National Implementation of Agenda 21
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Information Provided by the Government of BELGIUM to the
United Nations Department for Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development
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This country profile has been provided by:
Name of Ministry/Office:
Date:
Submitted by:
Mailing address:
Telephone:
Telefax:
E-mail:
Note from the Secretariat: An effort has been made to present all country profiles within a common format, with an equal number of pages. However, where Governments have not provided information for the tables appended to Chapters 4 and 17, those tables have been omitted entirely in order to reduce the overall length of the profile and save paper. Consequently, there may be some minor inconsistencies among the formats of the different country profiles.
All statistics are rendered as provided by the respective Governments.
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APELL | Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level |
CFC | chlorofluorocarbon |
CGIAR | Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research |
CILSS | Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel |
EEZ | exclusive economic zone |
ECA | Economic Commission for Africa |
ECE | Economic Commission for Europe |
ECLAC | Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean |
ELCI | Environmental Liaison Centre International |
EMINWA | environmentally sound management of inland water |
ESCAP | Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific |
ESCWA | Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia |
FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |
GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade |
GAW | Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO) |
GEF | Global Environment Facility |
GEMS | Global Environmental Monitoring System (UNEP) |
GEMS/WATER | Global Water Quality Monitoring Programme |
GESAMP | Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution |
GIPME | Global Investigation of Pollution in Marine Environment (UNESCO) |
GIS | Geographical Information System |
GLOBE | Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment |
GOS | Global Observing System (WMO/WWW) |
GRID | Global Resource Information Database |
GSP | generalized system of preferences |
HIV | human immunodeficiency virus |
IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency |
IAP-WASAD | International Action Programme on Water and Sustainable Agricultural Development |
IARC | International Agency for Research on Cancer |
IBSRAM | International Board of Soil Resources and Management |
ICCA | International Council of Chemical Associations |
ICES | International Council for the Exploration of the Sea |
ICPIC | International Cleaner Production Information Clearing House |
ICSC | International Civil Service Commission |
ICSU | International Council of Scientific Unions |
IEEA | Integrated environmental and economic accounting |
IFAD | International Fund for Agricultural Development |
IGADD | Intergovernmental Authority for Drought and Development |
IGBP | International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (ICSU) |
IGBP/START | International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme/Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training |
ILO | International Labour Organisation |
IMF | International Monetary Fund |
IMO | International Maritime Organization |
INFOTERRA | International Environment Information system (UNEP) |
IOC | Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission |
IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
IPCS | International Programme on Chemical Safety |
IPM | integrated pest management |
IRPTC | International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals |
ITC | International Tin Council |
ITTO | International Tropical Timber Organization |
IUCN | International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
MARPOL | International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships |
OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development |
PGRFA | plant genetic resources for agriculture |
PIC | prior informed consent procedure |
SADCC | South African Development Co-ordination Conference |
SARD | sustainable agriculture and rural development |
UNCTAD | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
UNDP | United Nations Development Programme |
UNDRO | Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator |
UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
UNESCO | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
UNFPA | United Nations Population Fund |
UNICEF | United Nations Children's Fund |
UNIDO | United Nations Industrial Development Organization |
UNU | United Nations University |
WCP | World Climate Programme (WMO/UNEP/ICSU/UNESCO) |
WFC | World Food Council |
WHO | World Health Organization |
WMO | World Meteorological Organization |
WWF | World Wide Fund for Nature (also called World Wildlife Fund) |
WWW | World Weather Watch (WMO) |
A. Name of Key National Sustainable Development Coordination Mechanism(s)/Council(s). Since 1993, Belgium is a Federal state with several levels of power (the Federal and the 5 Federated levels : the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region which have been merged, the Walloon Region, the Brussels Capital City Region, the French-speaking Community and the German-speaking Community. Each level of power is entitled to create its own co-ordinating structure for implementing the action plans of Agenda 21.
1. Contact Points a. International Features :
-Diplomatic Focal Point : Miss M. Claeys, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Topical Coordination P62.A, Rue Belliard - Belliardstraat, 65. B 1040 Brussels.
Tel : 00 32 2 501 37 10
Fax : 00 32 2 230 02 80
-Sustainable Development Focal Point : Mrs N. Gouzée/Mr. J. Verschooten, p.a. Federal Planning Office, Kunstlaan/Avenue des Arts 47-49 B 1040 Brussels. Tel : 00 32 2 507 73 11
Fax : 00 32 2 507 73 73
b. National Features :
-Federal level : * M. F. Chemay, Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and Environment, Service of Environmental Affairs, Service of Studies and Coordination, C.A.E./R.A.C Vesalius/Vésale 722 Pachecolaan/Boulevard Pachéco, 10 Bus/Bte 7 B 1010 Brussels Tel : 00 32 2 210 45 43 Fax : 00 32 2 210 48 52 * M. Ziarko, Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (OSTC), Wetenschapsstraat/Rue de la Science, 8 B 1000 Brussels Tel : 00 32 2 238 34 11 Fax : 00 32 2 230 59 12 * M. J. Buys, Belgian Agency For Development Cooperation, Brederodestraat, 6, Rue Brederode, B 1000 Brussels Tel 00 32 2 500 63 11. Fax 00 32 2 500 65 30
-Regional level : * Flemish Focal Point : Mr. M. Merckx, Ministry of the Flemish Community, Environment, Nature, Land and Water Management Adminstration (AMINAL), Belliardstraat, 14-18 B 1040 Brussels. Tel : 00 32 2 507 30 30 Fax : 00 32 2 507 6732 * Walloon Focal Point : Mr M. Pignolet, Ministry of the Walloon Region, Directorate General for Natural Resources and the Environment (DGRNE), Avenue Prince de Liège, 15 B 5100 Jambes. Tel : 00 32 81 32 57 84 Fax : 00 32 81 32 59 84 * Brussels Focal Point : M. A. Lesne, Brussels Institute for Environmental Management (IBGE/BIM), Gulledelle, 100 B 1200 Brussels. Tel : 00 32 2 775 76 06 Fax : 32 2 775 76 11
-Community level : * Flemish Community : see above. * The French and the German-speaking Communities : no mechanisms
2. Membership/Composition/Chairperson
a. International Features : (environmental aspects) Coordination Committee for International Environmental Policy (CCIEP). Chairperson : M. J.P. Samain, Director general, Federal Ministry of the Environment ; 15 official members ( 4 representatives of the Federal and Regional Ministers of the Environment, 1 representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1 representative of the Minister for the Development Cooperation, 1 representative of the Topical Coordination mentioned above as diplomatical focal point, 1 representative of the Permanent Mission of Belgium at the European Union, 6 civil servants of the Federal and Regional Ministries of the Environment and 1 representative of the Belgian Agency for Development Cooperation ; several invited members of other Ministries (Agriculture, Economical Affairs, Scientifical Policy, Federal Planning Office, etc.)
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(Cont.) b. National Features - Federal level : Interdepartemental Commission on Sustainable Development (proposed to Parliament). Chairperson : State Secretary for Environmental Affairs. Co-Chairs : representatives of the Federal Minister for Scientific Policy and the State Secretary for Development Aid. Members : representatives of each Federal minister and state secretary, representatives of the governments of Regions and Communities.
- Flemish Region : coordinating Ad Hoc Working Group of the Flemish Government and its 19 subgroups. Chairperson : M. H. De Wel, Environment, Nature, Land and Water Management Administration. Members : representatives of the entire Flemish Government and the Flemish representatives in the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD)
- Walloon Region : an Environment Plan for Sustainable Development exists and will be updated every five years
- Brussels Capital City Region : a Regional Development Plan does exist since 1995.
3. Mandate/Role of above Mechanisms/Councils
a. International Features, (environmental aspects) CCIEP : political decision-making body based on a intersectoral and interdepartemental cooperation and coordination initiated between the Federal and Regional Governments since April 1995 on environmental matters, nature conservation, and sustainable development.
b. National Features, Federal level : the Interdepartemental Commission (proposed to Parliament) will give guidelines to the Federal Planning Office in its mission as laid down in the draft of law on the Federal coordination on sustainable development for the preparation of a preliminary draft of a quadriannual Federal Plan of Sustainable Development. The Federal Planning Office will establish every two years a Federal Report on Sustainable Development.
c. National Features, Flemish Region : examine the possibilities for new concrete policy measures and implement the recommandations of the UNCED and the Agenda 21.
B. Key National Sustainable Development CONSULTATIVE Mechanisms/Councils. 1. Contact Points
a. National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) ; Mr.G.Vansintjan, permanent secretary, Ms Catherine Mertens, permanent secretary, Mailing address NCSD, Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi 56 B1040 Brussels Tel. : 00 32 2 287 06 76 Fax : 00 32 2 280 14 27 e-mail:nrdo @skynet.be
b. Milieu en Natuurraad Vlaanderen (MINA-Raad) ; Kliniekstraat, 25, 4de verdieping, B.1070 Brussels Tel.: 00 32 2 219 96 40 Fax : 00 32 2 219 97 15
c. Conseil Wallon de l'Environnement pour le Développement durable (CWEDD) CWEDD, rue du Vertbois 13 C, B.4000 Liège Tel. : 00 32 4 232 98 61 Fax : 00 32 4 232 98 10
d. Conseil de l'Environnement pour la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Raad voor het Leefmilieu van het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (RLBHG/CERBC) Hertogstraat/rue Ducale 61, B1000 Brussels Tel. : 00 32 2 513 17 87 Fax : 00 32 2 513 91 41
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(Cont.) 2. Memberships/Compositions/Chairpersons a. NCSD Chairman : His Royal Highness Prince Philip -Federal ministers : Prime Minister and Ministers for Economic Affairs and Telecommunications, Internal Affairs, Finance and External Trade, Budget, Scientific Policy, Public Health and Pensions, Foreign Affairs, Employment, Social Affairs, Agriculture and Small & Medium-sized Business, Transport, Justice, the Civil Service, Defence, State Secretaries for Development Aid, Security, Social Integration and Environment; -Regiogal ministers : Minister-Presidents of Flanders, of the Walloon Region, and of the Brussels' Capital City Region; -Business and industry: 2 companies; -Scientific community : 3 Dutch-speaking universities, 3 French-speaking universities; -Non-governmental organizations : 6 NGO's for environmental protection, 6 NGO's for development aid, and 2 NGO's for consumer protection; -Workers and trade unions : 3 major trade unions; -Federations of employers : 6 major federations.
b. MINA-Raad Chairman : Prof. R. Verheyen 24 members of the Environmental Nature Conservation associations ; 6 of the trade unions, 2 of the employers'organizations, 2 of the business community, 2 of the agricultural organizations, 8 of the environmental councils, 4 of the Association of Flemish Provinces, Towns and Municipalities, and 10 of the Flemish Research Policy Council.
c. CWEDD Chairman : Mr. J. Smitz 3 members representing the Walloon employers' organization, 2 the national union of farmers, 2 the trade unions, 2 the most representative organizations of the business community, 4 the nature conservation organizations, 1 the most representative consumer associations, 2 the Association of Walloon Towns and Municipalities, 3 French-language university institutions, the chairmen or deputy-chairmen of the Regional Waste Commission, the Advisory Commission on the Protection of Surface Water against Pollution, the Regional Town and Country Planning, the Regional Consultative Commission on the Exploitation of Quarries, the High Walloon Nature Conservation Council, the High Walloon Forest and Wood Council, the High Walloon Agriculture, and the Food Industry and Foodstuff Council.
d. RLBHG/CERBC Chairman : Mr. R. Gillet 5 members representing the non-profit association, 3 officials representing the Ministries dealing with town and country planning, the protection of historic monuments and areas of outstanding natural beauty, and public transport, 3 members representing the most representative workers' organizations, 3 the most representative employers organizations, 1 the business community , 3 experts in environmental protection problems, appointed by the universities, 3 members representing the Union of Towns and Municipalities, 3 the waste incinerators, the water purification plants and the water companies , 3 the consumer associations, 3 members appointed by the Regional council because of their scientific expertise.
3. Mandate/Role of above Mechanisms/Councils a. NCSD ; advises the Federal Government on each measure concerning sustainable development, particularly for the implementation of the European Unions Fifth Action Program on Environmental Issues and the implementation of Agenda 21. It proposes studies on all subjects related to sustainable development, organizes discussion fora, and will obtain the broadest possible public participation concerning sustainable development.
b. MINA-Raad ; advises the Flemish Government and the Flemish Parlement on all matters relating to the environment or the protection of nature. It carries out research.
c. CWEDD ; assesses the impact on the environment in the Walloon Region, the annual "State of the Environment in the Walloon Region" report, gives its opinion on the draft Environment Plan for Sustainable Development.
d. BHG/CERBC ; the Brussels Regional Government on all environmental matters.
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 2: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
TO ACCELERATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND RELATED DOMESTIC POLICIES (with special
emphasis on
TRADE)
In OECD, UNEP, UNCTAD and WTO, Belgium positioned definitely in
favour of the adoption of core labour standards and social
standards within trade agreements in order to accelerate
sustainable social development in developing countries.
The country has therefore played an active role in economic and
trade fora such as OECD and WTO (CTE), as well as in international
and
environmental oriented fora like CSD and UNEP.
