A-21: INFORMATION
Distr.
GENERAL
A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. III)
14 August 1992
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
(Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992)
Chapter 40
INFORMATION FOR DECISION-MAKING
INTRODUCTION
40.1. In sustainable development, everyone is a user and provider of
information considered in the broad sense. That includes data,
information, appropriately packaged experience and knowledge. The need for
information arises at all levels, from that of senior decision makers at
the national and international levels to the grass-roots and individual
levels. The following two programme areas need to be implemented to ensure
that decisions are based increasingly on sound information:
(a) Bridging the data gap;
(b) Improving information availability.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Bridging the data gap
Basis for action
40.2. While considerable data already exist, as the various sectoral
chapters of Agenda 21 indicate, more and different types of data need to be
collected, at the local, provincial, national and international levels,
indicating the status and trends of the planet's ecosystem, natural
resource, pollution and socio-economic variables. The gap in the
availability, quality, coherence, standardization and accessibility of data
between the developed and the developing world has been increasing,
seriously impairing the capacities of countries to make informed decisions
concerning environment and development.
40.3. There is a general lack of capacity, particularly in developing
countries, and in many areas at the international level, for the collection
and assessment of data, for their transformation into useful information
and for their dissemination. There is also need for improved coordination
among environmental, demographic, social and developmental data and
information activities.
40.4. Commonly used indicators such as the gross national product (GNP)
and measurements of individual resource or pollution flows do not provide
adequate indications of sustainability. Methods for assessing interactions
between different sectoral environmental, demographic, social and
developmental parameters are not sufficiently developed or applied.
Indicators of sustainable development need to be developed to provide solid
bases for decision-making at all levels and to contribute to a
self-regulating sustainability of integrated environment and development
systems.
Objectives
40.5. The following objectives are important:
(a) To achieve more cost-effective and relevant data collection and
assessment by better identification of users, in both the public and
private sectors, and of their information needs at the local, provincial,
national and international levels;
(b) To strengthen local, provincial, national and international
capacity to collect and use multisectoral information in decision-making
processes and to enhance capacities to collect and analyse data and
information for decision-making, particularly in developing countries;
(c) To develop or strengthen local, provincial, national and
international means of ensuring that planning for sustainable development
in all sectors is based on timely, reliable and usable information;
(d) To make relevant information accessible in the form and at the
time required to facilitate its use.
Activities
(a) Development of indicators of sustainable development
40.6. Countries at the national level and international governmental and
non-governmental organizations at the international level should develop
the concept of indicators of sustainable development in order to identify
such indicators. In order to promote the increasing use of some of those
indicators in satellite accounts, and eventually in national accounts, the
development of indicators needs to be pursued by the Statistical Office of
the United Nations Secretariat, as it draws upon evolving experience in
this regard.
(b) Promotion of global use of indicators of sustainable development
40.7. Relevant organs and organizations of the United Nations system, in
cooperation with other international governmental, intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations, should use a suitable set of sustainable
development indicators and indicators related to areas outside of national
jurisdiction, such as the high seas, the upper atmosphere and outer space.
The organs and organizations of the United Nations system, in coordination
with other relevant international organizations, could provide
recommendations for harmonized development of indicators at the national,
regional and global levels, and for incorporation of a suitable set of
these indicators in common, regularly updated, and widely accessible
reports and databases, for use at the international level, subject to
national sovereignty considerations.
(c) Improvement of data collection and use
40.8. Countries and, upon request, international organizations should
carry out inventories of environmental, resource and developmental data,
based on national/global priorities for the management of sustainable
development. They should determine the gaps and organize activities to
fill those gaps. Within the organs and organizations of the United Nations
system and relevant international organizations, data-collection
activities, including those of Earthwatch and World Weather Watch, need to
be strengthened, especially in the areas of urban air, freshwater, land
resources (including forests and rangelands), desertification, other
habitats, soil degradation, biodiversity, the high seas and the upper
atmosphere. Countries and international organizations should make use of
new techniques of data collection, including satellite-based remote
sensing. In addition to the strengthening of existing development-related
data collection, special attention needs to be paid to such areas as
demographic factors, urbanization, poverty, health and rights of access to
resources, as well as special groups, including women, indigenous peoples,
youth, children and the disabled, and their relationships with environment
issues.
