Critical analysis of two OECD Environment indicators in the context of the accession process of Brazil to the organization

Result of Service The research results will contribute to a more in-depth knowledge of the methodology of OECD indicators related to the policy area “Environment, Biodiversity and Climate” that can be used in the technical review of Brazil. In addition, critical analyzes of selected indicators will be made available as subsidies for the teams involved in Brazil's accession process to the OECD

Work Location Brasília

Expected duration 180 Days

Duties and Responsibilities The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) was created in the 1960s. It consists of thirty-eight members and is recognized for producing sophisticated analyzes and recommendations on public policy. Its objective is the promotion of prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all. Brazil is qualified as a key partner of the OECD (OECD's Key Partner), having adopted several of its legal instruments and has assumed the position of member or participant in some organs of the organization. Discussions on the country's membership of the OECD were opened on 25 January 2022 by the Governing Board. Thereafter, the Accession Roadmap was published on June 10, 2022, which sets out the terms and conditions for Brazil's accession process to the Organization. To become a member of the OECD, a country must align its policies and institutional and governance structure with the organization's standards, values, and principles. In short, the OECD standards are its legal instruments, sets of policy principles and guidelines; its values are centered on individual freedom, democracy, the rule of law; while its principles are open market, transparency, and the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Among the policy areas in Brazil that will be covered in the Organization's technical review, according to the Accession Roadmap, is “Environment, biodiversity and climate” (Environment, biodiversity, and climate). Sustainability and the environment are among the topics that are priorities for the OECD. The organization's work is especially directed towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations; for the promotion of green growth; and for the green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2030 Agenda is an action plan aimed at people, the planet and prosperity, in which 169 goals are set out across 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The OECD provides its wide range of data, tools and dialogue platforms for member and non-member countries to implement the Agenda's goals. The organization even assists the G20 countries in achieving the SDGs, being an active member of the G20 Development Working Group (DWG). Green growth means promoting economic growth and development while seeking to ensure that natural assets can still provide resources and environmental services necessary for the well-being of society. In turn, the green recovery promoted by the OECD means sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economic recovery, which is reflected in the 2021 Ministerial Meeting, whose theme was “Shared Values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future” (Shared Values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future). Considering this work carried out by the OECD, the organization carries out a technical assessment, both on member countries and on the countries that will be subject to the accession process, based on evidence, data and empirical analysis. In particular, in the accession process, two stages stand out: in the first, the country demonstrates its interaction with the OECD standards, demonstrating how aligned it is with the organization; in the second, there is the assessment itself when indicators are used as evidence of qualitative analyses. For Brazil's technical review in the “Environment, biodiversity and climate” area, environmental indicators are essential tools for monitoring environmental progress, assisting in the decision-making process and informing the public. Indicators are defined by the OECD as parameters, built in a network, developed from other pre-established parameters with the function of providing information about or to describe the state of a phenomenon, area, or environment. The index is a set of weighted or aggregated parameters or indicators that aim to provide an objective assessment of a member's policy. The parameter is a property that can be observed or measured. The indicators organized by themes are identified in the statistical database (OECD.Stat), among which “Environment” stands out for statistical information related to both the environment and sustainability. Thus, the indicators are used to measure the actions taken towards the achievement of pre-determined objectives; evaluate and monitor; assist in choosing the best environmental projects and policies; communication of information; harmonization of national initiatives based on the development of a common approach among OECD member countries. Indicators work, therefore, as a way of simplifying a large amount of data, making it possible to obtain information. It so happens that, on the one hand, indicators are formed with the aim of simplifying a large amount of data; on the other hand, they may not present relevant information, so that the information extracted from the indicator may represent a distorted perspective of reality. As an example of this possibility, there is the divergence of results on Australia's environmental performance obtained from OECD indicators: according to the New Economics Foundation's assessment, Australia would have the worst environmental record among all OECD countries; while for Brunton, using the same data provided by the Organization, Australia would have the best environmental record compared to all OECD member countries. The loss of information, as a result of the evaluation made by indicators, can be harmful for Brazil in the accession process, in the political area “Environment, Biodiversity and Climate”. The country has one of the greatest manifestations of biodiversity in the world, with more than 116,000 species of animals and 46,000 plant species, located in six terrestrial biomes and three major marine ecosystems. There are also different climatic zones, an extensive marine coastline, and the intensive and varied use of renewable energy sources. These particularities of biodiversity, climate, territory extension, energy matrix may not be properly considered in the assessments obtained from the OECD's environmental indicators. Therefore, there is a need to understand the methodology applied by the OECD in the formation of environment and sustainability indicators that can be used in the technical review of Brazil, within the scope of the country's accession process to the organization. Given the importance of indicators, as well as Brazil's interest in becoming a member of the Organization, the importance of this project is justified because: a) understanding the methodology used by the OECD in the formation of environmental indicators can help to verify the ability of these indicators to capture the Brazilian reality; b) it can also help to identify the national circumstances that should be integrated in the measurement of the indicator; c) can help Brazil, in the accession process, by providing the negotiators with arguments to discuss the technical evaluation to which Brazil will be subject. It is understood that environmental issues can be considered a challenge for Brazil's accession to the OECD in the face of assessments of the state of the country's environment. Therefore, it is argued that the information and analyzes resulting from the project are of great importance for public and private actors directly or indirectly interested in the accession process of Brazil. The consultancy will consist of carrying out a study to analyze the methodology that bases the metrics used by the OECD in the elaboration of environment and sustainability indicators that can be used in the technical review of Brazil in the area “Environment, biodiversity and climate”, within the scope of the accession process. Based on the proposed context, problematization and general objective, the project will focus on three specific objectives: (i) understanding the methodology of indicators applicable in the technical review of the “Environment, biodiversity and climate” areas; (ii) critical analysis of the indicators, in order to identify the extent to which these indicators are applicable to the Brazilian reality; (iii) qualitative analysis based on the demonstration of Brazilian circumstances that may guide the application of OECD indicators in the environment.

Qualifications/special skills Doctorate in economics or social sciences or humanities or related Fields minimum of 5 years of experience in research in the areas of international trade, environment and sustainability and/or related areas publications in the consultancy area

Languages- Fluency in Portuguese - Intermediary English

Additional Information Outputs/ Works Assignment: Product 1. Preliminary report containing the refinement of the methodology and the identification of the Environment indicators that will be explored in the OECD databases. To be submitted 45 days after start date. Product 2 - Preliminary report of the study of the methodology of the selected indicators. To be submitted 105 days after start Product 3 - Final report containing Introduction, Work Methodology, study of the methodology of indicators and critical analysis of the methodology of indicators. To be submitted 180 days after start

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.