1. WTO (CTE)
Since the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) has been set
up in 1995, Belgium together with all European member states
has considered the principle 12 of the Rio Declaration as a central
reference in the CTE discussions, considering that the most
effective way
of dealing with transboundary environmental problems is through
international and multilateral agreements (MEA's), not by
unilateral trade
measures.
We believe that the multilateral trading system, and the WTO
framework rules, should be supportive of MEA's when they include
restricted
trade measures that may be necessary for the achievement of the
environmental goals they intend to protect.
Further work will be required to determine whether any
modifications of the WTO provisions are necessary to accommodate,
among others,
with MEA's and new instruments of environmental policy like
eco-labelling. Belgium gives also great attention to further market
access for
LDC's with a view to support development prospects and improve
export performance of LDC's.
2. OECD
Concerning non-binding analytical work in international fora,
Belgium participates in OECD joint session on trade and
environment, asking for
quantitative analysis exploring the linkages between DC's market
access improvements and tariff escalation, international trade in
waste, DPG's,
competitiveness.
3. UNEP
Belgium supports the UNEP activities as complementary activities of
the CTE work program, especially these concerning the assessement
of
the trade measures of the main MEA's (Basel, Montreal & Cites),
and these concerning the studies and workshops on well targeted
sectors.
4. CSD
Belgium welcomes the fact that the Declaration of Rio and Agenda 21
have broadened the scope of discussion on trade and environment and
sustainable development. Belgium believes that the debate on trade
and environment could be based on the principles provided in
Chapter 2 from
Agenda 21.
Within this context, Belgium attaches special importance to the
decisions from CSD IV. Especially the decision on the relationship
between
environmental policy and competitiveness, in which the lack of
indication that environmental policy in general has detrimental
effects on
competitiveness is acknowledged, and the problem that environmental
regulations from importing countries may cause to developing
countries
in transition, is underlined. The principle of cost internalisation
is explicitly referred to and green countervailing duties are
firmly rejected.
Concerning future work, Belgium would like to introduce the
precautionary principle (Rio Declaration, Principle 15) in the
debate on the
accomodation of the multilateral trade system to the environmental
needs.
Belgium supports enhanced policy coordination at the national level
in the area of trade and environment, and, at the international
level, whishes
to develop a holistic approach between international organisations;
WTO/CTE, OECD, UNCTAD, UNEP and CSD.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Belgium is committed to
a high level of environmental protection and to an open equitable
and non-discriminatory
multilateral system. These are equally important objectives. In
this respect, Belgium considers that trade and environment policies
can play a
mutually and supportive role in favour of sustainable
development.
1. Decision-Making Structure
According to article 113 of the Treaty of the European Union, trade policy is an exclusive competence of the Commission. In its legally binding aspects, the trade and environment policy is defined by the European member states in the so called "113 Committee".
The Committee for Coordination in International Environmental Policy (CCIEP) has established a Working Group Trade and Environment in 1995 under the presidency of the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Its missions are the preparation at the national level (with the Federated entities) and the follow-up of the decisions and activities of the Committee 113 of the EU as well as the CSD sessions, the UNCTAD, UNEP and the OECD work related to trade and environment.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues
See Chapter 34/37
3. Major Groups
As a reminder
4. Finance
See Chapter 33
5. Regional/International Cooperation
See Status Report.
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 3: COMBATING POVERTY
Poverty in Belgium
In Belgium 6 % of the population is poor. This percentage was
calculated according to the usual EU norm, indicating that 6 % of
the households do not have half the average income of a single at
their disposal. This figure is low in European perspective. It is
mainly due to the system of Social Security that exists in Belgium,
insuring employees and their families for unemployment,
sickness and retirement. For those who cannot work or could not
work long enough there is a system of social assistance, that
guarantees a minimum income that is fixed by law and in case of
dispute is settled in labour court.
Policies for minimum allowances are a Federal competence, while
next to it the Regions are competent for many policy issues
related to poverty such as educational policies, housing, culture
and welfare, all of them important parts of employment policy.
In order to allow for a coordinated poverty policy the ministers
competent for poverty on Federal and Regional level meet several
times a year to decide on policy proposals concerning poverty.
Last year a variety of measures was taken and implemented. A law
was passed allowing for debts to be centralized with one
particular judge who can impose a plan for debt relief and who can
cancel debts.
In several Regions laws were past to guarantee a minimum provision
of electricity, gas and water in case of payment difficulties.
Measures were elaborated to better protect people in case of
eviction procedures for non-payment of their rent.
For the time being, negotiations are conducted on several proposals
to improve the access of the poorest to public health and the
administration of law.
Measures were taken to stimulate social employment.
Within each Region considerable budgets were freed in order to cope
with social discrimination in the cities.
Poverty policy in Belgium is developed in close cooperation with
the poorest themselves, and relies on a combination of
improvement of the income position and of abolishment of social
discrimination in different sectors.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
As a reminder
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
As a reminder
3. Major Groups:
As a reminder
4. Finance:
As a reminder
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
NB: Developed countries, where domestic poverty alleviation is not
a major concern may wish to briefly describe their position
regarding global poverty alleviation.
Unemployment (%) | |||||
Population living in absolute poverty | |||||
Public spending on social sector % | |||||
Other data
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 4: CHANGING CONSUMPTION
PATTERNS
1. National Policy Objective/Focus
The Federal ecotax law was introduced in 1993 and acts as a "stick
behind the door" pressing stakeholders to take
environmentally friendly actions such as selective waste collection
and recycling, ecologically acceptable waste treatment and
more rational use of consumer goods. As the tax is levied at the
earliest possible stage of the distribution cycle, this new law
does
not impose any constraint to trade. On the other hand, energy
levies and charges were introduced and others raised during 1993;
this led to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in 1994. Part
of the additional proceeds is used to protect employment in the
context of market competition.
Furthermore, in the whole area of ozone depleting substances,
Belgium actively applies the EU regulations phasing out or
reducing ozone depleting substances and contributes actively in
toughening these standards on EU level, which happens almost
every two years.
A decree of 19 April 95 of the Flemish Region should also be
mentioned which stimulates and regulates "responsible-care"
initiatives by enterprises. An analogous initiative in the Walloon
Region, to integrate environmental concerns in firms' behaviour,
is in a well advanced stage.
2. National Targets
The Federal eco-tax law contains a general framework and time table
for the introduction of a number of eco-taxes. The
timetable was found to be too stringent to be feasible and had to
be eased by Parliament.
In 1991, Belgium decided to reduce its CO2 emission in 2000 by 5%
compared to 1990. This decision is to be seen in the light of
the European Union Strategy to limit CO2 emission, whereby :
- CO2 emission in the EU need to be stabilised in 2000 at teir
level of 1990;
- EU measures are needed to achieve that target. In particular,
Belgium
considers that a carbon/energy tax, coordinated at least at the
EU level, is needed to reach in Belgium the target of 5%
reduction by 2000.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
Decision-Making Structure
The Federal Government has tried to integrate environmental and fiscal policy through inter alia the eco-tax law of 1993. The Eco-tax Commission has broad powers to propose amendments to the existing law, to propose new eco-taxes, and to propose eliminating others. Parliament takes the final decision, with no legal obligation to consult the Eco-tax Commission. Parliament is presently reviewing a third revision to the Eco-tax law. The Regional Governments have the authority to regulate impacts of eco-taxes on their revenue.
The Government of the German-speaking Community set up a consumer's information (Verbraucherschutzzentrale East-Belgium). It informs about eco-consumption as well as about environment and the protection of nature.
Capacity-Building/Technology Issues
The Federal Government is preparing a framework programme for research on specific topics pertaining to sustainable development, such as marine sciences, transportation systems, and social and economic issues aimed at helping develop measures to change production and consumption patterns. An information campaign is part of the implementation and enforcement of the eco-tax law.
Major Groups
A policy debate on consumption and production patterns was held at the Federal level involving most Government ministries, Parliament, industry, consumer groups and media. NGOs, universities and local authorities were less involved. It resulted in the adoption of some pieces of legislation.
Finance
A few programmes have been implemented to help the poor, including measures to guarantee a minimum supply of electricity to all households, subsidies for home improvements for energy efficiency (max. of Bfr. 50,000 or US$ 1,500) and measures to limit the total amount of loans.
Regional/International Cooperation
The Federal Government is involved in the implementation of the EU's Eco-labelling Scheme. An appropriate agency would grant producers the authorization to use the EU logo.
Initiated by the German-speaking Community, a frontier-crossing, euregional consumer's information has been set up. EUROKON informs consumers in the Province de Liège and the German-speaking Community in Belgium, the Limburg Provinces in Belgium and the Netherlands and Aachen Region in Germany.
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GDP per capita (current US$) | 26,344 | ||||
Real GDP growth (%) | |||||
Annual energy consumption per capita (Kg. of oil equivalent per capita) | |||||
Motor vehicles in use per 1000 inhabitants | |||||
Other data (1) 1989 (2) 1993 |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 5: DEMOGRAPHIC DYNAMICS AND
SUSTAINABILITY
Belgium does not have explicit and integrated population policies.
However, many policy measures, especially within the
framework of social security and family policy, have direct and
indirect repercussions on demographic dynamics. In general,
policies for welfare, family, health, education, environment,
immigration, data collection, research and development aid are
largely in accordance with the recommendation of the three
international conferences on population.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1.Decision-Making Structure
The decline in the immigration rate is largely due to restrictive
measures taken within the framework of immigration legislation.
2.Capacity-Building/Technology Issues
As a reminder.
3.Major Groups
As a reminder.
4.Finance
As a reminder.
5.Regional/International Cooperation
Belgium is an active member of the Commission on Population and
Development which is responsible for the follow-up of the
International Conference on Population and Development or ICPD
(Cairo, September 1994). At its yearly meetings, the country
is represented by the Head of the Population and Family Study
Centre (CBGS, Centrum voor Bevolkings- en Gezinsstudie) or his
replacement.
Population (thousands) on 1st january | ||||||||
Kingdom as a whole | ||||||||
Brussels Region | ||||||||
Flemish Region | ||||||||
Walloon Region | ||||||||
Annual rate increase (1990-1996) | ||||||||
Surface area (Km2) | ||||||||
Population density (inhabitants/Km2) | ||||||||
Other data | ||||||||
TFR (Total fertility rate per woman) | ||||||||
Mortality (life expectancy at birth in years) -male -female |
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(Source : "Recent Demographic Developments in Europe", Strasbourg : Council of Europe)
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 6: PROTECTING AND PROMOTING
HUMAN HEALTH
Belgium consists of three language communities : the French
Community, the Flemish Community and the German-speaking
Community. The Communities are responsible for the policy of care
in and outside hospitals, with exception of the
responsibilities of the Federal Government. The Communities are
also responsible for health education and promotion, as well
as for preventive medecine (except national measures of
profylaxis).
The Communities are specifically responsable for :
- the application of agreement standards,
- the application of program standards,
- subsidization,
- preventive medicine (AIDS, alcoholism, vaccinations, ...),
- frontline care,
- inspections,
- sport medical controls,
- school medical controls,
- follow-up programs for little children.
The responsibilities of the Federal Government are :
a) organic legislation,
b) finance requirements by organic legislation,
c) national health insurance,
d) base rules for program standards,
e) base rules for financing infrastructure and expensive
medical equipement,
f) national agreement standards, only when repercussion on b)
c) d) and e),
g) fixing conditions university hospitals.
The policies for institutional care are undergoing a continuous
dynamic evolution. Over the past ten years different major
reforms have been aimed at reducing the supply of hospital
services, i.e. the number of beds and hospitalisation days, in
favour
of alternative and better adapted forms of health care, more
particularly for chronic patients. These reforms have been
implemented at the same time in acute hospitals, institutions for
ongoing care or chronic hospitals, and in psychiatric hospitals.
However, modifying only hospital structures was not enough : the
financing system is also being revised, although this onerous
task is far from completed. The financing system which took into
account hospitalisation days was replaced by a system of
budgets per hospital.
The former budget based only on structural elements has gradually
made way for an adapted budget based on structural elements
as well as on activity-related data.
The implementation of this financing system required the
installation of various databases, such as the registration of
minimum
nursing data, minimum clinical data, and minimum psychiatric data.
At this moment, one is considering to which point social
data should be included. The registration of these data should not
only be useful for the fine tuning of budgets, but should
eventually lead to better management and improved health care
practice.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
(Cont) The creation of special structures to promote the dialogue between hospital managers, doctors and insurers brings another challenge, and that is harmo-nizing the policies of health insurance and the policies of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and the Environment. In addition, these policies should benefit from a more efficient use of available data.
During the past years the Directorate of Medical Practice has also proposed several important new laws, such as the law on blood and the law on physio-therapy. The regulations for general practitioners too have undergone impor-tant modifications. In addition, new specialities have been created such as emergency specialist and intensive care specialist. The art of nursing has not been neglected : new titles and special professional qualifications have been created.
A permanent evaluation of the number of doctors and dentists needed in function of the demografic and sociological developments is planned since 1996. Rules concerning the evaluation of medical practice can be fixed.
Several important projects are being developed and should be implemented in the years to come, such as the High Council for Dental Care, management of available medical services and the evaluation of medical practice. The Directo-rate of Medical Practice also has the task of examining important questions of bioethics.
