UNSD Programme on Water Statistics and

Accounts

Jeremy Webb

United Nations Statistics Division DESA

International Bodies involved in Water Statistics and Accounts

• United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC)– Established in 1947– Brings together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world– Apex entity of the global statistical system

• It is the highest decision making body for international statistical activities especially the setting of statistical standards, the development of concepts and methods and their implementation at the national and international level

• United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)– Secretariat to the Statistical Commission– We work on:

• the collection, processing and dissemination of statistical information; • the standardization of statistical methods, classifications and definitions; • the technical cooperation programme; and • the coordination of international statistical programmes and activities

• United Nations Committee on Environmental and Economic Accounts (UNCEEA)– Established by Statistical Commission in March 2005

• to mainstream environmental-economic accounting and related statistics• to elevate the System of integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) to an international

statistical standard• to advance the implementation of the SEEA in countries.

• London Group– City group working on environmental accounting established by the UNSC in 1994– Subgroup on Water Accounts established at the 2003 meeting of the London Group (Rome)

• More than 20 experts participated in the Sub-group• UNSD coordinated the group and prepared the various manuscripts

• Inter-secretariat Working Group on Environment Statistics (IWG-Env) (Est. 2003)– Subgroup on Water Statistics (SWS) (Est. 2005)

UNSD Programme of Water Statistics and Accounts

• Part 1: Programme of Water Statistics and Accounts– Milestones– Current activities

• Part 2: UNSD publications on water– System of Environmental and Economic Accounts for

Water (SEEAW)– Manual of Water Statistics and Accounts (MoWSA)

• Part 3: Global Assessment of Environment Statistics and Environmental-Economic Accounting

Part 1: UNSD Water Statistics and Accounts Programme

• Water Statistics and Accounts are part of an integrated programme whereby the SEEAW provides the standard framework for measuring the interaction between the hydrological system and the economy and water statistics provides the list of variables and indicators for information related to water.

Milestones in Water Statistics and Accounts Programme

• 1999-2006 Water Statistics data collection (biannual)– 2008 Data collection (using questionnaire harmonised

with SEEAW)– Work on a compilation manual on water statistics

• 2007 Integration of water statistics and water accounts programmes

• March 2007 the UN Statistical Commission adopts the SEEAW as an “interim” statistical standard and encourages its implementation in countries upon recommendation by the UNCEEA and the London Group on Environmental Accounting

SC decision on SEEAW(38/107) Environmental accounting

The Statistical Commission:• (b) Adopted part 1 of the System of Environmental and Economic

Accounting for Water as an interim international statistical standard, recognizing significant demand from the users’ community, and encouraged its implementation in countries;

• (c) Requested that the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting for Water be re-evaluated by the Commission at the time the revised Handbook of National Accounting: Integrated Environmental-Economic Accounting is submitted to the Commission for adoption as an international statistical standard;

• (d) Requested the United Nations Statistics Division to develop and submit to the next Statistical Commission an implementation strategy for the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting for Water, taking into account the fact that countries were at different stages of development of environment statistics and environmental-economic accounting;

SEEAW Global Implementation Strategy

• Elements to the strategy– Practical guidelines– Training and promotion material– Technical cooperation

programme– Harmonisation of data collection

activities

• Implementation strategy will be linked to the national policy frameworks (e.g. IWRM and Water Master Plans)

Practical guidelines on water statistics and accounts

The Manual on Water Statistics and Accounts (MOWSA) will cover:

– Agreed list of variables (physical and monetary) related to water

– Definitions for the variables fully harmonized with those of the SEEAW where there is overlap

– Practical guidelines on how to compile the variables including data sources, methods and country practices

– Guidelines for countries to establish a programme on water statistics and accounts

Training and promotion

Training• Training workshops on the SEEAW and

water statistics carried out in all regions of the world in cooperation with various partners (Regional Commissions, regional programmes, etc.)

