18 September 2014: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Working Party on Development Finance Statistics (WP-STAT) and Network on Environment and Development Co-operation (ENVIRONET) held a joint expert meeting to review progress and improvements in members’ reporting to the DAC on environment-related Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Other Official Flows (OOF), including the use of the Rio Markers.

The ENVIRONET-WP-STAT Task Team held its Third Experts’ Meeting on Environment and Development Finance Statistics on 18 September 2014, in Paris, France, continuing discussions from two previous meetings, held in March and June. The OECD Rio Markers were created to help countries complete their National Communications to the three Rio Conventions—the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

On members’ reporting to the OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System (CRS), participants shared best practices and identified ways to improve the application of the Rio Markers, noting that such improvements must be done continuously, and may vary by member based on differences in reporting approaches and institutional structures.

On “fine-tuning” the Rio markers, participants considered members’ comments on a proposal to improve the eligibility criteria, examples and guidance Climate Change Adaptation and Climate Change Mitigation markers, which were circulated at the Second Task Team meeting, in June. Participants were also invited to consider the next steps in recommending changes to the the statistical reporting directives for submission to WP-STAT.

The meeting also reviewed the Joint ENVIRONET-WP-STAT Task Team’s current and future work programme.

ENVIRONET is a network of multilateral institutions and development agencies from member countries of OECD DAC. WP-STAT is also a subsidiary body of OECD DAC. [OECD Meeting Webpage] [Meeting Agenda] [OECD Statistics on ODA for Rio Conventions] [IISD RS Story on First Meeting of Joint Task Team] [IISD RS Story on Second Meeting of Joint Task Team]