Norms for accrediation of emergency services, MES services (Medical Emer-gency Services), and intensive care units will be developed. Furthermore, the law relating to the "Emergency Service 100" has been modified with a view to create provincial schools for ambulance paramedics. The policy for emergency services is supported by the National Council for Emergency Services and by the future Provincial Councils, which are currently under development.
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1. Decision-Making Structure See above-cited
2. Capacity-Building/Technology-Issues Official hospital beds 1 January 1993 : 75.360 i.e. 7,43 beds for every 1.000 inhabitants : - 5,75 in general hospitals - 1,68 in psychiatric hospitals.
3. Major Groups Subdivided in
a) general hospitals : - general hospitals, - general hospitals with a university character, - university hospitals - exclusively geriatric hospitals - specialized hospitals b) psychiatric hospitals c) rest homes and homes for the elderly d) psychiatric rest homes and protected living systems
4. Finance Overall national hospital budget; 144,88 billion Bfr in 1977
5.Regional/International Cooperation Almost the entire budget for Belgian bilateral cooperation concerning population is comprised of programmes for primary health care in gene-ral, and for maternal and infant health care in particular. The Belgian contribution to UNFPA in 1993 was Bfr.75 million (US$ 2.3 million)
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Life expectancy at birth Male Female |
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Infant mortality (per 1000 live births) | ||||
Maternal mortality rate (per 100000 live births) | ||||
Access to safe drinking water (% of population) | ||||
Access to sanitation services (% of population) | ||||
Other data 1 1986 |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 7: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE HUMAN
SETTLEMENT DEVELOPMENT
Belgium has a strong and unique human settlements and habitat
identity (high degree of urbanization ; urbanization of rural areas
; predominance of medium-size and small towns ; a regionally
differentiated approach to human settlements and habitat policies
;
tradition of socially redistributive human settlements and housing
policy with high infrastructural services...).
Although the population may be slow in growth, household unit
requirements are still substantially growing.
Urban physical expansion, to the detriment of agricultural land and
green areas, has been considerable in the past through the
sub-urbanization tendency and undiscriminating commercial
expansion.
The principles of Sustainable Development, particularly since the
1992 Rio UNCED conference, are increasingly influencing the
national decision-making in its international responsibilities as
well as in its role of co-ordinating Regional Government
initiatives.
The 1993 Constitution explicitly states the "right to decent
housing" as a constitutional right in Belgium. Each Region further
details the modalities and implementation priorities.
The Regions are to a very large degree responsible for policies and
implementation related to human settlements, housing matters
and urban development.
International co-operation in the human settlements and habitat
field is, in Belgium, organised on several institutional levels :
the
Federal Government, the Regional Governments, the local governments
(municipalities, provinces) and a good number of non-government
organizations.
All these bodies provide substantial contributions to habitat
through multilateral and bilateral co-operation channels. The
Belgian
development co-operation stimulates training and capacity-building
programmes and assists international courses and research
programmes initiated by universities and contributes to other
training and educational activities (f.e. localising Agenda 21
programme).
In execution of the decisions of the United Nations a Belgium
National Committee for Human Settlements was established under
the chairmanship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
3. Major Groups:
4. Finance:
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
Urban population in % of total population | |||
Annual rate of growth of urban population (%) | |||
Largest city population (in % of total population) | |||
Other data
|
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 8: INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING
At the end of 1996, the Federal Government has decided to propose
to the Federal Parliament a new law improving the planning
and management of sustainable development at the Federal level.
This law brings institutional changes and introduces new
procedures so as to facilitate the integrated consideration of
social, economic and environmental issues. Its main innovation is
the
organization of the quadrennial planning of Federal policies and
measures for sustainable development under the leadership of a
Federal Interdepartmental Commission. The Federal Planning Office
will be in charge of the secretariat of this commission, of
publishing a Federal report on sustainable development, monitoring
the state of development every other year (including business
as usual and their impacts compared to alternative scenarii), and
of planning a sustainable development Federal strategy. This
strategy will be subjected to the examination and advice of the
National Council of Sustainable Development, where major
groups of the society are represented, and take this advice into
account before being adopted by the Government.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a Topical Coordination Division
(TCD) which coordinates consensus on environmental
matters among Federal, Regional and Community authorities. It also
coordinates the drafting of the Belgian report on sustainable
development. Cross-sectorial and inter-departmental cooperation and
coordination was initiated between the Federal Government
and the three Regional Governments in the context of the
cooperation on international environmental policy. The Coordination
Committee for International Environmental Policy (CCIEP) was
established to systematically review the relationsship and
overlaps between international agreements, and became fully
operational in 1995.
It is charged with coordination and consultation activities to
ensure vertical and horizontal integration regarding environmental
policy. It also decides on Belgium's international environmental
policy.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: The review and revision
of legislative, regulatory and administrative guidelines have,
since UNCED, been
a permanent process. The Regional Governments of Flanders and
Wallonia have adopted Regional laws as the framework for the
integration of this process regarding environment. The main
environmental competence of the Federal Government is
coordination and interface with international authorities and a
part of social and economic responsibilities lies at the Federal
level.
The Regional Governments are also responsible for a large part of
social and economic affairs and the Community Governments
for personal and cultural affairs.
1. Decision-Making Structure:
As described above, the decision-making stuctures regarding
sustainable development are far from being fully integrated in
Belgium. At the regional level, though, Regional laws and
frameworks regarding environment policy in Belgium have been
permanently improved since UNCED, and a coordinating mechanism
decides on Belgim's international environment policy with
the Federal level. Regarding integration between environment and
development, the Federal Government has decided at the end
of 1996 to propose to the Federal Parliament a new law improving
the planning and management of sustainable development at
the Federal level. This law brings institutional changes and
introduces new procedures so as to facilitate the integrated
consideration of social, economic and environmental issues.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
An interdepartmental commission is in charge of the scientific
aspects of sustainable development. The Federal Office for
Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (OSTC) is preparing a
framework for research on sustainable development. One
programme under this framework aims to improve communication on the
subject of implementing sustainable development
among scientists, decision makers and NGO's. Activities include a
discussion platform for policy proposals, carrying out studies
and small research projects to integrate results for
multi-disciplinary approaches, and all-inclusive database
pertaining to
sustainable development.
3. Major Groups:
As a reminder
4. Finance:
As a reminder
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
As a reminder
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 9: PROTECTION OF THE
ATMOSPHERE
Status Report-The Vienna Convention (1985) signed
in 1985 and ratified in 1988.-Montreal Protocol (1987) signed
in 1987 and ratified in December 1988.-London Amendment (1990)
signed in 1990 and ratified in October 1993.-Copenhagen Amendment
(1992) signed in 1992.-The latest report to the Montreal Protocol
Secretariat was prepared in 1996.
1.Depletion of the Ozone LayerThe Federal and the
Regional Governments actively support the development of more
progressive EU legislation for control
measures on ozone depleting substances and are actively involved in
EU working groups, i.a. concerning illegal imports of
CFCs. In coordination with the Regional authorities, a system for
monitoring and data gathering on imports, exports and use of
ozone depleting substances is being put in place in view of
improving the waste management of used ODS (recovery, recycling
and destruction) as well as the control on illegal import of CFCs.
A transition strategy is being developed for CFC containing
MDI's. Moreover, a number of studies have been undertaken on ozone
depletion.
Status Report
-UNFCCC signed in 1992. Ratified in January 1996.
-The latest report to the UNFCCC Secretariat was submitted in
1997.2.Climate ChangeClimate change policy is focussed on
CO2 emissions, with no policy objectives as yet determined for the
other GHG. While a
number of measures have been taken in the energy and transportation
sector, by industry and by local authorities, no significant
changes have been observed in the emissions from these sectors.The
Belgian National Programme for the Reduction of CO2
emissions (NPRCE) was adopted in 1994 to reduce emissions by 5% by
the year 2000,as related to 1990 levels, based on a mix
of policies and measures, including fiscal and non fiscal measures.
Apart from those some measures exist, aimed at reducing
GHG emissions, other than CO2, and include, for example,
incineration and methane recuperation systems at landfills. A new
national policy plan on the reduction of GHG emissions will be
prepared by 1999. This plan will also contain policy objectives
and measures for other GHG than CO2.Within the context of the first
Belgian national communication under the UNFCCC, both CO2 emissions
and carbon sink
inventories have been established for the 1990-1994 period, as well
as inventories for CH4 and N2O emissions. The Federal
Government has committed itself to the adoption of a carbon and
energy tax in close consultation with other European countries
concerned. Non-fiscal measures such as energy efficiency standards
regulation,voluntary agreements and promotion of mass
transit systems are proposed in the NPRCE. Some energy standards
have been implemented. Flanders has a tax allowance
scheme to encourage energy saving investments by enterprises.
Wallonia has developped local energy offices to inform the
public on rational use of energy.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
(Cont.)Status Report-Convention on Long Range
Transboundary Air Pollution (1979) signed in 1979 and ratified in
July 1982. -EMEP Protocol (1984) signed in 1984 and ratified in July 1987.-Helsinki Protocol on SO2 (1985) signed in 1985 and ratified in April 1989. -Sofia Protocol on NOX (1988) signed in 1988.-Geneva Protocol on VOC (1991) signed in 1991.-Oslo Protocol on SO2 (1994) signed in 1994. 3.Transboundary Air PollutionBelgium follows the EU directives on air quality and pollutants emission control from mobile and fixed sources. For tropospheric ozone, the Ministers Council adopted (summer 1996) a set of measures related to the ozone problem and its effects on public health, including measures concerning air pollution modelling, use of solvent containing products, the transport sector, industrial emissions etc. Belgium participated at the Ministerial Tropospheric Ozone in North West Europe Conference (May 1996) where the ministers or their representatives adopted a common statement in which they commit themselves to take measures now to eliminate ozone episodes in the region by 2005. |
1.Decision-Making Structure The Coordinating Committee on International Environmental Policies (CCIEP) is a forum for negotiation between the various Federal and Regional Government Departments involved in environmental policy and has a number of working groups, e.g. on climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, protection of the atmosphere and emission inventories.
The Federal Government carried out activities to sensitize industry by means of voluntary agreements in specific sectors and a number of studies have been undertaken. Parallel to the Federal actions to protect the atmosphere, the Regional Governments of Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia are implementing their own programmes and regulations, such as EIA. In the Flemish Region the maximum allowed emission and immission levels of different air pollutants are given by the official environmental legislation Vlarem, the latest updated version of which was published in 1996. A decree of the Flemish Government calls for an Environmental Policy Plan (EPP) every 5 years and an Environment Report every 2 years. The first report, published in 1994, describes the different social activities causing pressure on the environment and their effects and gives an overview of possible improving measures. A second version, published in 1996, is based on a more strictly structured and modellation-driven approach. The first EPP was drafted in 1996 and will be officially approved in the beginning of 1997. The 1994 Wallonia Environmental Plan for Sustainable Development develops actions in the field of climate change, air pollution, energy and transport among others. Each year a report of the environment in Wallonia in a specified area is published. In 1993 air pollution has been addressed, in 1994 climate change ; in 1995 the sectors energy, industry and transport have been examined.
The Federal Government is adressing aspects such as the cost-effectiveness of alternative transportation systems and the environmental impacts and safety of transportation technologies. Flemish traffic policy is aimed at improving safety, and the efficient transport of passengers and goods in order to reduce traffic congestion and an environmentally sound transportation system. Railroads and inland waterways are to be developed as alternative transportation systems. The goal of Wallonia's transportation policy is to reduce energy consumption and detrimental environmental impacts. Overall, progress has been slight to fair in improving the transportation systems in Belgium. 2.Capacity-Building / Technology IssuesThe Regional Governments carry out emission and air quality inventories according to international obligations, especially with respect to EU directives for the CORINAIR database and international conventions such as EMEP. The Regions have developed a network of stations measuring ambient air pollution. They also established an Interregional Cell for the Environment (IRCEL) whose main duties are the supervision of atmospheric emissions, the management of a data bank for ambient air quality and which serves as focal point for the European Environment Agency. IRCEL is the National Reference Center for the thematic Centers "Air quality" and "Atmospheric Emissions" of the EEA. The Cell also monitors pollution episods and particularly tropospheric ozone.The National Impulse Programme on Global Change contributes to the international research effort and is done in collaboration with projects of the IGBP, WRCP, the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Changes and the EU programme Environment and Climate. In the Flemish Region, a centre of excellence for best available technologies is carrying out a number of research projects for developing clean technologies as well as a monitoring system for GHG for the IPCC. |
(Cont.) 3.Major GroupsIndustry and transport are the major targets of government efforts to use new and environmentally sound technologies. Environmental NGO's, business and professional organisations and trade unions participate on both the Federal and the Regional levels in policy making on sustainable development, through a number of advisory bodies, such as the National Council for Sustainable Development (Federal), the Environment and Nature Council (MINA-Raad, Flanders) and the Walloon Environment Council for Sustainable Development (CWEDD, Wallonia). 4.Finance The Federal Government contributed US$ 8.59 million towards the implementation of developing country efforts under the Montreal Protocol for the period 1991-1996.National Research Impulse Programmes are Global Change (US$ 16.4 million for the period 1991-1996 and US$ 17.1 million for a second phase), Transport and Mobility (US$ 11.3 million for 1990-1996) and Sustainable Mobility (US$ 10.9 million for 1996-2000).5. Regional/ International CooperationBelgian scientists have participated in various IPPC assessments, the WMO's Panel for the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion and the European Programme on the Transport and Transformation of Trace Gases in the Troposphere over Europe (EUROTRAC). This last programme provides substantive input into other international negotiations on transboundary air pollution and ozone depletion. One spot in the Walloonforest is also a study center for the EUROCRAFT and EUROFLUX EU research programmes in the field of the impact of climate change on forestal ecosystems. |
CO2 emissions (eq. million tons) | ||||
SOx " | ||||
NOx " | ||||
CH4 " | ||||
Consumption of ozone depleting substances (Tons) | ||||
Expenditure on air pollution abatement in US$ equivalents (million) | ||||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 10: INTEGRATED APPROACH TO
THE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF LAND
RESOURCES
The Regional Governments are carrying out a number activities to
manage land resources sustainably, including formulating
appropriate policies, improving information systems, public
awareness campaigns, and pilot projects.
