8. AEnvstats@:
Issue 4 - newsletter of UNSD (1998)
9. "Activities in the development and collection of environmental
data" - UNSD (1998)
10. Questionnaire on environmental indicators - UNSD (1998).
Annex 5
Selection and
Use of Indicators
KEY
ISSUES
|
MAIN
POINTS
|
1.
What are the priority environmental issues and/or the statistical
topics in your country (e.g. water quality, land degradation)?
|
|
2.
What are some of the statistical variables/indicators that reflect
each of these issues/topics?
|
|
3.
Which indicators exist in your country?
|
|
4.
Are the data readily available for the selected indicators?
|
|
5.
Who are the main data users for the selected indicators?
|
|
6.
Does the IGWG list of indicators fully reflect these priority
issues?
|
|
7.
Are there priority indicators for your country which are not included
in the IGWG list? If yes, please include them here.
|
|
Annex 6
Work Sheet for
Environmental Indicators
1. Name of indicator
2. Unit of measurement
3. Is the definition
clear?
4. Are the classifications
appropriate?
5. Are the measurement
methods clear?
6. Are the data
available for this indicator (available, partially available, and not
available)?
7. What are the data sources (national statistical service, appropriate
ministry, and university, monitoring station, research institute, other)?
8. How are the
data collected (censuses and surveys, administrative records, ad-hoc
surveys, monitoring, remote sensing, others)?
9. What is the
data coverage (global, regional, sub-national, urban, rural, other)?
10. What is the
periodicity of the data collection (annual, biannual, monthly, weekly,
daily, hourly)?
11. What is your
assessment of the data quality (good, varies, poor)?
12. What is the
relevance of the indicator to environmental policy (crucial, important,
potentially important, and marginally relevant)?
13. If the data
are not available for this indicator, is it feasible and cost-effective
to compile these data?
Annex
7
GROUP
1
PALESTINE
JORDAN
IRAQ
EGYPT
Work
Sheet for Environmental Indicators
|
I
|
Water
|
W1
|
1.
|
Name of
indicator: Renewable water resources.
|
|
2.
|
Unit of
measurement: M3
|
|
3.
|
The definition
is clear.
|
|
4.
|
The classification
is appropriate.
|
|
5.
|
The measurement
methods are clear.
|
|
6.
|
The data
available except Palestine.
|
|
7.
|
The data
are governmental agency.
|
|
8.
|
The data
collected by surveys, administrative records, monitoring.
|
|
9.
|
The data
coverage is global.
|
|
10.
|
The data
collection annually.
|
|
11.
|
The data
quality is varies.
|
|
12.
|
The relevance
of the indicator to environmental policy is very important.
|
|
13.
|
The collection
of this data is very expensive.
|
|
|
|
W2
|
1.
|
Name of
indicator: Water abstraction.
|
|
2.
|
Unit of
measurement: M3
|
|
3.
|
The definition
is clear.
|
|
4.
|
The classification
is appropriate.
|
|
5.
|
The measurement
methods are clear.
|
|
6.
|
The data
available except Palestine.
|
|
7.
|
The data
are governmental agency.
|
|
8.
|
The data
collected by surveys, administrative records, monitoring.
|
|
9.
|
The data
coverage is global.
|
|
10.
|
The data
collection annually.
|
|
11.
|
The data
quality is varies.
|
|
12.
|
The relevance
of the indicator to environmental policy is very important.
|
|
13.
|
The collection
of this data is very expensive.
|
|
|
|
W3
|
1.
|
Name of
indicator: Water supply By activity categories.
|
|
2.
|
Unit of
measurement: M3
|
|
3.
|
The definition
is clear.
|
|
4.
|
The classification
is appropriate.
|
|
5.
|
The measurement
methods are clear except Palestine.
|
|
6.
|
The data
available in certain activity categories.
|
|
7.
|
The data
are governmental agency.
|
|
8.
|
The data
collected by surveys.
|
|
9.
|
The data
coverage is global.
|
|
10.
|
The data
collection annually.
|
|
11.
|
The data
quality is varies.
|
|
12.
|
The relevance
of the indicator to environmental policy is very important.
