Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013)

This publication presents the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013), which is the revised version of the original FDES published in 1984 by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). The United Nations Statistical Commission, at its forty-first session (23-26 February 2010), endorsed a work programme and the establishment of an Expert Group for the revision of the FDES and the development of a Core Set of Environment Statistics, taking into account the scientific, political, technological, statistical and experience-based developments of recent decades. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20, June 2012) outcome document, “The Future We Want”,1 includes several references to the importance of environmental data, information and indicators. The FDES 2013 is expected to contribute significantly to improved monitoring and measurement of the environmental dimension of sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda. The use of the FDES 2013 in national statistical systems will enhance developments in this field of statistics, as it is a multipurpose and flexible tool that can be tailored to address specific environmental policy concerns and priorities of countries, and can accommodate their levels of statistical development