The evolutionary options of Regional policies concern the
management of land resources in the following way ;
- define territorial planning zones and infrastructural zones and
defining their relations
- define town and village planning, in order to reinforce the
densification of urban areas, in order to obtain more urban and
rural
specificity
- organize parsimonious management of soil and natural resources
while allowing for a harmonious life style development
- propose the localization of transport infrastructure, a hierarchy
of transport modes and the implementation of complementarity
between them.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure The Regional Governments of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels Capital City are each responsible for the integrated planning and management of land resources. The Regional Governments are the most competent authorities as regards territorial planning ; however, the local authorities do have certain important prerogatives in this area, in a context of participation and decentralization.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues Education and training on integrated approaches to land management, instutitional strengthening and strengthening of technological capacities are important activities which are not being implemented by all Regional Governments.
3. Major Groups As a reminder.
4. Finance As a reminder.
5. Regional/International Cooperation The BADC contributed Bfr. 24 million (US$ 720,000) for the establishment of a centre for remote -sensing under the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Research. The Federal Government also co-financed a project on aerial photography of Cambodia to the order of Bfr.16.5 million (US$ 500,000). The Regional Governments participate in a number of European initiatives, such as the elaboration of a framework for the development of the European Area, among others. They participate in a number of inter-regional projects within the framework of the European region and have cooperative agreements with the cities of Berlin and Beijing.
|
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 11: COMBATING
DEFORESTATION
There is not one definition of forest for Belgium as a whole at the
Federal level. Forestry is a fully regionalised matter wich
means that the three Regions of the country are politically
responsable for forestry affairs. Forests in general are considered
to be
surfaces covered with trees which function as ecosystems and that
can fulfill several functions (wood production, recreation,
nature conservation, landscape, soil- and/or water protection,
shelter functions,...). However, the simple alignment of trees,
orchards and gardens are not considered as forests.
The forest area in the Brussels Capital City Region has been
classified as a forest zone. Forests can have in the land use
management programmes several protected statuses (reserve, nature
area, forest area). In addition to these zoning plans forests
can have a juridical status such as protected landscape, forest
reserve or nature reserve. Next to these regulations in the Walloon
Region there is a working definition for forests that is used for
the forest inventories according to the international agreed
definitions. In the Flemish Region there is a juridical definition
as well.
The primary obstacle to reforestation and afforestation efforts are
the attitude of agriculturalists, limited available land areas and
limited financial rentability of forest estates. This is aggravated
by the long-term nature of forest investments, high maintenance
charges, inappropiate taxation structures, fragmentation of forests
and silviculture practices not always adapted to the site.
Forest inventories have been prepared for the three Regions,
carried out annually for the Brussels Capital City Region, and
about
every ten years for the Flemish and Walloon Regions. Wallonia's
forest inventory is presently being updated. The first overall
Flemish forest inventory programme started in 1996.
Wallonia's forests do not suffer significantly from deforestation.
In fact, the forest cover has increased from 300,000 hectares to
500,000 hectares over the past 150 years. Although the Flemish
Region's forests also have shown a continual increase in area,
particular attention is given to afforestation and forest
protection in the urban areas and around historically old forests.
Flanders
still remains a Region with low forest cover (about 8%).
Since UNCED, (Rio, June 1992) a number of forest-related activities
have been fully addressed by the Regional Governments,
including promoting extension services, public awareness campaings,
research projects, geographical information systems,
remote-sensing, national plans, multiple roles of forests, land
classification and EIA's.
The adoption of EU regulation on forestry measures on agricultural
land is expected to encourage more agricultural land to be
forested.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure
The Regional Governments are the focal points of authority and
competence with respect to managing forests, with forest
services being fairly decentralized. The various Ministries of
Environment of each Region are represented in the National
Council for Sustainable Development. Forests and related
legislation have been in existence in the regions since as early
1854.
Since 1992 several amendments and specifications have been adapted
(e.g. public accessibility, inventarisation, forest reserves,
support for private forest sector). A number of Regional laws
ensure that conflicting uses of the forests do not occur. The
Environmental Plan for the Sustainable Development of the Walloon
Region has given particular attention to forest issues. The
Flemish Government developed in 1993 a long-term strategic forestry
plan. A Forest Actionplan is due to be approved in early
1997.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues
Efforts have been undertaken to improve the qualifications of
forestry personnel. The Flemish and Walloon Regions have
institutions which focus on forestry research and high level
education (university level). Training and extension services are
important in the three Regions.
3. Major Groups
The private forest owners, rural cooperatives, local authorities
and communities, youth and NGO's are among those which play
an important role in sustainable forest management. Women, however,
do not play a role as a special group in forestry. Overall
social actions for equality and emancipation include the forest
sector.
Consultative mechanisms have been created, such as the ministerial
advisory councils in both the Walloon and Flemish Regions,
in wich also stakeholders of the wood sector are represented.
4. Finance
The 1996 budget for forest management (wages and research not
included) was Bfr. 1.22 billion (US$ 39.40 million). In 1995
this was Bfr 1.15 billion (US$ 37.21 million). The national revenue
from the forest sector (including wood processing industries)
is approximately Bfr. 117 billion (US$ 3.55 billion). The Regional
Governments provide subsides under objective criteria for the
sustainable management of forests.
5. Regional/International Cooperation
Belgium participates actively in a number of regional and
international organisations on forest policy, such as the EU,
BENELUX and International Tropical Timber Organization ITTO.
Belgium also participates actively in the Ministerial
Conference for the Protection of European Forests to develop
criteria and indicators for the sustainable management of forests.
The Federal and Regional Governments carry out a number of
programmes and projects in other countries on a bilateral basis,
such as with Morocco on forest information systems and an
afforestation and forestry research projects in China. Special
attention is given to countries with economies in transition.
Forest Area (Km2) 1 | ||||
Protected forest area 2 | ||||
Roundwood production (solid volume of roundwood without bark in mill m3) | ||||
Deforestation rate (Km2/annum) | ||||
Reforestation rate (Km2/annum) | ||||
Other data 1 Belgium-Luxembourg 2 Strictly forest reserves. Some forests also have a nature reserve status (see chapter 15) 3 Estimation based on forest inventory of the Walloon Region. In the case of land subject to forestry regulations, reforestation is obligatory. |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 12: MANAGING FRAGILE
ECOSYSTEMS: COMBATING DESERTIFICATION AND
DROUGHT
International Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries
Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification
Particularly in Africa
Although Belgium wasn't able to sign the Convention before the
deadline, the process of accession is well underway. Deposition
of the instruments of accession is expected in the first semester
of 1997, in order to participate in the First Conference of the
Parties as a Party to the Convention.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure
The Belgian Agency for Development Co-operation (BADC) is in charge
of elaborating bilateral development projects and of co-ordinating
Belgian contributions to multilateral interventions. It does so
through government to government agreements or
agreements with international organizations. BADC has a
long-standing record of actions in the field of combating
desertification
and drought within both frameworks, especially in Africa.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues
In its bilateral projects BADC usually includes activities that
relate to capacity development and technology transfer, either
locally, through training programmes in Belgium, or both.
As a result of the Convention, the Belgian scientific community has
established a national group of desertification experts to be
included in the future European network that will contribute to the
Committee on Science and Technology (CST) of the
Convention.
3. Major Groups
Target populations of development projects in the field of
combating desertification and drought are mainly situated at the
grass-root level, with an increasing attention being paid to women.
Local governments are also the aim of capacity building, through an
objective oriented project cycle which intends to take up all major
groups in the decision-making process, thus promoting the
participatory approach at all levels. In addition to its direct
bilateral projects, BADC also finances NGOs that are active in
combating desertification and drought.
4. Finance
New projects financed by BADC from 1992 on, i.e. disregarding
projects started before 1992 and completed after that year or
still running, can be summarized as follows :
-direct bilateral 11.22 million US$ (excluding SADC, see
below)
-NGOs 2.04 million US$
-multilateral 5.00 million US$ (excluding IFAD, see
below)
-universities 1.27 million US$ (see below)
-financial 14.24 million US$
The total BADC funding for combating desertification and drought
for the period 1992-1996, thus amounts to 94.42 million US$,
including all expenditures cited under 5. below.
5. Regional/International Cooperation
For the period 1987-1996 Belgium has contributed a total amount of
52 million US$ to IFAD's Special Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa,
of which many projects belong to the realm of combating
desertification and drought.
The SADC region has received financing for water programmes,
drought monitoring, forest inventory and soil improvement to the
overall amount of 8.65 million US$ for the period 1993-1996.
Belgian universities also participate in international projects,
such as the conservation of pastoral resources and integrated
approach to combat desertification in Tunesia. These two projects
have budgets of 750,000 US$ and 515,000 US$
respectively.
Land affected by desertification (Km2) | ||||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 13: MANAGING FRAGILE
ECOSYSTEMS: SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT
As a reminder
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
3. Major Groups:
4. Finance:
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 14: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
NATIONAL PRIORITY: | |
STATUS REPORT: The pursuit of sustainable agriculture is the basis for agricultural policy for Belgium. Particular attention is given to integrating the linkage between environnement and agriculture into economic and political objectives. To this end, a number of activities have been implemented, including regulation (for exemple the approval of phytopharmaceuticals), agronomic research, training and financial assistance.
The European Commission approved in 1994 an agri/environmental programme which contains Federal and Regional measures. The Federal measures consist in assistance for organic farming and for demonstration projects on reduced use of fertilizer and pesticide in agriculture and on organic farming. Regulations were taken to enforce the evolution towards integrated pest management in apple and pear production. In the Flemish Region new regulations entered into force in 1995 to encourage investments in agricultural production with sound environmental practices. In 1996 the new regulation on fertilizer use is being implemented. Flanders at this moment is preparing a code of good agricultural practices which consider sustainability to be one of the key elements of a sound and responsable agriculture. The Walloon Governement is developing an Environmental Plan for Sustainable Development, which includes sustainable agriculture. Many of the recommendations of Agenda 21 for activities promoting sustainable agriculture have been or are being implemented. These include measures which take account of demographic trends, studies on land taxation structures, linkage with international trade and agricultural production, strengthening farmers' rights, developing databases and developing policy to rehabilitate degraded lands, among others. These are being achieved by legislative and regulatory reforms, pilot projects, training and the development of national plans.
|
1. Decision-Making Structure:
Agricultural and rural development policies are the
responsibilities of the Middle Class and Agriculture (MMCA), the
Ministry
of the Walloon Region and the Ministry of the Flemish Region. The
MMCA is represented in the National Council for
Sustainable Development. The reformed Common Agricultural Policy
provides the basis for new activities for agricutural
production methods compatible with the environmental protection.
The three Communities are responsible for the post-schoolish
education of the regional farmers. This education integrates
especially the sustainable agriculture.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
As a reminder
3. Major Groups:
The Belgian Survival Fund is responsable for a cooperative
programme with Belgian NGOs to implement international projects.
The objectives of these projects are food security and
awareness-building of local communities in rural areas about
sustainable
development.
4. Finance:
Agricultural development in 1993 costed the BADC 7,25 % of its
budget, down from 10,5 % in 1992. The international projects
being implemented with Belgian NGOs have a budget of Bfr. 1 billion
(US$ 30 million). The BADC provided Bfr. 1.1 billion
(US$ 34 million) for rural development in nine African
countries.
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
The BADC implemented agricultural projects in 11 African countries,
3 Asian countries and 3 Latin American countries.
Belgian universities also contribute to international projects.
The Belgium Governement participates in a number of international
organizations with sustainable agriculture objectives, such as
IFAD, FAO, the WFP and the International Rice Research
Institute, among others.
Agricultural land (Km2) | ||||
Agricultural land as % of total land area | ||||
Agricultural land per capita | ||||
Consumption of nitrogen fertilizers (Kg N/Km2 of agricultural land) | ||||
Consumption of fosfate fertilizers (Kg P2O5/Km2 of agricultural land) | ||||
Consumption of potase fertilizers (Kg K2O/Km2 of agricultural land) |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 15: CONSERVATION OF
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed in 1992,
ratified on 22 November 1996, Contracting Party on 20 February
1997.
