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First Interim Report of the United Kingdom for the Testing of CSD Indicators of Sustainable Development
February 1997

Introduction

The United Kingdom is very keen to support the work of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in its work to develop a set of indicators for use in national reporting on progress. At the Second International Workshop "Launching the Testing of the Indicators of Sustainable Development" held in Ghent (Belgium) on 20-22 November 1996, the UK agreed to participate in the testing of the CSD menu of indicators. This report sets out the organizational and implementation arrangements, as specified in the suggested Timetable.

  1. Organizational arrangements

    Organization with responsibility for overall coordination:
    Department of the Environment

    The focal point for the exercise is:
    Mr. Chris Morrey
    Environment Protection Statistics and Information Management Division
    Department of the Environment
    Romney House
    43 Marsham Street
    London SW1P 3PY
    United Kingdom
    Tel.: +44 171 276 8421
    Fax: +44 171 274 8748
    E-mail:cmorrey.epsim@gtnet.gov.uk

    Other contact point:
    Ms. Victoria Harris
    UK MIS
    1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
    New York, N.Y. 10017
    Tel.: 212 745 9200
    Fax: 212 745 9316

  2. Consultation arrangements

    The UN Commission has stressed that there should be consultation during the testing phase, to ensure that the indicators command wide acceptance and credibility. In the United Kingdom, there are already a number of mechanisms in place through which the Government consults or receives advice on sustainable development. The United Kingdom is also developing its own indicators, and has in place working groups and consultation mechanisms for the national indicators. Rather than set up additional mechanisms for the CSD exercise, our view is that it is more appropriate to use the existing bodies. The main ones are:

    • The Government Round Table on Sustainable Development - an independent body comprising senior representatives of non-governmental organizations, businesses and local authorities, to advise Government on policies to achieve sustainable development (see Annex A for membership).
    • The Environmental Statistics Advisory Group - comprising researchers, representatives of regulatory Agencies, non-governmental organizations, business and local authorities; this is a technical working group which advises on information, publications and statistical research (see Annex A for membership).
    • The Information Development and Liaison Group - comprising representatives of local authority associations and central government departments. Their primary role is to exchange views about exchange of information between central and local government.
    • The Indicators Working Groups - comprising representatives of central government departments, local authorities, regulatory agencies, non-governmental organizations and technical and scientific experts. Their primary function is to develop the national indicators.
  3. Implementation

    It is envisaged that the work will be carried out in three phases, as suggested in the guidelines.

    1. Selection of the indicators to be tested. The list of indicators suggested by CSD will be reviewed against the priorities set out in the UK National, against the existing national set of indicators and proposals for their amendment, and against availability or feasibility of collection of data. On this basis, the most appropriate indicators will be selected to be included in the test. The groups above will be consulted about the choice of indicators. It is anticipated this phase will be complete by the end of June 1997. Opportunities for twinning with other countries will also be considered, and this may influence the choice of indicators to be selected.
    2. Evaluation of the indicators to be tested. This phase will consist of drawing together the data to evaluate the indicators selected. In many cases, it is anticipated that data will be available from existing sources. The feasibility and cost of collecting data for other indicators will be assessed. It is anticipated that this phase will be complete by September 1997.
    3. Reporting. The final phase will be to produce a report, including the indicators themselves, and commentary about the values/trends, particularly in relation to nationally or internationally agreed targets/commitments. The report will also include commentary on the relevance, construction, ease of collection etc. of the individual indicators. It is anticipated that this phase will be complete by mid-1998. A substantive report on progress will be made to DPCSD in November 1997.
  4. National work on indicators of sustainable development

    The United Kingdom published a preliminary set of Indicators of Sustainable Development for the United Kingdom in March 1996 (ref). The Indicators will be available on the Internet by the end of March 1997 (site address: http://www.open.gov.uk/doe/epsim). Following a period of public consultation, a working group is being established to review the indicators, with a view to publishing a revised set in the Autumn 1998. The CSD menu of indicators will be used during the review process, to ensure that the CSD and national indicators correspond as closely as possible. UK experience in devising its own indicators will also usefully feed into the CSD testing exercise.

  5. Next progress report

    The guidelines suggest a further report at the end of March 1997, but given the timetable above and the need to consult on the selection of indicators, it is unlikely that there will be further substantive progress to report. We therefore propose to report at the end of phase 1 above, at the end of June.

    Report compiled by:
    Mr. Chris Morrey
    Focal point
    Department of the Environment
    20 February 1997

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