Z.Addressing critical socio-environmental challenges in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean, in collaboration with the Economic
Commission for Europe and the United Nations
Environment Programme ($615,000)
Background
184.
One of the greatest challenges for environmentally sound and sustainable development is
that Governments, enterprises and individuals make decisions based on severely limited
information. These limitations lead to a situation in which, while environmental issues
are firmly set in legislation, even at the Constitutional level, this is not reflected in
budgets and incentive structures which determine the effectiveness of policy. ECLAC has
worked with Governments over time to improve the production of statistics and data
related to environment and sustainable development and to analyse and report on
progress and challenges in sustainable development. It has also worked in recent years to
strengthen the mechanisms through which citizens can exercise their right to know about
the environmental conditions they are exposed to and can act to improve them. Provision
of information on environmental conditions, environmental performance and the social
and environmental impacts of public policies is a necessary condition for the effective
exercise of citizenship and the promotion of sustainable development. Much remains to
be done in this regard.
185.
This project has been conceived against the background of an intense process of
intergovernmental discussions on the development of a regional intergovernmental
agreement on rights of access to information, participation and justice in environmental
matters, the key elements of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development (1992). At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, a
group of Latin American and Caribbean countries signed the Declaration on the
application of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
(A/CONF.216/13), which has since been signed by 19 countries. One of the key elements
of putting into practice the right of access to information on environmental matters is the
availability of information on pollution, which a nu mber of countries have addressed by
establishing pollutant release and transfer registers. These registers contain information
on the emissions and transfers to the environment of potentially hazardous chemical
substances.
186.
The project builds on the work of ECLAC in supporting countries in the generation of
information — notably studies on public expenditure on environment — and in policy
analysis. It aims to address three critical aspects of the capacity of Governments to
ensure the evidence base for their own environmental policy actions, monitor results and
empower civil society to play an active role in policy design and implementation: (a)
capacity-building, technical assistance and promotion of interregional exchange in the
development of pollutant release and transfer registers and assessment of public
expenditures on environment; (b) reviews of environmental performance and
sustainability; and (c) continued support to the ongoing process leading to a regional
instrument on rights of access to information, participation and justice in environmental
matters.
187.
Approximately 10 countries will be targeted by this project. Nevertheless, most Latin
American and Caribbean countries will benefit from the project ’s activities. Priority in
the selection criteria will be given to the 19 countries that have signed the Declaration on
the application of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
and those that formally assume commitments in the join implementation of the activities.
Most of those countries are at different stages of development with regard to the different
components of the rights of access, and the strongest impact will be achieved by
attending to each country’s needs in the matter.
Objective of the Organization: To improve the capacity of
selected countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region to
monitor environmental matters; to support countries in adopting a
participatory and evidence-based approach to environmental
policymaking
Relationship to the biennial programme plan for the period
2016-2017: Economic and social development in Latin America
and the Caribbean subprogramme 8 (Sustainable development
and human settlements)
Summary budget
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General temporary
assistance
Consultants
Travel
Contractual services
Seminars, workshops
Operating expenses
Equipment
Total
30.0
107.2
120.0
50.0
284.8
15.0
8.0
615.0
Expected accomplishments of the Secretariat
Indicators of achievement
(EA1) Enhanced capacity of civil servants to
collect and analyse information related to
pollution and environmental costs and
expenditures
(IA1.1) At least two of the seven target
countries that have shown interest in the
subject show evidence of instituting or
strengthening pollutant release and transfer
registers
(IA1.2) At least two additional countries
show progress in the tracking of environmental
expenditures
(EA2) Enhanced capacity of the target countries
to assess environmental performance in order to
design more effective, evidence-based policies
(IA2.1) At least two of the five selected
countries show progress in the tracking of
environmental expenditures
(EA3) Enhanced capacity of the target countries
to ensure the rights of access to information on
environmental matters, in the context of a
regional agreement on the implementation of
Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration
(IA3.1) At least four of the 19 signatories
countries of the Declaration on the application
of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development show evidence
of advancing towards greater access rights at
the national level within the context of a
regional agreement
(IA3.2) A programme of regional
cooperation on access rights and environment
is established
Main activities
188.