|
|
13.
|
The collection
of this data is very expensive.
|
|
|
|
W4
|
1.
|
Name of
indicator: Water quality of selected rivers suggested to be
changed to water quality of drinking water.
|
|
2.
|
Unit of
measurement: PH, ppm, number.
|
|
3.
|
The definition
is not clear.
|
|
4.
|
The classification
is not appropriate.
|
|
5.
|
The measurement
methods are clear.
|
|
6.
|
The
data available. |
|
7.
|
The data
are governmental agency.
|
|
8.
|
The
data lab analysis. |
|
9.
|
The
data coverage is global. |
|
10.
|
The
data collection annually. |
|
11.
|
The
data quality is varies. |
|
12.
|
The
relevance of the indicator to environmental policy is very important. |
|
13.
|
The
collection of this data is very expensive. |
Sustainable
Development Indicators
1.
|
Water
issue is the most important one.
|
2.
|
The
statistical indicators which reflect this issue are:
|
|
Water
abstraction, water scarcity water pollution, waste water treatment
|
3.
|
Suggested
indicators:-
|
|
- Per
capita of water.
|
|
- Water
budget.
|
|
- Water
quality.
|
|
- Efficiency
of waste water treatment plant.
|
|
- Quality
of treated water.
|
4.
|
All
of these indicators are available in region countries.
|
5.
|
All
the data related to the indicators are available.
|
6.
|
Data
users from private & public sectors and international agencies
who have relation with this important sector.
|
7.
|
IGWG
list of indicators reflect these subjects in proper way.
|
Annex
8
GROUP
2
KINGDOM
OF SAUDI ARABIA
KUWAIT
QATAR
UNITED
ARAB EMIRATES
OMAN
YEMEN
WORKSHEET
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS
AMBIENT
CONCENTRATION
1- NAME OF INDICATOR
SULPHUR DIOXIDE SO2
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NO2
2- UNIT OF MEASUREMENT
PPM
3- THE DEFINITION
NEEDS MORE CLARIFICATION
4- THE CLASSIFICATIONS
ARE APPROPRIATE
5- THE MEASUREMENT
METHODS ARE CLEAR
6- THE DATA ARE
AVAILABLE FOR THIS INDICATOR
7- THE DATA CAN
BE OBTAINED FROM OTHER SOURCES
(APPROPRIATE
MINISTRY)
8- MONITORING
IS THE MAIN SOURCE FOR THE DATA
COLLECTIONS
9- DATA COVERS
URBAN AREAS
10- THE DATA
COLLECTION PERIODICITY IS HOURLY.
11- THE ASSESSMENT
OF THE DATA QUALITY IS GOOD.
12- THE RELEVANCE
INDICATOR IS IMPORTANT TO
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY DECISION MAKERS.
13- IF THE DATA
NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS INDICATOR, IT
IS FEASIBLE AND
TIME CONSUMING AND MAY BE
COST-EFFECTIVE
TO COMPILE THESE DATA.
EMISSIONS OF AIR POLLUTANTS
1- NAME OF INDICATOR
SULFER DIOXIDE SO2
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NO2
2- UNIT OF MEASUREMENT
TONS/YEAR
3- THE DEFINITION
IS CLEAR.
4- THE CLASSIFICATIONS
ARE APPROPRIATE, AND IT
NEEDS MORE CLARIFICATION.
5- THE MEASUREMENT
METHODS ARE CLEAR, AND MAY
NEEDS MORE CLARIFICATION.
6- THE ESTIMATED
DATA ARE AVAILABLE FOR THIS
INDICATOR.
7- THE DATA CAN
BE COLLECTED FROM APPROPRIATE
MINISTRY.
8- MONITORING
AND ESTIMATION ARE THE MAIN
SOURCES FOR THE
DATA COLLECTIONS.
9- DATA COVERS
URBAN AREAS.
10- THE DATA COLLECTION
PERIODICITY IS ANNUAL.
11- THE ASSESSMENT
OF THE DATA QUALITY IS GOOD.
12- THE RELEVANCE
INDICATOR IS IMPORTANT TO THE
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICY DECISION-MAKERS.