Additional comments relevant to this chapter
The decline of animal diversity is due primarily to human activity,
especially land-use, leading to natural habitat destruction.
Pollution and the introduction of exotic plant species are also
threats to maintaining animal diversity. Over-exploitation appears
to play a minor role but the introduction of exotic animal species
is a problem.
Natural habitat desctruction and pollution are the primary causes
for the loss of plant diversity in Belgium. The introduction of
exotic plant species is also considered a threat. The introduction
of exotic animal species and over-exploitation are considered
minor to the loss of plant diversity.
Scientific studies demonstrate that from 1950 onwards certain
invertebrate groups showed a significant and sometimes dramatic
decline in populations and in numbers of species. The phenomenon
was particularly well documented for vertebrates, diurnal
butterflies, some families of beetles and wasps, dragonflies and
damselflies, terrestrial snails and spiders. A similar trend
exists
for plants, fungi and lichens. On the other hand, there are many
scientific papers dealing with recently introduced invertebrate
species, some of which are invasive species e.g. wasps and other
insects, terrestrial slugs, crustaceans, etc.
A number of measures are undertaken for the in-situ conservation
(and restoration) of ecosystems and their components and ex-situ
conservation of biological and genetic resources. At the Regional
level, the in-situ conservation of ecosystems is
mainly assured by the creation and management of nature reserves.
These were and are being developed by the three Regional
Government and by private organizations as well. Each year, new
areas are designated as nature reserves or existing ones are
enlarged. A complementary nature conservation policy has also been
developed outside reserves in order to notably maintain or
restore the ecological corridors. In the Flemish Region efforts
are being made to create a Green Main Structure, that can be
integrated in the development of an Pan-European Ecological
Network. This Flemish Structure is designed as a coherent
network. It will be built from core areas, rich in biodiversity,
corridors or steppings stones and areas where nature conservation,
forestry and agriculture are combined in a sustainable way. In the
Walloon Region, an ecological network has been set up as
well as a partnership for managing the rural environment. The
Brussels Capital Region developed a bio-indicator information
network based on birds, amphibians, reptiles, higher plants and
mosses.
A number of institutions play an important role in the ex-situ
conservation of biological and genetic resources. Conservation is
maintained in botanical and zoological gardens. As regards to
micro-organisms, four collections form the basis of an important
network coordinated by the Federal Office for Scientific, Technical
and Cultural Affairs.
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, has been
designated as the CBD-National Focal Point. This Focal
Point has launched in October 1996 a Belgian Clearing-House
Mechanism on the Internet. The homepage address is :
The first part of the homepage deals with Belgium : on one hand,
services given by the National Focal Point (e.g. addresses and
competences, expertise, bibliography, collections); on the other
hand, the ratification process and in future, step by step, the
whole story of the Belgian implementation of the CBD. The second
part presents a selection of useful hyperlinks.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
First national report to be submitted not later than 1st January
1998
http://www.kbinirsnb.be/bch-cbd/homepage.htm
1. Decision-Making Structure:
The Regional Governments and the Federal Ministries of the
Environment, Science Policy, Social Affairs, Public Health and
Environment, Agriculture and Development Cooperation are the
principal bodies in charge of different aspects of the
conservation of biological diversity and genetic resources. A
number of Regional laws on the conservation of nature include
provisions for the conservation of biological diversity and the
Regional Governments have developed strategies and action plans
dealing with conservation of biological diversity. The follow-up
of these action plans at the national level is coordinated by the
Steering Committee "Biodiversity Convention" under the authority
of the Coordination Committee for International
Environmental Policy; it is carried out in the context of
implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
National capacities for studying, assessing and monitoring
biological diversity need to be strengthened; Belgian research
institutes and universities do carry out a large number of
activities at the Regional, national and international levels. An
inventory of Belgian professionals participating in studying,
assessing and monitoring biological diversity is available (1995).
The possibilities of biotechnology in assessing biological
diversity are being considered.
3. Major Groups:
The participation and input of local authorities is considered to
be essential to the success of efforts for the conservation of
biological and genetic resources. A public awareness campaign is
under way in rural areas for the conservation of landscapes,
species and varieties within species.
4. Finance:
The Belgian Agency for Development Cooperation contributed :
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
Belgian universities and research institutes carry out many
projects at the Regional and international level, the most
distinctive of
which are the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the
National Botanical Garden, the Royal Museum for Central Africa,
the Institute of Nature Conservation and the Scientific Centre of
the Walloon Region. Long term scientific studies under national
and international collaborations are carried out in the tropics
(e.g. Central Africa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Galapagos, the
Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean), the Lake Baïkal, the
Antarctic, Atlantic archipelagos, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea
and in
Europe. Belgium participates actively in the CGIAR.
- to the GEF : Bfr 85 million in 1994; Bfr 235 million in 1995; Bfr
390 million in 1996;
(the contribution for 1997 will be Bfr 390 million);
- to the CGIAR and its international research centers : US$ 6.7
million in 1994.
Protected area as % of total land area | |||
Number of threatened species |
| ||
Other data - Number of species known to live in Belgium (*) - Number of species known to have disappeared from Belgium (*) Will be assessed inter alia in the first national report to COP-4 (1998) |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 16: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
MANAGEMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
The management of biotechnologies has been coordinated at the
Regional and Federal levels by setting up and implementing an
integrated biosafety regulatory framework. It also includes the
implementation of the European Union's directives on the
contained-use and the deliberate release of genetically-modified
organisms (GMO's) in the environment. Indeed, not only the
European provisions have been integrated but also all uses of
human, animal and plant pathogens and the protection of
biodiversity for when GMO's are used in the environment or placed
on the market.
Extensive coordination with sectorial regulations on medicinal,
food/feed and raw material products was carried out. The center
of this coordination is the Advisory Biosafety Council, whose
executive staff coordinates within the Service for Biosafety and
Biotechnology (SBB), located in Brussels.
The Council is a collegium of representatives of the various
competent authorities from Regional and Federal levels. The
Council is sustained by ad hoc experts groups focusing on specific
areas of biotechnology.
The SBB is a contact point for both internal and international
scientific and regulatory interactions. Governmental experts of
the
SBB are national contacts for UNEP, OECD and the EU. The experts
of the SBB are responsible for the risk assessment of all
contained-use activities, on mandate of the Regional authorities.
Occasionaly, the advice of the Biosafety Council is requested for
sensitive matters such as gene therapy and recombinant viruses.
The introduction of GMO's is presently being reviewed by the
Biosafety Council, noteworthy the experimental GMO's tested in
Europe and the GMO-based products submitted to the consent
of the European Commission.
The SBB is a scientific center helping all scientists involved in
recombinant DNA pathogen research to fulfil the regulations
where applicable. It is also a center for biosafety documentation
and archives. As information provider, the SBB is currently
managing Internet services to the public and the users, on matters
of local and international interest (http : //biosafety.ihe.be).
Whereas contained-use activities are now fully controlled on basis
of Regional regulations, some juridical acts must still be
finalized for field testing and placing on the market of GMO's.
All in all, a very flexible and speedy, users- and public-friendly
regulatory interface has been developed.
Such a coordinated regulation fully complements the important
investments and R&D networking management made by the
Flemish Government. The Flemish biotechnology has a coherent
structure from academic research up to patent technology and
biotechnological financement mechanisms, based on R&D-industry
networking, including technolgy assessment at its disposal.
Noteworthy is the special emphasis laid on transgenic plants,
diagnostics and gene therapies.
A similar management of biotechnologies is carried out in Wallonia
around the genome research program, the recombinant
vaccines, the bioremediation, the heteroprotein production and the
bioluminescence technologies.
In Brussels, the same occurs for gene- and immuno-therapeutics,
for GMP production of transplantable human cells and for
gene therapy vectors intended for clinical research and
therapies.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
The Regional Governments are responsible for economics, science
policy, prenormative-research and environmental regulations
of the contained use of GMO's and pathogens. They provide for the
safety of the field testing of GMO's together with the
Federal Government. The Federal Government is responsible of
norms, normative research, implementation of international
norms and the related coordination with specific ad hoc bodies.
As the Federal ministries are responsible for product and market
regulations, they are more and more involved in international
experts meetings and coordinate the information fluxes through
common contact points. The Regional Ministries of the
Environment control the application of the biosafety regulations
through focal agencies. All contained installations are submitted
to environmental clearance, whereas any projected activities must
be either declared or authorized according to the biosafety level
involved.
At the Federal level, all experimental releases of GMO's must be
authorized before they are carried out. Consent must also be
delivered for GMO-based products proposed to be placed on the
European market
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
A Biosafety Council comprised of competent Belgian authorities on
environment and biotechnology products is charged with
providing advice on biotechnology safety, such as on the use of
appropriate technology and techniques. The Walloon Region has
over three hundred clinical laboratories, universities and
companies, as well as high schools which are active in the
biotechnology
sector. The presence of the European Commission in Brussels
catalyses the interaction between the local scientific community
and the international scientific and biotechnology milieux. Three
large universities and five scientific institutions have made
important contributions to the education and training in related
sciences. The Brussels Capital City Region has some 40 public
and private institutions which carry out activities related to
state-of-the art technology on biology, genetics, pharmacology and
medicine, among others. About 2.000 academic and industrial
researchers work in the Brussels Capital City area, of which
about one-quarter come from the European Union member countries,
Eastern Europe and developing countries.
3. Major Groups:
As a reminder
4. Finance:
As a reminder
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
At the international level, businesses and research centers are
subjected to administrative controls to ensure protection of the
environment. This is also in keeping with directives of the
European Union. The Walloon Government participates in a number
of bilateral initiatives.
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 17: PROTECTION OF THE
OCEANS, ALL KINDS OF SEAS, INCLUDING ENCLOSED AND
SEMI-ENCLOSED SEAS, AND COASTAL AREAS AND THE PROTECTION, RATIONAL
USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR LIVING RESOURCES
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
The precautionary approach is the leading principle upon which
Belgium bases its commitments, and particularly in the
international conferences on the protection of the North Sea. The
dialogue between the Federal authorities and the Regional
Governments has improved considerably because the contamination of
the sea from land-based sources is the major factor and
most of the related actions are responsibilities of the Belgian
Regions.
Important activities to protect the oceans include, among others
:
- the development of Best Environmental Practice (BEP) concerning
dredging activities. This was approved by the OSPAR
Commission in 1993;
- the development of Best Available Technology (BAT) to reduce
polluting effluents from the textile industry in 1995. This work
resulted in the approval by the OSPAR Commission in 1995 of a
recommendation on BAT and in 1996 of a recommendation
on emission limits for that sector;
- the establishment of an extensive aerial surveillance programme
to monitor illegal discharges by ships, with further attention
being paid to the follow-up, including lawsuits;
- the fulfillment of a programme for the reduction of inputs of 36
hazardous substances (metals, solvents, pesticides, dioxines) in
the North Sea (50 % reduction between 1985-1995). The opportunity
has been taken in this context to develop a comprehensive
dataset of the emissions of these substances in the environment
which is now considered as a basis for further decision-making
processes;
- the establishment of a multi-year research programme on marine
sciences related to the protection of the North Sea.
A number of sustainable development indicators pertaining to the
coastal and marine environment are applied in Belgium (e.g.
algae index; releases of nutrients, metals and POP's; contamination
of biota; quality of bathing water).The indicators related to
marine species have been developed and quantified by the European
Union.
There are no Belgian vessels which fish the High Seas.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure: The Federal Government and Regional Governments share responsibilities for ensuring integrated planning and implementation of Belgium's national policy on oceans. To a large extent, the Technical Commission for the North Sea coordinated this work, and participates on an ad hoc basis in the National Council for Sustainable Development.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues: Belgium carries out an assessment of the major types of land-based sources of marine pollution through the use of appropriate monitoring technology and mathemathical modelling. Belgium's marine database of the Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM) is considered as an adequate integrated coastal zone management database. It does not cover cultural and socio-economic activities or protected areas. Comprehensive assessments on the state of the coastal and marine environments are carried out every five years (Quality Status Reports of the North Sea).
3. Major Groups: Industry associations and official organizations of fishermen, representing small-scale artisanal fishermen mainly, participate in an advisory capacity in national processes.
4. Finance: A number of eco-taxes recently entered into force which aim to reduce polluting effluents and to promote investments in environmentally sound technology. See chapters 4 and 34 for further information. Belgium submits a number of projects to the EU for funding.
5. Regional/International Cooperation: Belgium participates actively in regional conventions (e.g. the OSLO and PARIS Conventions - OSPAR Convention), International Conferences on the Protection of the North Sea, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the European research programmes "Environment and Climate" and "Marine Sciences and Technologies (MAST)". |
Catches of marine species (metric tons) | ||||
Population in coastal areas | ||||
Population served by waste water treatment (% of
country's total population) | ||||
Discharges of oil into coastal waters (metric tons) | ||||
Releases of phosphate into coastal waters (metric tons) | ||||
Releases of nitrate into coastal waters (metric tons) | ||||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 18: PROTECTION OF THE
QUALITY AND SUPPLY OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES:
APPLICATION OF INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT,
MANAGEMENT AND USE OF WATER RESOURCES
Framework of the water policy in Belgium
Water policy in Belgium follows the competences of the Flemish,
Walloon and Brussels Regions. This leads to Regional
differentiation in the field of legislation, administration and
monitoring systems. European and international legislation in the
various
aspects of water policy remains however a common basis to all
Regions.
