Expert Group on Environment and Climate Change Statistics
Mandate
The Expert Group on Environment Statistics (EGES) was established in 2014 to collaborate with UNSD to develop supporting methodological tools, hands-on guidance, and training material which contribute to the implementation of the revised Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES) in countries as evidenced in the growing number of countries publishing FDES coherent environment statistics compendia in several languages. The EGES was preceded by the Expert Group on the Revision of the UN FDES that functioned from 2009 to 2013. The Statistical Commission at its 44th session in 2013 endorsed the revised FDES 2013 as the framework for strengthening environment statistics programmes in countries and recognized it as a useful tool in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Global Set of Climate Change Statistics and Indicators was adopted at the 53rd session of the Statistical Commission in 2022 as the framework for climate change statistics and indicators to be used by countries when preparing their own sets of climate change statistics and indicators according to their individual concerns, priorities and resources.
As the EGES gradually expanded to cover more aspects of climate change statistics, the Statistical Commission at its 55th session, approved the renaming of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics to the Expert Group on Environment and Climate Change Statistics (EG-ECCS) to cover both topics given their close interrelationship and requested the amendment of the work programme of the Commission to combine environment and climate change statistics into a single agenda item with one joint report.
The EG-ECCS is currently being restructured with a Steering Group and several sub-groups, each with distinct scope, participation and functions, which will be defined to respond to the request of the Statistical Commission at its 55th session. The process requires further effort and will be reflected in a revised Terms of Reference (ToR) of the EG-ECCS, ensuring that decisions of the Statistical Commission in prior years, such as the endorsement of the FDES in 2013 and the Global Set in 2022 are addressed with intensified support to Member States. The EG-ECCS comprises experts on environment and climate change statistics and related areas from all geographical regions representing United Nations Member States, as well as international and regional organizations.
Objectives
The EG-ECCS meets annually and focuses on:
• Standardization of methods, classifications and definitions in environment and climate change statistics.
• Data collection, processing and dissemination of environment statistics, in particular in the areas of water and waste statistics, as well as support the work of the environmentally related SDG indicators.
• Technical cooperation, training and capacity development in environment and climate change statistics.
• Coordination and harmonization of environment and climate change statistics and indicator programmes and activities.
Chair of the Expert Group
The first four EGES meetings were chaired by Ms. Iva Ritschelova, President, Czech Statistical Office. Subsequently, Ms. Janet Geoghagen-Martin, Director of Censuses, Demographic & Social Statistics Division, Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) chaired the EGES for two years. The current Chair of the EG-ECCS is Ms. Ruth Minja, Director for Population Census and Social Statistics Directorate, National Bureau of Statistics of Tanzania. Ms. Minja is supported by a Vice-chair, Ms. Anjali Kisoensingh of the General Bureau of Statistics, Suriname.
The Chair and Vice-chair of the EG-ECCS contribute to the work of UNSD in guiding the global efforts in the development and coordination of environment and climate change statistics and are responsible for overseeing the meetings of the EG-ECCS, in particular in keeping the discussion within subject matter, identifying common positions, respecting deadlines, and guiding/indicating paths for future developments or further work of the Group.
Meetings
Eleventh Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment and Climate Change Statistics
14-17 October 2024 Virtual Meeting, via UN headquarters, New York
Tenth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics
3, 4, 6 and 10 October 2023 Virtual Meeting, via UN headquarters, New York
Ninth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics
25-28 October 2022 Virtual Meeting, via UN headquarters, New York
Eighth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics
12-14 and 19-20 October 2021 Virtual Meeting, via UN headquarters, New York
Seventh Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics
10-19 November 2020 Virtual Meeting, via UN headquarters, New York
Sixth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics
21-23 May 2019 UN Headquarters, New York
Fifth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics,
16-18 May 2018 UN Headquarters, New York
Fourth Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics,
3-5 May 2017 Prague, Czechia
Third Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics,
20-22 April 2016 UN Headquarters, New York
Second Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics,
25-27 March 2015 UN Headquarters, New York
First Meeting of the Expert Group on Environment Statistics,
26-28 March 2014 UN Headquarters, New York
From the 56th session of the Statistical Commission in 2025, there will be annual reports of the Secretary-General on environment and climate change statistics, which are accompanied by Background Reports.
Recent updates
Climate Change Statistics
FDES 2013
- Basic Set of Environment Statistics
- FDES 2013 brochure
- Blueprint for Action
- Environment statistics compendia
- Environment Statistics Self-Assessment Tool
- Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013)
- SDG indicators + Basic Set (FDES) matrix
- Manual on the Basic Set of Environment Statistics
- Expert Group on Environment Statistics