• Training programme with UNESCO-IHE as part of regular training of hydrologists on IWRM

Training and promotion (Cont’ed)

Promotion

• Raise awareness in the users community – Through UN-Water– Working with partners at the country level

(e.g. UNDP, World Bank, GWP, IUCN, etc.)– Develop promotion material

Technical assistance programme

• Regional workshops – Phase 1- Brings together users and producers of

water information to raise awareness of the usefulness of the SEEAW

– Phase 2 – Training on the compilation of the tables

– Phase 3 – Sharing experience on implementation• Pilot country projects• Regional networks of compilers and users of

SEEAW in countries

UNSD activities in 2007-2008• Workshops

– Medstat II (February 2007)– Expert Group Meeting in ESCWA (June 2007)– ECLAC ( Dominican Republic, July 2007)– Training in cooperation with UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands,

September 2007)– SADC Region (2008)– ESCWA (2008)

• Country assistance– China, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Namibia, South Africa

(These activities are harmonized and go parallel with the general environment statistics technical cooperation programme)

Harmonization of international data collection activities

• UNSD/UNEP and OECD/Eurostat questionnaire are broadly consistent with the SEEAW

• Fine-tuning of the questionnaires is needed for complete harmonization (SWS)

• FAO questionnaire on water use needs some work to harmonize (SWS)

Harmonisation of Data Collections

Session 3: Implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water

• The UNCEEA encouraged harmonization of data collection activities with the SEEAW with the objective of obtaining comparable information which would enhance the analytical capabilities of the information.

• In terms of time frame, it noted that harmonization of international questionnaires with the SEEAW may not be feasible in the next round of data collection (2008), but it should be the aim for 2009.

• The analysis of integrating different data sources, currently being undertaken by Eurostat and EEA will be an input in the harmonization process.

Harmonize data collections

• Harmonize international questionnaires with SEEAW (already mostly the case for OECD/Eurostat and UNSD questionnaires)

• With the agreement of countries reduce the need for duplicate reporting by sharing data between international organizations

Meetings• Workshop on Environment-Economic Approaches for Medstat II

countries (Luxembourg, February 2007)• London Group on Environmental Accounting (South Africa. March

2007)• Expert Group Meeting on Environmental Accounts for ESCWA

region (Egypt. June 2007)• Workshop on Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water for

ELAC region (Dominican Republic. July 2007)• Course on SEEAW at the UNESCO-IHE (The Netherlands,

September 2007)• Expert Group Meeting on Water Accounting and Statistics (USA.

December)• Workshop on Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water for

ESCAP region (2008)• Workshop on Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water for

SADC region (2008)• Workshop on Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water for

Eastern Europe/Western Asia (2008)

Part 2: Water Statistics and Accounts – UNSD publications

• System of Economic and Environmental Accounts for Water (SEEAW) and what is environmental accounting

• Manual of Water Statistics and Accounts (MoWSA)

Environmental accounting

• Introduces accounting concepts to environment statistics

• Improves both economic and environment statistics by encouraging consistency

• Implicitly defines ownership and hence responsibility for environmental impacts

• Encourages the development of comprehensive data sets

• Facilitates international comparisons

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Water

(SEEAW)• Part 1 of SEEAW was adopted by the United

Nations Statistical Commission in March 2007 as an interim statistical standard

• Part 2 contains the elements of SEEAW for which a consensus on best practices did not emerge

• SEEAW has been recognized as “the much needed framework” for measuring the interaction between the hydrological system and the economy by the users community

SEEW - StructurePart I

– Ch 1. Introduction– Ch. 2 Water Accounting Framework– Ch. 3 Physical Supply and Use Tables– Ch. 4 Emission Accounts– Ch. 5 Hybrid and Economic Accounts– Ch. 6 Asset Account

Part II– Ch. 7 Quality Account– Ch. 8 Valuation– Ch. 9 Policy use

Water Accounts

Stocks Flows

Volume(e.g. m3)

Value(e.g. $, £, ¥, €)

Water Accounts

Economy

Exports

Evapo-transpiration

Other Industries(incl. Agriculture)

Imports

Abstraction

Sea

Atmosphere

Collection ofprecipitation

Households

Abs

trac

tion

Water collection,treatment and supply

Inland Water Resource System

Surface water(reservoirs, lakes, rivers,snow, ice and glaciers)

Soil water

Groundwater

upstreambasins and

aquifersoutside

the territoryof reference

Natural transfers(e.g. infiltration,seepage, etc.)