Quality and monitoring of fresh water, groundwater and drinking
water are based on Regional ministerial orders or decrees, which
do implement EU-directives
a. Flanders
Water policy is an integrated part of the global environment policy
of Flanders. The policy options are outlined in a Five Year
Environment Policy Plan, called MINA. Every two years a State of
the Environment Report is made, called MIRA. Each year an
Environment Programme is issued. Especially for surface water
General Water Treatment Programmes, called AWP, are being
designed.
Drinking water supplies resort under the authority of the
municipalities. However the larger part of drinking water is
supplied by
5 major companies. Total drinking water consumption in Flanders
amounts to 439 mio m3 per year (40 % from surface water, 40
% from ground water and 20 % from the Walloon Region).
b. Wallonia
The Walloon Environment Plan for Sustainable Development (PEDD) was
passed on 9 March 1995 setting in particular the
guidelines for a Water Action Programme. The PEDD also introduced
the principle of the actual water price.
In the Walloon Region about 400 mio m3 of water are annually
abstracted (320 mio m3 of ground water and 80 mio m3 of surface
water) for supply to the drinking water distribution network. 242
mio m3 are distributed in Wallonia through 90 public companies.
148 mio m3 are supplied to the other two regions in Belgium.
The installed water treatment capacity amounts to 1,800,000 i.e.
for a population of 3,200,000 inhabitants.
c. Brussels
One of the major objectives of the Brussels Region is the
construction of adequate sewerage and waste water treatment
facilities.
The Region has to take care of the quality of small watercourses,
e.g. a section of the river Senne, a sub-basin of the river
Scheldt,
in the framework of regional programmes and international
commitments. Frequent local innundations reflect water quantity
problems. This will be resolved by the construction of
reservoirs.
The construction of the main water treatment plant for the northern
part of the Region is foreseen by the year 2010 (1,3 mio i.e.).
The plant for the Southern part of the Region (360,000 i.e.) is
under construction.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
a. Flanders
In Flanders decision-making is rather decentralized.
Policy-making and policy-shaping in environmental matters takes
place in
various public bodies in charge of different sectors. Environment
and water policy is integrated via programmes rather than by a
centralized body. Policy options are formulated by the Flemish
Governement and enacted by the Flemish Parliament.
b. Wallonia
Water policy in Wallonia is based on the decree of 7 Octobre
1985 for the protection of surface water and on the decree of 30
April 1990 for the protection and use of ground water.
c. Brussels
Legislation was passed regarding integrated permits for the
release of waste waters (Ordonnance 30/07/92) and taxation of waste
water (Ordonnance 29/03/96).
The construction programme for sewerage and waste water treatment
plants is covered by the Planning Decree of the Brussels
Region.
Decisions regarding legislation and investment are taken by the
Regional Council based on proposals from the minister in charge
of water policy.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
a. Flanders
The Environment Department (LIN) is in charge of policy-making
for drinking water, ground water and fresh surface water
quantity. Fresh surface water quality is being covered by the
Flemish Environment Agency (VMM). Investments in the
necessary infrastructure are handled by Aquafin.
b. Wallonia
The General Direction for Natural Resources and Environment (DGRNE)
is the competent authority enforcing the Walloon water
policy and legislation (permitting, monitoring, control of water
supply and waste water treatment companies, etc).
c. Brussels
The Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment is the
competent authority enforcing the water policy of the Brussels
Region.
3. Major Groups:
a. Flanders
The main target groups are : households, agriculture, industry,
transport, energy supply and water supply. When major
environmental decrees are launched the Flemish Governement provides
for a period of consultation of the general public, prior to
finalizing the formulation and prior to enactment by the Flemish
Parliament.
b.Wallonia
The various target groups (industry, agriculture, water companies,
NGO's) are consulted through the Water Commission. The
Walloon Region favours "river contracts", where all parties can
contribute to achieve sustainable improvements of the
condition of these rivers.
c.Brussels
The different target groups aimed at in the Water Programme are
consulted through the Committee for Environmental Affairs.
Industry is consulted through the local sectoral professional
associations.
(Cont.) 4. Finance: a. Flanders
The budget for drinking water companies in Flanders can be estimated to exceed 20 bn Bfr. per year. The investment and operating budget for water treatment and sewerage amounts to 10 bn Bfr. per year.
b. Wallonia The Walloon Region intends to spend 40 bn Bfr. during the next ten years in municipal waste water treatment. At the moment a waste water release tax of 16 Bfr./m3 is raised. This tax will in future increase as a consequence of internalizing all the cost components of water.
c. Brussels The global budget for investment and operation of the water infrastructure amounts to 25 bn Bfr. for the next ten years. The major part is covered by the Regional budget. The other part comes from collection of waste water release taxes.
5. Regional/International Cooperation: Co-ordination among the Regions, in the field of water policy takes place whenever a "Belgian" standpoint shall be communicated in a European or international forum. This co-ordination has been institutionalized by the creation of a Co-ordination Committee on International Environment Policy.
Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels are Parties in the International Commissions for the Protection of the Rivers Meuse and Scheldt, together with the Netherlands and France. Federal and Regional authorities participate in the activities of PARCOM and the Northsea Conferences.
|
Figures for Belgium (estimated) | ||
Precipitation (mio m3) | ||
Evapotranspiration (mio m3) | ||
Annual inflow (mio m3) | ||
Annual outflow (mio m3) | ||
Ground water available for abstraction (mio m3) | ||
National resident population (000) |
Fresh water availability (total domestic/external in million m3) | ||||
Annual withdrawal of freshwater as % of available water | ||||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 19: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
MANAGEMENT OF TOXIC CHEMICALS, INCLUDING
PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN TOXIC AND DANGEROUS
PRODUCTS
1. Expansion and acceleration of international risk assessment
as a result of exposure to chemical substances
Belgium takes part in this programma through its participation
in the assessment of risks caused by existing chemicals within
the framework of the EU and of the OECD's High Production Volume
programme. This involved, inter alia, the establishment
of a group consisting of experts from various universities,
scientific institutes and the scientific and administrative units
of
government bodies.
In the context of CICAD (Concise International Chemical
Assessment Documents), Belgium organised and co-financed one of
the meetings held in Brussels.
2. Harmonisation of classification and labelling of chemical
substances
Belgium engages in this action programme as a member of the
Senior Officials Group of the EU and of the Advisory group
on Harmonisation of Classification and Labelling Systems of the
OECD; it shoulders the responsibility, with other members, for
clarifying long-term toxicity criteria.
With regard to the future international instrument for the
implementation of relevant rules, Belgium is of the opinion that
the
strictest possible obligation should be applied rather than a
non-committal choice, otherwise the objective of this item of
Agenda
21 will not be attained.
3. Exchange of information on dangerous substances and risks as
a result of exposure to substances
The London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on
Chemicals in International Trade and the procedures relating to
the Prior Informed Consent are implemented within the relevant EU
rules and regulations. In addition, Belgium organised and
financed the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating
Committee charged with the task of establishing a legally binding
instrument for the implementation of the PIC procedure in Brussels
in March 1996.
4. Introduction of risk reduction programmes
In this area also, Belgium participates in the work undertaken
at EU and OECD levels (Ad Hoc Group on Risk Reduction). In
addition, a national machinery was set up - the Coordinating
Committee on International Environmental Policies -, under which a
number of working parties closely monitor the environmental
problems; a working party on Risk Reduction, for example, is part
of the larger umbrella group on Dangerous Products and Chemical
Risks. Another initiative involves a draft law imposing
product standards to protect health and the environment; once
enacted, these provisions should make it possible to mount a quick
and efficient - both preventive and curative - response to any
harmful substance.
5. Extension of national capacities and potentialities for
managing chemical substances
In 1996, a study called "Crossroads Bank" was initiated, whose
primary aim was to make an inventory of the needs for
information about chemicals (environmental affairs, public health,
health of workers, intoxications, accidents,...) and on the
available information. This is an initiative in the context of
GINC, the Global Information Network on Chemicals of the IFCS.
Belgium participates in the work of the OECD/UNEP Group on
Information Management.
6. Preventing international illegal trade in dangerous
products
We think that provisions on measures should be considered, such
as export notification requirements, phase-out mechanisms
and framework provisions for the possible adoption of protocols on
further measures. One may seize the opportunity offered by
the negotiations in the context of the binding PIC instrument to
ensure that such an instrument should be sufficiently forward
looking and provide a flexible legal framework that is capable of
responding to new needs and challenges as they arise, without
having to go through a whole treaty-making process again.
7. Improving international cooperation on the various programme
areas
Belgium takes part in international cooperative efforts mainly
through the European Union; it also participates in the relevant
actions initiated by the OECD and the IFCS. It supports the IOMC
(Interorganisation Management Committee) coordination
efforts.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Belgium's activities
within the six programme areas presented in Chapter 19 are
developed in the first
place in the context of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical
Safety (IFCS) and are for the most part carried out within the
European Union (EU) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD).
1. Decision-Making Structure:
As mentioned above, there is a Coordinating Committee on
International Environmental Policies (CCIEP), which has a number
of working groups acting as a negotiating forum between the various
Federal and Regional Ministries involved. Political
decisions are approved at ministerial level by the Interministerial
Commission for the Environment.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
Extending staff, getting expertise from universities and scientific
institutions; establishing technical interdepartmental working
parties.
3. Major Groups:
Federal Departments of Health, Employment, Environmental Affairs,
Economic Affairs, Transport, Regional Environmental
Units; also industry, particularly the Federation of Chemical
Industries.
4. Finance:
Financing or co-financing some international initiatives;
introducing a system of fees to be paid by the persons responsible
for
marketing dangerous substances or preparations; the proceeds are
intended to contribute towards the costs of the Risk Control
Division of the Ministry of the Environment.
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
EU, OECD, UNEP, IFCS, ...
|
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 20: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTES,
INCLUDING PREVENTION OF ILLEGAL INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC IN HAZARDOUS
WASTES
The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal
Basel Convention signed in 1989, ratified in 1993.
The latest information was provided to the Basel Convention
Secretariat in 1997.
In Belgium, the environmentally sound management of hazardous
wastes is consistent with the regulations and with the directives
of the European Union, as well as with the international legal
instruments to which Belgium is a party.
This especially includes the implementation of the regulation
concerning the shipments of waste within, into and out of the
European Union, the European directives concerning waste, dangerous
waste, used oils, PCB-PCT's batteries, animal waste,
incineration of hazardous waste.
The Belgian waste management plans, elaborated by the Regions, are
in line with the European strategy on waste management.
The first priority is the prevention of waste and the reduction of
the hazardousness of wastes. The introduction of new techniques
and technologies that reduce the use of dangerous products, is one
issue in the prevention of dangerous wastes.
Ecotaxes are applied on i.a. pesticides and batteries. Material
recovery, production of secondary raw materials and development
of new waste treatment techniques are encouraged.
The landfilling of non-treated dangerous waste is prohibited if the
dangerous waste does not comply with the severe acceptance
criteria of the authorized landfill.
Environmental taxes on the landfilling and the disposal by
incineration of waste are used to encourage the prevention and the
recovery of waste.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
Dangerous waste management, including import and export of
dangerous waste, is a competence of the Regional Governments of
Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels Capital City. The transit of waste
through Belgium is a competence of the Federal
Government.
The Coordinating Committee of International Environmental Policy
(CCIEP) is charged with coordination and consultation
activities between the different actors.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
An agreement between the three Regional Governments and the Federal
Government regulates the control of the transboundary
movements of hazardous waste. Customs and national Gendarmerie are
fully involved in the control system.
A data collecting system is developed. The Flemish Region has
developed and uses a full-automated system (ASB) for the
administration and control on import and export of waste, including
on-line consultation by all maintenances forces and on-line
fulfillment of administrative requirements by waste producers and
treatment plants.
The Region of Wallonia develops a waste management and control
system based on the automated registration at the waste
treatment plants.
3. Major Groups:
Industry, business and individuals as citizens and as consumers on
the one hand, local and Regional public authorities on the
other hand, are involved in dangerous waste management, based on
the precautionary and prevention principles as well as on the
principle that the polluter should pay and environmental
impairements should be rectified at their source.
4. Finance:
As a reminder
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
An interregional network of installations for the environmental
sound disposal of dangerous waste is negotiated, based on the
proximity principle. International contacts with the neighbouring
member states of the European Union are achieving the same
goal.
Generation of hazardous waste (t) | ||||
Import of hazardous wastes (t) | ||||
Export of hazardous wastes (t) | ||||
Area of land contaminated by hazardous waste (km2) | ||||
Expenditure on hazardous waste treatment (US$) | ||||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 21: ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND
MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTES AND SEWAGE-RELATED ISSUES
Regional Governments are responsible for waste management policies.
The transit of waste through Belgium and some
prevention policies (product norms, ecotaxes,...) are the
competence of the Federal Government. The Coordinating Committee
for International Environment Policy (CCIEP) has decided to create
a working group charged with the coordination of advice
concerning international waste policy.