The main activities of the project will include:
(A1.1)
Organize a regional workshop to provide civil servants in interested countries
of the region with training in pollutant release and transfer registers and
corresponding data analysis. The participants will be briefed on experiences
and provided with guidelines on how to implement pollutant release and
transfer registers;
(A1.2)
Provide advisory services and organize one national meeting in each of two
countries to assist them in addressing their specific situations, challenges,
barriers and implementation issues regarding pollutant release and transfer
registers. The advisory services will address specific challenges of these
countries that could not be tackled in the regional workshop. The two
countries will be selected from the categories mentioned in activity A1.1
above;
(A1.3)
Issue one publication compiling findings from the workshop and the advisory
services for the benefit of all countries implementing pollutant release and
transfer registers in the near future. The publication will be distributed online
as soon as it is ready and actively disseminated among Governments and civil
society organizations registered with ECLAC;
(A1.4)
Organize a regional workshop to support progress in tracki ng environmental
costs and expenditures. A website will be created to compile the findings of
the workshop and to diffuse relevant information to participant countries and
other stakeholders;
(A1.5)
Provide advisory services and organize one national meeting in each of two
countries on the tracking of environmental costs and expenditures. Specific
implementation issues or barriers will be addressed and implementation
strategies designed together with the Governments of the two countries;
(A2.1)
Extend advisory services to two selected countries for the production and
compilation of information on environmental performance and sustainability
according to international standards;
(A2.2)
Organize two national meetings for the purpose environmental performance
reviews or sustainability assessments, with full the participation of civil
servants, civil society and entrepreneurs. Environmental performance reviews
address the state of the environment, pressures and policy actions to achieve
sustainable development;
(A2.3)
Issue two publications on the basis of the results of activities A2.1 and A2.2,
providing policy recommendations to countries committed to improving their
environmental performance. These will be disseminated as soon as they are
ready through the ECLAC website, at relevant venues and through the network
of practitioners that has been created over the course of the process towards a
regional agreement on rights of access to information, participation and justice
in environmental matters (the principle 10 process);
(A3.1)
Organize two regional meetings in support of the principle 10 process;
(A3.2)
Organize two capacity-building meetings in support of the principle 10
process. Civil servants from the Latin American and Caribbean countries and
civil society representatives will be invited to attend; the issues addressed will
include environmental information, access to environmental information,
participation processes, techniques and instruments, environmental justice and
law and negotiation skills, among others.
Z: Addressing critical socio-environmental challenges in Latin America and the
Implementing entities: ECLAC in collaboration with ECE and UNEP
Caribbean
Duration: 2016 – 2019
Objective: To improve the capacity of selected countries in the ECLAC region to monitor environmental matters and to support countries in
adopting a participatory and evidence-based approach to environmental policymaking
Summary budget
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General Assistance
30.0
Consultants
107.2
Travel
120.0
Contractual Services
50.0
Seminars, Workshops 284.8
Operating Expenses
Equipment
Total
15.0
8.0
615.0
Detailed budget (US dollars)
General Temporary Assistance
 General assistance to meeting and workshop organization, in support of
activities A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5, A2.2, A3.1, A3.2 for a total of 10
months x $1,500 per work month = $15,000
 Research assistant, in support of activity A2.1 for 6 months x $2,500 per
month = $15,000
Consultants
International consultants
 International consultants for the task(s) of advisory services, production of
document and substantive support to workshops and capacity-building
meetings, in support of activities A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4, A1.5, A2.2, A2.3,
A3.2.: (5 months x $5,000 per month) + ($23,250 for consultant(s) travel –
[604 (2601)) + $14,000 mandatory external evaluation = $62,250.
National / Regional consultants
 National consultants for advisory services and substantive support to workshop
and capacity-building meetings, in support of activities A1.1, A1.2, A1.3, A1.4,
A1.5, A2.1: 8 months x $5,000 per month = $40,000.
 The project also requires domestic travel in the context of environmental
performance assessments, budgeted at $5,000. Total = $45,000.
Travel of staff
 18 missions by UN staff for the purpose of advisory services and support to
workshops and meetings, in support of activities A1.2, A1.5, A2.1, A2.2,
A3.1, A3.2: $4,000 average mission cost x 18 missions = $72,000.
Tentatively, 1 mission will be organized for activity A.1.2, 2 missions for
A1.5, 10 missions for A2.2, 3 missions for A 3.1, 2 missions for A 3.2.
Depending on the activity, the objective of the mission will be to serve as
secretariat organizing the meeting or provide technical assistance and
capacity building or develop an assessment.
30 000
107 250
120 000
 12 missions by other UN staff for the purpose of advisory services,
capacity-building activities and intergovernmental meetings, in support of
activities A.1.2, A.2.2, A3.1 and A3.2. $4,000 average mission cost x 12
missions = $48,000. Tentatively, 1 mission will be organized for activity
A1.2, 4 missions for A2.2, 3 missions for A3.1, and 4 missions for A3.2.
Depending of activity, the objective of the mission will be to serve as
secretariat organizing the meeting or provide technical assistance and
capacity building or develop an assessment.
Contractual Services
 In support of activity A1.4, A1.5, A2.3 A3.1 and A3.2 (publication services,
including editing, translation and printing, webpage design) = $50,000.
Seminars, Workshops and Study Tours
 12 workshops and capacity-building meetings in support of A1.1, A1.2,
A1.4, A1.5, A2.2, A3.1, A3.2: $791 per participant on average x 30
participants x 12 events = $284,750. The main targets are civil servants
from the ministries of environment and civil society. Civil servants from
other ministries would also benefit depending on their competencies on the
topics of the project.
Operating expenses
 Communications: web streaming to have transparent and fully participatory
meetings, including participants that could not travel, and with the view to
reduce costs of travel of staff in support of A1.1, A1.4 and A3.1 = $7,000.
 Other general operating expenses (printing) in support of A1.1, A1.3, A1.4,
A2.3, A3.1 and A3.2 = $8,000.
Equipment
 A provision of $8000 is required for supplies (paper, toner, nameplates,
banners, and use of specialized software where applicable) to be provided
to the project countries to be used in activities meetings, workshops and
capacity-building activities in support of A1.1, A1.3, A1.4, A2.2, A2.3, and
A3.1. Covers 8 meetings at an average of $1,000 per meeting, not
including national meetings related to advisory services under activities
A1.2 and A1.5.
50 000
284 750
15 000
8 000