2020 Global Assessment on the SEEA implementation and SEEA focal points

The UN Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic Accounting (UNCEEA) is conducting Global Assessment of Environmental-Economic Accounting and Supporting Statistics, 2020 to monitor implementation progress of SEEA. The survey was last administered in 2017, during which 69 countries indicated that they had compiled SEEA accounts. Currently, it is estimated that over 90 countries compiled SEEA accounts, and this round of the survey, which was sent to national statistical offices last month, will provide official numbers on SEEA implementation. In addition, the assessment supports the monitoring of two Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators: a) 15.9.1 on the integration of ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts and b) SDG indicator 12.b.1 on the number of sustainable tourism strategies or policies and implemented action plans with agreed monitoring and evaluation tools.

As of late October, 124 countries have submitted their response to the survey. The UNCEEA will present the results of the assessment to the UN Statistical Commission in March 2021. The results will also enable the UNCEEA to assess the status of national implementation of environmental economic accounting programme, review countries institutional arrangement in compiling environmental economic accounts and identify priorities and future plans.

Another UNCEEA initiative related to implementation is the establishment of SEEA focal points. To help facilitate coordination and communication of matters related to SEEA, including country updates on compilation and programme implementation, data collection and validation, dissemination and global consultations, the Committee has requested national statistical offices to coordinate the establishment of SEEA focal points at the country level. The focal persons should have in-depth knowledge of the SEEA, and they will serve as a first point of contact to address requests and questions related to the SEEA, distributing them to the relevant people in the country and ensure follow-up. The focal point may be from any office or ministry. As of late October, 185 focal points have been assigned for this role from 122 countries.

The UNCEEA encourages countries who have not yet responded to the survey to complete the assessment through the link. The Committee also encourages countries to assign focal points for the SEEA using the link.