(d) Improvement of methods of data assessment and analysis
40.9. Relevant international organizations should develop practical
recommendations for coordinated, harmonized collection and assessment of
data at the national and international levels. National and international
data and information centres should set up continuous and accurate
data-collection systems and make use of geographic information systems,
expert systems, models and a variety of other techniques for the assessment
and analysis of data. These steps will be particularly relevant, as large
quantities of data from satellite sources will need to be processed in the
future. Developed countries and international organizations, as well as
the private sector, should cooperate, in particular with developing
countries, upon request, to facilitate their acquiring these technologies
and this know-how.
(e) Establishment of a comprehensive information framework
40.10. Governments should consider undertaking the necessary institutional
changes at the national level to achieve the integration of environmental
and developmental information. At the international level, environmental
assessment activities need to be strengthened and coordinated with efforts
to assess development trends.
(f) Strengthening of the capacity for traditional information
40.11. Countries, with the cooperation of international organizations,
should establish supporting mechanisms to provide local communities and
resource users with the information and know-how they need to manage their
environment and resources sustainably, applying traditional and indigenous
knowledge and approaches when appropriate. This is particularly relevant
for rural and urban populations and indigenous, women's and youth groups.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
40.12. The secretariat of the Conference has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to
be about $1.9 billion 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) Institutional means
40.13. Institutional capacity to integrate environment and development and
to develop relevant indicators is lacking at both the national and
international levels. Existing institutions and programmes such as the
Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) and the Global Resource
Information Database (GRID) within UNEP and different entities within the
systemwide Earthwatch will need to be considerably strengthened.
Earthwatch has been an essential element for environment-related data.
While programmes related to development data exist in a number of agencies,
there is insufficient coordination between them. The activities related to
development data of agencies and institutions of the United Nations system
should be more effectively coordinated, perhaps through an equivalent and
complementary "Development Watch", which with the existing Earthwatch
should be coordinated through an appropriate office within the United
Nations to ensure the full integration of environment and development
concerns.
(c) Scientific and technological means
40.14. Regarding transfer of technology, with the rapid evolution of
data-collection and information technologies it is necessary to develop
guidelines and mechanisms for the rapid and continuous transfer of those
technologies, particularly to developing countries, in conformity with
chapter 34 (Transfer of environmentally sound technology, cooperation and
capacity-building), and for the training of personnel in their utilization.
(d) Human resource development
40.15. International cooperation for training in all areas and at all
levels will be required, particularly in developing countries. That
training will have to include technical training of those involved in data
collection, assessment and transformation, as well as assistance to
decision makers concerning how to use such information.
(e) Capacity-building
40.16. All countries, particularly developing countries, with the support
of international cooperation, should strengthen their capacity to collect,
store, organize, assess and use data in decision-making more effectively.
B. Improving availability of information
Basis for action
40.17. There already exists a wealth of data and information that could be
used for the management of sustainable development. Finding the
appropriate information at the required time and at the relevant scale of
aggregation is a difficult task.
40.18. Information within many countries is not adequately managed,
because of shortages of financial resources and trained manpower, lack of
awareness of the value and availability of such information and other
immediate or pressing problems, especially in developing countries. Even
where information is available, it may not be easily accessible, either
because of the lack of technology for effective access or because of
associated costs, especially for information held outside the country and
available commercially.
Objectives
40.19. Existing national and international mechanisms of information
processing and exchange, and of related technical assistance, should be
strengthened to ensure effective and equitable availability of information
generated at the local, provincial, national and international levels,
subject to national sovereignty and relevant intellectual property rights.