Sea

Inflows

downstreambasins and

aquifersoutside

the territoryof reference

Outflows

Pre

cipi

tatio

n

Eva

po-

tra

nspi

ratio

n

Sewerage

Rest ofthe WorldEconomy Rest of

the WorldEconomy

Re

turn

s

Ret

urn

s

Ret

urn

s

SEEAW

• The system defines what should be accounted for

• By using the SEEAW:– Any gaps are obvious– Water data is integrated with

economic data– Water data can by used with

economic data and employment data for:

• integrated water management purposes

• policy analysis• policy monitoring• other

Environment statistics

• Often developed to address individual issues or questions

• Often not easy to relate to other issues

• Often not able to be integrated with economic statistics

• Difficult to be sure all relevant information is included

Environmental Accounts

• Help to make sense of the entire picture

SEEAW is especially useful for policy and IWRM because:

• Organised body of information facilitates integrated economic-environmental analysis (complements sustainable development indicators, modelling)

• Provides a system into which monetary valuations of environmental costs can be incorporated

• Allows trade-offs between the environment and the economy (and within the economy), overtime and between locations to be described and analysed

• Accounts can be used for very powerful analyses because they integrate information from different sources, which are normally used independently

SEEAW - Terminology

• Terminology is not always consistent among:– economists– environmental statisticians– scientists– policy makers

• Need to use a clear, agreed terminology– one of the SEEA main contribution is the

standardisation of terms and definitions

Water Statistics and Accounts

• Share many concepts– Share many variables (and definitions)– Share most indicators

• Share the same data sources

• Share most methods

Manual of Water Statistics and Accounts - MoWSA

• Concepts– Main concepts (classifications, statistical units, etc)– Water variables (a list and definitions)– Water indicators (a list and definitions)

• Sources– Data sources (types of data sources)– Data collection strategies

• Methods– Practical (how to) advice on compiling water variables

and indicators

Manual of Water Statistic and Accounts - MoWSA

• Supports Water Statistics and Accounts– Those variables that are in the SEEAW are

fully consistent with those in the SEEAW– Supplementary and other variables outside of

the SEEAW are defined according to international practice

Part 3 – Global Assessment of Environment Statistics and Environmental Accounting

• Carried out under the auspices of the UNCEEA• Objectives:

– To assess the current status of national implementation of environment statistics, environmental-economic accounting and related statistics;

– 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 – General Survey

Phase 1 in collaboration with the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Environment Statistics has been completed (results reported to UNSC)

It covered – Institutional infrastructure – Subject areas– Constraints in implementation – Future plans

Phase 2: ongoing• Follow-up questionnaires focusing on specific subject

areas• Objectives:

– Identify role of NSOs in the national statistical system in collecting, compiling and disseminating statistics and accounts;

– Assess scope of statistics and accounts in NSOs by identifying their coverage, data collection practices and use;

– Assess use of international standards, recommendations, guidelines and classifications;

– Assess impeding factors in the collection, compilation and dissemination of statistics and accounts

Phase 2 – Future activities

• Energy Statistics and Balances – received replied from countries, analysis is under

preparation)

• Energy accounts (flows and stocks, including emission accounts) – Will be dispatched shortly

• Water statistics and accounts– To be prepared and dispatched shortly

• Questionnaires on other subject matters will be prepared in 2008- 2009

Useful web linksUNSD Environmental Accounting websitehttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/default.asp

UNSD Environment Statistics websitehttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/default.htmSEEAW (as accepted at UNSD prior to official editing)http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/doc07/SEEAW_SC2007.pdf

Report to UNCEEA on SEEAW Implementationhttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/ceea/meetings/UNCEEA_2_13.pdf

Report to UNCEEA on Global Assessment of Environmental Accounting and Statisticshttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/ceea/meetings/UNCEEA_2_14.pdf

Links between Water Accounts and Questionnaireshttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/ceea/PImeetings/AC-116-6.pdf

Water Accounts and the Water Framework Directivehttp://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/ceea/PImeetings/wateraccounts-WFD.ppt

Contact details

Michael VardonAdviser Environmental AccountingUnited Nations Statistics DivisionNew York 10017 USARoom DC2 1532Phone: +1 917 367 5391Fax: +1 212 963 1374Email: vardon@un.org

Jeremy WebbEnvironmental StatisticianUnited Nations Statistics DivisionNew York 10017 USARoom DC2 1410Phone: +1 212 963 8564Fax: +1 212 963 0623 Email: webbj@un.org

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/default.htm

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/default.asp