The first priority of the Regions has been the adoption of a serie
of general legislative measures establishing the legal framework
for the waste management policy.
An important precondition was the establishment of a sustainable
legal framework of basic definitions and concepts as well as the
incorporation of the EU definitions of waste and hazardous waste
and their respective lists.
The general objective of waste management policies is to ensure a
high degree of environmental protection, taking into account
economic and social costs, with a view to promote sustainable
development.
Therefore, the key objective of our waste policies, based on the
precautionary and prevention principle, is to prevent the
generation of waste and furthermore to reduce the content of
hazardous materials in waste.
Prevention has led to the adoption of new instruments such as
ecotaxes on products, promotion of clean technologies and
products, actions on consumer information and education.
Prevention of waste is also the priority of the Federal Government
which will adopt instruments such as the eco-label scheme and
regulation such as Product Norms aiming at reducing the content of
hazardous materials in waste.
Recovery of waste is the second priority of any sustainable waste
management policy and has to be considered in its triple
dimension : reuse, recycling and energy recovery. Until scientific
progress is made and life cycle analyses are further developed
as regards recovery operations, reuse and material recovery are
encouraged.
The waste management plans of the three Regions define, by name,
the selective collection systems (their organization, the actors
concerned, the sharing of the responsabilities, the financing
system, the creation of outlets for recovered materials,...).
Producer responsibility is another basic principle, which aims at
implementing a closed loop waste management policy.
According to this principle, reponsibility rests with the economic
operators who may make the most efficient contribution
towards the protection, preservation and improvement of the quality
of the environment. Practical applications of this principle
are envisaged for batteries, end-of-life vehicles, wastes from
electrical and electronic equipment as well as for packaging.
The last priority is to minimize waste disposal, which must comply
with very strict environmental standards. Taxes on landfill
(and incineration in the Flemish Region) help to achieve the
ultimate objective of turning waste management into a generally
accepted, economically viable and environmentally sound
practice.
Prevention of waste is also the priority of the Federal Government
which will adopt instruments such as the eco-label scheme and
regulation such as Product Norms aiming at reducing the content of
hazardous materials in waste.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
1. Decision-Making Structure:
An international agreement on packaging and packaging waste has
recently come into force. And as mentioned before, Belgium
has a Coordinating Committee for International Environmental Policy
(CCIEP) that coordinates between the relevant Federal and
Federated authorities, and that has decided to create a working
group charged with the coordination of advice concerning
international waste policy.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
The production of reliable and comparable statistics on waste, the
development of management instruments such as waste
management plans, an appropriate enforcement of legislation and the
increasing use of evaluation techniques (LCA, monitoring
systems,...) are and will be the basis of sound waste management
policies.
3. Major Groups:
Public authorities (Federal, Regional and local level), private and
public companies, environmental organizations and individuals
as citizens and consumers are the main actors concerned.
4. Finance:
As a reminder.
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
As a reminder.
Generation of industrial and municipal waste (t) | |||
Waste disposed (Kg/capita) | |||
Expenditure on waste collection and treatment (US$) | |||
Waste recycling rates (%) | |||
Municipal waste disposal (Kg/capita) | |||
Waste reduction rates per unit of GDP (t/year) | |||
Other data | |||
- generation of municipal waste (t) | |||
- municipal waste recycling (kg/capita) | |||
- municipal waste recycling rates (%) |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 22: SAFE AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES
Other activities relate to the production and use of radio-isotopes
in medecine, industry and research . Actual dismantling
activities relate to the prototype BR3-reactor of the nuclear
research centre, the old Eurochemic reprocessing plant and old
waste
treatment facilities.
All these activities produce radioactive wastes for which the
projected quantities up to the end of the life span including
dismantling of facilities related to the actual Belgian nuclear
programme are estimated as follows:
a. Waste of category A (low-level waste with short-lived isotopes,
resulting from the nuclear power plants, the fabrication of
radio-isotopes and their medical and industrial applications) :150
000 m3.
b. Waste of category B (low-level waste with long-lived isotopes
and medium-level waste, resulting from the nuclear fuel cycle
and related research): 25 000 m3.
c. Waste of category C (high-level waste, resulting from the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel: 5000 m3
Belgium has introduced a complete management programme for its
radioactive waste. This management considers several steps,
from production to final disposal:
a. Limitation of waste quantities at the production site by
sorting, identification, decontamination, etc...
b. Chemical stabilisation and volume reduction by chemical
treatment, incineration, supercompaction;
c. Conditioning of the treated waste in a stable matrix, to limit
its dispersability;
d. Temporary storage in appropriate buildings with adequate
shielding and safety provisions;
e. Envisaged final disposal facilities based on a multi-barrier
concept;
The measures taken by Belguim to reduce the waste volumes will
result in a downward revision of the above mentioned
estimated quantities of waste.
Belgium planned all necessary installations for the treatment , the
conditioning and temporary storage for all types of wastes
produced in the country (the waste resulting from the reprocessing
of the Belgian spent fuel being conditioned abroad on the
reprocessing site).
With respect to final disposal , important R & D programmes are
carried out in view of :
a. Near surface disposal for waste of category A. A recent report
concluded on the feasibility to dispose of about 60% of the
waste of category A in a near surface repository, under strict
respect of the safety recommendations issued by the international
competent bodies ;
b. Geological disposal for waste of categories B and C. An
underground laboratory is available to examine the disposal in deep
clay layers. An interim safety and feasability evaluation report
has been examined by an international group of experts, which
concluded that clay seemed to be an adequate candidate environment
for the geological disposal. Ongoing research must give rise
to a preliminary safety assessment report in the next century, to
be submitted to the safety authorities.
With repect to spent fuel management, Belgium had opted in the past
for reprocessing. In 1993 Parliament and Government
decided to freeze any new reprocessing decision and existing
options for future reprocessing for a period of five years.
During this period a report has to be prepared for a new
Parliamentary debate, which has to compare the reprocessing and
non-reprocessing options. In order to support this report a
programme has been started about the conditioning of the spent
fuel and the research programme on the geological disposal of waste
has been extended to the disposal of conditioned spent
fuel.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT: Belgium, being largely
dependant on importations for its primary energy supplies, has
sought safe and
reliable energy sources, and therefore developed nuclear energy. It
has now 7 nuclear power plants in operation with an installed
capacity of 5,6 GWe, as well as two fuel fabrication plants (one
for UO2 - fuel and one for MOX-fuel). Belgium has also a
nuclear research center with a material testing reactor and several
research facilities.
1. Decision-Making Structure:
The management of radioactive waste in Belgium is the reponsability
of the National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched
Fissile Materials (Niras/Ondraf). This Agency is managed by a
Governing Board, nominated by a Royal Decree on the proposal
of the Council of Ministers. Two Government commissioners are
residing in the Governing Board. They can object against any
decision of the Board they deem contrary to the law and the general
interest. Their objection has to be submitted to the competent
minister, who can approve or disapprove it.
The management of the nuclear fuel cycle is in the hands of the
private company Synatom. This includes amongst other things
the reprocessing or the conditioning of the spent nuclear fuel. The
Government has two representatives in the Governing Board of
Synatom. They have the same rights as the Government commissioners
at Niras/ Ondraf.
Each installation in the field of nuclear waste has to be
authorised by the competent safety authorities. The procedure
includes the
consultation of the local community and a national expert
commission and in some cases the European Commission.
2. Capacity-Building/Technology Issues:
As a reminder
3. Major Groups:
As a reminder
4. Finance:
All costs incurred by the management of the waste are borne by the
waste producers or by those who are financially responsible
for it.
5. Regional/International Cooperation:
Belgium participates in the programmes and activities of
international bodies such as the European Commission, the Nuclear
Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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Ch. 24: GLOBAL ACTION FOR WOMEN TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND
EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was signed on 17 July 1980 and ratified on 10 July 1985
24.a Increasing the proportion of women decision makers.
Percentage of women in government in 1996 Federal Government 10.5% Regional Governments 11% Chamber 11,3 % (17 women on 150) Senate 23,6 % (17 women on 72) Total 15,3 % (34 women op 222) Regional Parliaments 17,6 % Municipalities : Walloon 20%, Flemish 20%, Brussels 27%
24.b assessing, reviewing, revising and implementing curricula and other educational material with a view to promoting dissemination of gender-relevant knowledge. Curricula and educational material already promote gender relevant knowledge.
24.c and 24.d formulating and implementing policies, guidelines, strategies and plans for achievement of equality in all aspects of society including issuing a strategy by year 2000 to eliminate obstacles to full participation of women in sustainable development. Policy/strategies etc. are being drawn up.
24.e establishing mechanisms by 1995 to assess implementation and impact of development and environment policies and programmes on women. Mechanisms are being developed.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): The Belgian Government is taking the necessary measures to review projects and programmes proposed within the framework of the Agenda 21 to improve women's conditions, to eliminate gender-stereotyping, to get women and their organisations involved in environmental policy processes, and to increase women's influence in environmental decision-making processes.
The Government provides financial assistance for international programmes were women are the main concern. A Commission "Women and Development" formed by members of the Belgian Administration for Development Cooperation (BADC), the National Centre for Development Cooperation NCOS ("Nationaal Centrum voor Ontwikkelinggssamenwerking"), the National Councils of Women and the Inter-university Councils, gives advice in formulating policies concerning women and development and backs up the activities and initiatives concerning women.
The "Women's Council" organisation is formed of many NGOs. Their actions are focused on women development, highlighting the special role of women in society. Steps have been taken for the co-ordination of operational programmes to ensure that gender considerations are fully integrated into all policies and activities. Recent initiatives are: the presence of women in advisory and management committees, education and training and health institutions among others.
Both the Social Democratic and the Christian Democratic trade unions are involved in the organisation of programmes aimed at the improvement of women in labour market conditions and the social needs to achieve this. |
Ch. 25: CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT. 25.a establishing processes that promote dialogue between the youth and government at all levels and mechanisms that permit youth access to information and opportunity to present their views on implementing A21.
Name relevant youth fora : - Federal Sitting for Youth Help - Youth's Community Councils for the Environment
Describe their role in the national process: ad hoc
25.b reducing youth unemployment
youth unemployment : 25 years old and younger, in 1992 14.9%, beginning 1996 21%
25.c ensuring that by year 2000 more than 50% of youth -- gender balanced -- have access to appropriate secondary education or vocational training. The goal set in Agenda 21 has been reached.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): Two law projects were started in 1995 to reinforce the existing laws on the exploitation of children. The government is working to create new laws to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect. It is proposing strategies to prevent sexual and physical abuse of children and to promote strategies to identify factors which contribute to child abuse. A national centre for missing children will be created in the near future.
The Youth's Community Councils for the Environment were created in the Walloon Region to involve youth in the decision-making process. Specific projects conducted by the youth are funded by local authorities. Important NGOs include the Flemish Consultation on Sustainable Development, the World Workgroup Training and the Youth for Development Platform. These NGOs are very active in areas such as networking with other NGOs to reinforce their involvement in the decision-making process by focusing on specific topics such as the role of youth in environmental issues and community groups, education campaigns and work with youth groups to make them aware of the realities of developing countries by changing the image of these countries often related to misery.
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Ch. 26: RECOGNIZING AND STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THEIR
COMMUNITIES.
26.a establishing a process to empower indigenous people and their communities -- through policies and legal instruments: non applicable.
26.b strengthening arrangements for active participation in national policies non applicable.
26.c involving indigenous people in resource management strategies and programmes at the national and local level. non applicable.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): The Belgian Administration for Development Co-operation (BADC) participates to the Indigenous People Fund. This fund is intended to finance projects for the benefit of South-American indigenous people and their communities. These programmes specially focus on the identification of settlement areas, the strengthening of institutional representation and the encouragement of political communication and organisation.
Some NGOs in Belgium are working in programmes aimed at indigenous people and their communities. Through the Climate Alliance, the Flemish Organisation for Sustainable Development (VODO), cooperates with the Coordinating Organisation of Indigenous Communities of the Amazonian Region (COICA) whose action is aimed at defending land rights, human rights, indigenous culture and representation at the national level.
The Confederation of Christian Trade Unions of Belgium (CSC/ACV) in collaboration with the organisation Solidarité Mondiale/Wereld Solidariteit, works on programmes concerning the social emancipation and well-being of indigenous people in several areas of the world.
The Social Democratic trade union (FGTB/ABVV) is involved with Bulgarian trade unions to integrate cultural and ethnic minorities into trade union structures and actions.
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Ch. 27: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS: PARTNERS FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
27.a developing mechanisms that allow NGOs to play their partnership role responsibly and effectively; Yes.
27.b reviewing formal procedures and mechanisms to involve NGOs in decision making and implementation; Yes.
27.c promoting and allowing NGOs to participate in the conception, establishment and evaluation of official mechanisms to review Agenda 21 implementation; mechanisms exist already and NGOs are participating fully.
27.d establishing a mutually productive dialogue by 1995 at the national level between NGOs and governments; Yes.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): NGOs participate in a wide range of special programmes at the local, regional and national levels in programmes such as women in development, maternal and child health, assistance for developing countries, community development, development education, indigenous people and their communities, etc. NGOs in Belgium provide a bridge between the government and the community for the exchange of views and information on national and international environmental issues.