13- IF THE DATA
NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS INDICATOR, IT
IS FEASIBLE AND
TIME CONSUMING AND MAY BE
COST-EFFECTIVE
TO COMPILE THESE DATA.
Annex
9
GROUP
3
BAHRAIN
EGYPT
SYRIA
LEBANON
This
group discussion included the following countries as follows:
Egypt, represented
by:
Dr. Alaa Ahmed
Serhan
Mr. Abdel Wahab El Aziz Ahmed
Mr. Mohamed Abed El Jalil El Dasouki
Mr. Ahmed Mukhtar Abed Yousef
Bahrain, represented
by:
Dr. Khaled Abdallah
Syria, represented
by:
Mr. Marwan Meskeh
Ms. Sawsan El Atrash
Lebanon, represented
by:
Mr. Marwan Afif
El Mudalal
A discussion was
made by the above mentioned representatives about the following:
I. The environmental
problems of extreme importance are:
Air pollution
Water pollution
Existence of solid and hazardous waste
Agricultural soil erosion
All participants
agreed upon the existence of these four problems in the above four
mentioned countries.
II. Parameters
and statistical indicators that reflect all these problems
III. The type
of the indicators in these countries
With
respect to item II and III the representatives confirmed the existence
of the following:
The Availability
of Environmental Detection Instruments to measure air pollution.
The availability of Specialized Laboratories
to measure Water pollution
The availability of Urban and Rural Councils the responsibility to
prevent Soil Erosion and to collect and ensure treatment of waste.
IV. The
representatives agreed upon the availability of information for the
previously mentioned and selected indicators.
V.
The members agreed on the identification of the major information/data
users of these selected indicators they are:
The researchers
and especially those concerned with Environmental Affairs.
Politicians, decision-makers and especially those concerned with health.
The
participants emphasized that the indicator list IGWG reflects in a good
way the subjects that are of great importance.
VII. All members
replied that there is other indicators (additional) which are of
great importance for the four countries and not stated in the list Indicators
" IGWG " they are as follows:
Egypt: the problem
of Schistosomiasis ( Bilharzia)
Bahrain : the problem of the Gulf Water Pollution (especially after
the Gulf War )
c- Syria: The problem of stealing the Golan water (by the Israeli
Occupation Forces)
Lebanon: The problem of stealing the fertilized soil in South Lebanon
(by
The Israeli Occupation Forces) .
The major
problem is that Israel did not sign the International agreement for
preventing the widespreading of the Nuclear Arms.
The participants
commended the efforts made in the workshop, the valuable information
that was raised and discussed during the meetings as well as the publications
distributed to the members.
Report
on
The
Environmental Statistics, Indicators and their computing
Cairo,
1-5 Nov 1998
|
The
Main Points
|
The
Key Issues
|
- Water
pollution (in the four countries)
- Air Pollution
(in the four countries)
- Wastes
and Soil Erosion (specifically in Lebanon)
|
What
are the Environment Issues of higher priority and/or Statistical
Relevant?
|
-
Environment observation Station (for Air)
- Analysis Laboratories (for Water)
- Regional and District boards (for wastes and soil erosion)
|
What
are the Statistical variances/indicators that reflect
These Issues/Subjects
|
Quantities
and different kinds of pollution.
(concentration
percentage) for water, air and wastes
|
What
are the available Indicators in your country?
|
yes
|
Is
Information for the selected Indicators available?
|
Scientists,
researchers and decision-makers that work in environment field.
|
Who
are the main users of the selected indicators?
|
yes
|
Is
the indicator's list (IGWG) good reflection for these subjects
of higher priority?
|
- Egypt:
endemic diseases like schistosomiasis (Bilharzia)
- Syria:
Stealing of Golan water by Israel
- Lebanon:
Erosion of soil in South Lebanon by Israel
- Bahrain:
Pollution of Gulf water after the Gulf War
|
Are
there Indicators of importance to your country that haven't been
mentioned in IGWG?
|
United Nations Statistics Division - Environment Statistics, UNSD/ESCWA
Workshop on Environmental Statistics, Indicators and Accounting
|