40.20. National capacities should be strengthened, as should capacities
within Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector,
in information handling and communication, particularly within developing
countries.
40.21. Full participation of, in particular, developing countries should
be ensured in any international scheme under the organs and organizations
of the United Nations system for the collection, analysis and use of data
and information.
Activities
(a) Production of information usable for decision-making
40.22. Countries and international organizations should review and
strengthen information systems and services in sectors related to
sustainable development, at the local, provincial, national and
international levels. Special emphasis should be placed on the
transformation of existing information into forms more useful for
decision-making and on targeting information at different user groups.
Mechanisms should be strengthened or established for transforming
scientific and socio-economic assessments into information suitable for
both planning and public information. Electronic and non-electronic
formats should be used.
(b) Establishment of standards and methods for handling information
40.23. Governments should consider supporting the efforts of governmental
as well as non-governmental organizations to develop mechanisms for
efficient and harmonized exchange of information at the local, national,
provincial and international levels, including revision and establishment
of data, access and dissemination formats, and communication interfaces.
(c) Development of documentation about information
40.24. The organs and organizations of the United Nations system, as well
as other governmental and non-governmental organizations, should document
and share information about the sources of available information in their
respective organizations. Existing programmes, such as those of the
Advisory Committee for the Coordination of Information Systems (ACCIS) and
the International Environmental Information System (INFOTERRA), should be
reviewed and strengthened as required. Networking and coordinating
mechanisms should be encouraged between the wide variety of other actors,
including arrangements with non-governmental organizations for information
sharing and donor activities for sharing information on sustainable
development projects. The private sector should be encouraged to
strengthen the mechanisms of sharing its experience and information on
sustainable development.
(d) Establishment and strengthening of electronic networking capabilities
40.25. Countries, international organizations, including organs and
organizations of the United Nations system, and non-governmental
organizations should exploit various initiatives for electronic links to
support information sharing, to provide access to databases and other
information sources, to facilitate communication for meeting broader
objectives, such as the implementation of Agenda 21, to facilitate
intergovernmental negotiations, to monitor conventions and efforts for
sustainable development to transmit environmental alerts, and to transfer
technical data. These organizations should also facilitate the linkage of
different electronic networks and the use of appropriate standards and
communication protocols for the transparent interchange of electronic
communications. Where necessary, new technology should be developed and
its use encouraged to permit participation of those not served at present
by existing infrastructure and methods. Mechanisms should also be
established to carry out the necessary transfer of information to and from
non-electronic systems to ensure the involvement of those not able
to participate in this way.
(e) Making use of commercial information sources
40.26. Countries and international organizations should consider
undertaking surveys of information available in the private sector on
sustainable development and of present dissemination arrangements to
determine gaps and how those gaps could be filled by commercial or
quasi-commercial activity, particularly activities in and/or involving
developing countries where feasible. Whenever economic or other
constraints on supplying and accessing information arise, particularly in
developing countries, innovative schemes for subsidizing such
information-related access or removing the non-economic constraints should
be considered.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
40.27. The secretariat of the Conference has estimated the average total
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to
be about $165 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) Institutional means
40.28. The institutional implications of this programme concern mostly the
strengthening of already existing institutions, as well as the
strengthening of cooperation with non-governmental organizations, and need
to be consistent with the overall decisions on institutions made by the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.
(c) Capacity-building
40.29. Developed countries and relevant international organizations should
cooperate, in particular with developing countries, to expand their
capacity to receive, store and retrieve, contribute, disseminate, use and
provide appropriate public access to relevant environmental and
developmental information, by providing technology and training to
establish local information services and by supporting partnership and
cooperative arrangements between countries and on the regional or
subregional level.
(d) Scientific and technological means
40.30. Developed countries and relevant international organizations should
support research and development in hardware, software and other aspects of
information technology, in particular in developing countries, appropriate
to their operations, national needs and environmental contexts.
END OF CHAPTER 40
.
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