Tools and Guidelines

Monitoring of our natural environment provides the basis for state-of-the-environment reporting and environmental assessments. The use of up-to-date, high quality and regularly reported environmental information and data is a quintessential component of this work, including their exchange and dissemination to public authorities and the public, and the final use of indicator-based assessments in policymaking.

The UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, in close collaboration with the Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators, is actively engaged in the use and exchange of environmental information and data. The Working Group has, as part of these efforts, developed practical tools and guidelines to assist countries in their efforts to monitor and assess the status of and trends in our natural environment, including the harmonization of approaches across the pan-European region.

This work is carried out by UNECE with the support of the European Environment Agency and the United Nations Environment Programme using a common approach agreed between the three organizations.