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Advancing Environmental-Economic Accounting: Insights from the OECD/UNECE 10th SEEA Implementation Seminar

The 10th OECD/UNECE SEEA Implementation Seminar, held at the United Nations in Geneva on March 18-20, 2025, brought together key stakeholders to discuss progress and challenges of environmental-economic accounting. The event served as a platform for official statistics offices, international organizations, and research institutions to exchange knowledge and explore innovative approaches to advancing the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) worldwide.

Three CSERGE researchers had the opportunity to participate in the seminar, including Dr. Valentina Di Gennaro, representing the University of East Anglia, as well as Alice Bartolini and Vittoria Reas, representing UCL - Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) and the University of Siena. Their presence underscored the growing role of academic institutions in advancing environmental-economic accounting and bridging the gap between research and policy implementation.

A special thanks to the MARBEFES EU-Horizon project and ESCoE project “Measurement of Natural Capital” for providing this great opportunity for the researchers to attend and contribute to the seminar. Their support plays a crucial role in fostering academic engagement in environmental-economic accounting.

Key Discussions and Insights

The seminar highlighted the ongoing efforts by national statistical offices and international organizations in integrating environmental and economic data. Discussions covered a range of topics, including:

  • the current status and future directions of SNA (System of National Accounts) and SEEA implementation
  • challenges in data collection, harmonization, and policy integration
  • the role of ecosystem accounting in measuring sustainability and natural disasters in the context of climate change
  • the role of ecosystem accounting in informing other frameworks (e.g., the global biodiversity framework)
  • the importance of collaboration between institutions to enhance data quality and comparability.

These discussions underscored the growing recognition of SEEA as a critical tool for policymakers, helping to align economic decisions with environmental sustainability.

Collaboration and Institutional Involvement

The event provided a valuable opportunity for institutions involved in environmental-economic accounting to strengthen partnerships. Organizations such as Eurostat, JRC-European Commission, UNECE, UNFCCC, UNSD, UN London Group, UNE-EHS, ARIES, IDEEA Group, and various universities played an active role in shaping the discussions and sharing their expertise.

Looking Ahead

The 10th SEEA Implementation Seminar anniversary reinforced the importance of continuous knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and communication to further the adoption of environmental-economic accounting worldwide. As SEEA implementation expands, sustained collaboration will be key to addressing challenges and ensuring that environmental and economic considerations are effectively integrated into decision-making processes.

By fostering dialogue among key stakeholders, the seminar contributed to strengthening global efforts in environmental accounting and underscored the role of SEEA in supporting sustainable development policies.