United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Europe

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Division of Technology, Industry, and
Economics Economics and Trade Branch
Integrated Assessment of Trade-Related Policies
and Biological Diversity in the Agriculture
Sector Introdution to Integrated
Assessment Session 6 Geneva, 25-27 October
2006

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What we want to achieve?

• Ideally
• Design and implement trade policies in the
  agricultural sector that will maximise
  development goals and minimise impacts on
  biodiversity
• What do we need for this
• Information on impacts and opportunities of a
  policy
• Socio-economic impacts gt development goals
• Environmental impacts gt conservation and
  sustainable use of biodiversity

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What is Integrated Assessment?
Systematic process for obtaining, processing and
disseminating information on the environmental,
social and economic impact of a specific policy
or set of policies
Social
Sustainable Dev.
Economic
Environmental
Biodiversity
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Sustainable Development
"Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs." Brundtland
Commission Report "Our Common Future"
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Sustainability Perspective
Space
there and later
planet
nation
community
family
myself
Time
next election
now
life-time
next generation
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What does Integrated Assessment of trade-related
policies do?

• Integrated assessment uses a range of impact
  assessment tools to evaluate the environmental
  social and economic impacts of trade
  liberalisation and other trade-related policies
  at national level
• with the aim to provide policy and decision
  makers with information necessary for informed
  decision-making.
• Similar Approches Sustainability Assessment
  (SA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA),
  Strategic Impact Assessment (SIA),

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EIA and SEA

• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Systematic examination of the environmental
  consequences of a project with the aim to
  reducing or mitigate the negative consequences
  and enhance positive ones.  
• Strategic Environmental Assessment
• Systematic process for evaluating the
  environmental consequences of proposed policy,
  plan or programme at early stage of decision
  making (to consider them on a par with economic
  and social considerations). 
• gt Strategic level proactive approach

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Integrated Asessment

• Also at the strategic level of policies,
  programmes, and plans
• Gives equal importance to environmental, social
  and economic consequences and aims to analyse
  interlinkages and address trade offs (substantive
  integration)
• Aims to integrate assessment methods and tools
  within the planning process
• Aims to integrate good governance issues in the
  planning process participation, transparency,
  accountability, information access

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Focus of an Integrated Assessment

• An integrated assessment needs to be focused to
  be manageable and generate targeted results.
• What policy and policy measures are assessed?
• What time-frame in view of the stage of planning?
• What sectors or commodities of interest ?
• What geographical focus (e.g. poor regions)
• What critical issues (e.g. biodiversity, equity
  etc.)?

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When should Integrated Assessments be used?
Anytime in the Policy Cycle!
Policy and Planning
Ex-ante
Ex-post
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Components of an Integrated Assessment
Organisational process
Analytical process
Conceptual framework