The Belgian Government encourages participation by NGOs on Belgian delegations to major international conferences. NGOs have been represented in the national delegations to the Commission on Sustainable Development.
The Federal Government provides financial and technical assistance to NGOs with a view to raising community awareness and understanding of environmental issues and ecologically sustainable development principles.
Many of the NGOs' actions are related to Agenda 21: training and educational programmes on North-South issues, political actions related to national and international policy and support of development programmes in developing countries. Although there is much work to support representatives of major groups in their sustainable development efforts, much still needs to be done.
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Ch. 28: LOCAL AUTHORITIES' INITIATIVES IN SUPPORT OF
AGENDA 21.
28.a encouraging local authorities to implement and monitor programmes that aim to ensure participation of women and youth in local decision making; Yes. 28.b Government support of local Agenda 21 initiatives; Yes.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): Local authorities establish local environmental policies and regulations and assist in implementing them. They are also involved in operational programmes to allow a dialogue amongst themselves, the citizens and the private enterprises, concerning sustainable development.
Local authorities actions are aimed at strengthening social responsibility, improving the social and cultural quality of life, preservation of village structures, rehabilitation and revival of rural communities, biological diversity contracts, river contracts, noise pollution regulation, waste pollution regulation, containment of land use for construction purposes, environmental impact assessment and educational programmes.
In 1995, the Belgian Administration for Development Cooperation (BADC), in collaboration with local authorities started a public awareness campaign focused on South American countries. Local authorities also worked with universities to organise conferences on Belgian development cooperation policies, environmental education and status of Algerian women.
Municipal authorities have established a number of actions for the coordination of operational programmes and projects to ensure environmental infrastructure, to establish local environmental policies and regulation, to assist with the implementation of national environmental policies and to help coordinate programmes for infrastructure development.
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Ch. 29: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF WORKERS AND
THEIR TRADE UNIONS. 29.a full participation of workers in implementation and evaluation of A21. Workers take some part in the Agenda 21 discussions/implementation; Yes. 29.b By year 2000: (a) promoting ratification of ILO conventions; yes. (b) establishing bipartite and tripartite mechanisms on safety, health and sustainable development; yes. (c) increasing number of environmental collective agreements; yes. (d) reducing occupational accidents and injuries; yes. (e) increasing workers' education and training efforts; yes.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): Belgium trade unions are committed to preventive occupational health and safety. They play an important role in the tripartite mechanisms of safety, health and sustainable development and participate in the environmental, economic, and social policies of the country.
Trade unions are involved in the design of operational programmes and projects aimed at strengthening the rights of individual workers such as industrial strategies, International Labour Organisations conventions, employment policies, collective mechanisms to achieve sustainable development and educational programmes. Belgian trade unions participate in the Council of Scientific Policy where issues of technology assessment and transfer are discussed. They have independently initiated a certain number of actions for the promotion of sustainable development.
Both the Social Democratic and Christian Democratic trade unions are members of the National Council for Sustainable Development. The unions collaborate with the Federal and Regional Governments in actions such as elaboration of projects at the Regional level, elaboration of sustainable development projects for the Walloon and the Flemish Region and to the design of educational and training programmes.
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30: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY. 30.a increasing the efficiency of resource use, including reuse, recycling, and reduction of waste per unit of economic output. There are governmental policies encouraging the above objective, and there are governmental policies requiring recycling, etc.
30.b encouraging the concept of stewardship in management and use of natural resources by entrepreneurs; yes.
List any actions taken in this area:
The Federal Government provides assistance to industry, primarily to integrate environmentally sound technologies in production processes and technology transfer. Belgium provides international development assistance with a view to promote the use of environmentally sound technology in foreign industries. Priority areas include emissions reduction, waste reduction, alternative methods of energy production, state-of-the-art production standards and efficient resource utilisation.
30.c increasing number of enterprises that subscribe to and implement sustainable development policies.
Most big enterprises have adopted sustainable development policies and several small and medium sized enterprises have adopted sustainable development policies.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): Belgian business and industry are closely involved in developing initiatives to promote sustainable development and attend national and international meetings related to environmental issues.
The Belgian business community is developing a progressive environmental policy supported by information campaigns and environmental strategies.
Business and industry perform public information activities such as awareness campaigns in order to involve the population in discussions on environmental issues and sustainable development.
The Belgian Federation of Enterprises has been actively involved in the promotion of sustainable development production patterns through actions such as design and organisation of an environmental management system training program, with the support of the European Commission and coordination of a pilot studies program aimed at the integration of quality systems (ISO 9000) and environmental management systems (ISO14000 and EMAS regulation), with a consortium of 8 industrial companies.
The Walloon Federation of Enterprises has kept informing and sensitising SMEs on environmental management thanks to its team of environmental consultants.
The Walloon Directorate General for Natural Resources and the Environment created the Clean Technologies Cell particularly for the industrial sector. It aims, among other things, to implement an R&D programme on pollution prevention, provide assistance to the Walloon Federation of Enterprises, particularly SMEs, to adopt more environmentally responsible production methods and to provide financial assistance to help industry invest in environmentally sound technology.
Flemish enterprises can get financial assistance for investments in environmental technologies through the Flemish Ministry of Economic Affairs within the framework of economic expansion laws.
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Ch. 31: SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
COMMUNITY. 31.a improving exchange of knowledge and concerns between the scientific and technological community and the general public. There is some effort in this direction : the Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (OSTC) is developing an information crossroad on sustainable development.
31.b developing, improving and promoting international acceptance of codes of practice and guidelines related to science and technology and its role in reconciling environment and development.
Belgium develops, improves and promotes international acceptance of codes of practice and guidelines related to science and technology and its role in reconciling environment and development.
Brief comments on this chapter not already described in chapter 35 (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): The scientific community is conducting research on sustainable development; much however, remains to be done. Areas of research include climatic change mobility, human rights abuses, food strategies and food security, sustainable agricultural development, soil fertility conservation, land management, indicators of sustainable development, technology transfer, biological diversity, poverty, health, indigenous people and gender issues, among others.
The Belgian Administration for Development Cooperation (BACD) provides financial assistance to R&D efforts. The Institutional Reform of 1993 has put the Regional Governments and local authorities in charge of the majority of policies for R & D, and several programmes were created in recent years to obtain funding for R & D.
The National Council for Sustainable Development allows for scientists to examine science-related issues of national importance and to provide advice on specific issues. The Federal Ministry of Science Policy undertook a round of consultations with the scientific community and the Council, with the hopes of bringing new and innovative programmes to promote sustainable development. | |
Ch. 32: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF
FARMERS. 32.a promoting and encouraging sustainable farming practices and technologies; yes. 32.b developing a policy framework that provides incentives and motivation among farmers for sustainable and efficient farming practices; yes. 32.c enhancing participation of organizations of farmers in design and implementation of sustainable development policies; yes.
Brief comments on this chapter (maximum 100 words) (please, do not exceed this page): The Federal Government, Regional Governments and municipalities have all started activities which involve farmers to protect biological diversity on their land such as design of operational programmes that provide incentives to the farmers to manage their natural resources efficiently and in a sustainable way, sustainable farming practices and technologies, and low input and low energy processes.
There are a number of NGOs which represent farmers and rural communities in issues such as social welfare, animal health issues, education, trade and transport, among others. Activities are also being implemented to involve NGOs in the decision-making process, e.g. on sustainable agriculture, production and consumption patterns and regional quality production.
Other activities being implemented by NGOs focus on issues such as food security, sustainable agricultural policy, North-South agricultural impacts and reorientation of agricultural and environmental policies. A number of farmers' unions are involved in many activities, including the design of projects (e.g. on cleaner production and water conservation), EIA projects, workshops and training courses at the local, Regional and Federal levels.
The Federal Governement and the Regional Governements provide financial assistance to a number of these activities. Farmer organisations are regularly consulted in the policy-making process.
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 33: FINANCIAL RESOURCES
AND MECHANISMS
Financial resources and mechanisms are also covered under each
sectoral chapter of Agenda 21
where relevant. This summary highlights broader national financial
policies, domestic and
external (including ODA)
The Status Report hereunder reflects exclusively on official
development help provided by the Belgian Agency for Development
Cooperation and therefore cannot be considered an exhaustive list
of all financial resources and mechanisms.
CHANGES IN NATIONAL BUDGET TO ADDRESS SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT:
As a reminder
NEW ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS:
As a reminder
ELIMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY SUBSIDIES:
With respect to development assistance projects in developing
countries, the Belgian Agency for Development Co-operation
(BADC) has put into place a project cycle in which the systematic
screening of future projects on their environmental impact,
will soon be integrated.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
ODA policy issues
The BADC is that body which facilitates Belgian investments and capital transfers to developing countries insofar as they contribute to their social and economic development. Other main missions of the BADC are to coordinate Belgian development policy, to implement bilateral and multilateral agreements, to organize mechanisms for technology transfer and to promote public awareness. The BADC also provides bilateral assistance indirectly, e.g., by providing support to NGO volunteers, co-financing NGO development projects and providing subsidies to developing country university students. The BADC contributes to the budgets of a number of international organizations and funds, such as the EDF, FAO, GEF, IFAD, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, among others.
About 15 % of development cooperation assistance goes to the European Fund for Development, i.e., approximately Bfr. 3 billion (US$ 91 million). Belgium continues to demand greater clarity in the use of the development cooperation assistance and a greater cohesion and complement among the European Fund for Development's programmes and the bilateral programmes of the 15 member countries.
While the BADC has projects in 47 countries, it co-finances projects in 111 countries. In order to rationalize the limited funds and human resources to which the BADC can effectively contribute to development projects, criteria of economic, socio-political and geopolitical nature were developed to help identify a list of countries and regions to receive bilateral assistance in 1994.
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ODA funding provided or received (Total US$million) | 834.8 | 727.4 | 1,034.5 | NA | ||
Net flow of external capital from all sources as % of GDP | ||||||
Other data
Percentage of ODA/GNP 1992=0.42%, 1993=0.40%, 1994=0.38%.
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 34: TRANSFER OF
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGY, COOPERATION AND
CAPACITY-BUILDING
Transfer of environmentally sound technology, cooperation and
capacity-building is also covered under each sectoral
chapter of Agenda 21 where relevant. This summary highlights
broader national policies and actions relating to chapter
34.
The Regional Governments are the competent authorities on
technology policy, with the Federal Government only being involved
in some specific cases. The Regional bodies are also responsible
for elaborating the necessary, regulatory framework to develop
and use environmentally sound technologies. This implies that the
institutional setting as well as the instruments used to foster
sound technologies can (and do) differ from one Region to the
other.
In all of the three Regions initiatives were taken by the Regional
Governments to promote the utilisation of environmentally
sound technology. These initiatives include the setting up of
special bodies inside (1) and outside (2) the administration.
Their main goal consists in informing all interested parties on
sound technologies (what does exist, how can it be implemented,
what special government aid is available, and so on...) Therefore
these institutions develop databases, on, for example,
legislation, reference material and environmental sound
technologies, among others. These databases can be consulted by
all
interested persons or institutions. By the way, environmental
legislation prescribes the use of best available technology (BAT).
For several selected sectors, BAT guidelines are now in
preparation. These guidelines are developed in co-operation
between the
authorities, the sector and the research institutions previously
mentioned.
Two initiatives deserve some special attention.
The first consists of the utilisation of Internet. There are
several attempts by the different authorities to disseminate all
kind of
information related to sound technologies, environment policy
aspects or sustainable development through Internet (3). These
websites are quite often linked to all relevant international
relevant sources of information.
The second initiative consists of the links with the European
initiatives. Environment data networks were being set up by
European authorities in collaboration with the different Belgian
Regional (and Federal) authorities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
(1) A good example is the Wallonian "Cellule Technologies Propres"
inside the Walloon environmental
administration DGRNE
(2) For example the knowledge center on Best Available Technologies
(BAT) based in the Flemish institute for
technological research (VITO)
(3) See forr example the Flemish website
http://www.vito.be/emis/index.htm
MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION:
The following are the instruments used by the different authorities
to foster the implementation of sound technologies :
- financial aid programs to enterprises to encourage environmental
investment;
- public awareness campaigns are an important activity being
implemented in this area, and are especially focussed towards
SME's;
-information packages are available to companies on financial aid
programmes to enterprises designed to encourage
environmental investment, on environmental audit systems; on how to
reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities; on
product policy such as eco-labels and eco-consumption; on sectoral
agreements between Regional authorities and the private
sector; and on financial support to business federations to enhance
their dissemination of environmentally related information
specific to their industry;
- R&D-programs run by the different Regional bodies;
- pilot programs in different sectors. The knowledge gained in
these pilot programs is then disseminated to all companies in the
sector.
-...
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT ON LINKS BETWEEN NATIONAL, REGIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION
NETWORKS/SYSTEMS:
Describe any work being undertaken at the national or
local level regarding efforts to promote clean production processes
and/or the concepts of eco-efficiency. These processes may include
training, preferential financial arrangements, information
dissemination and changes in legal or regulatory frameworks.
Lack of information, collaboration and communication are of course the key obstacles to the use of environmentally sound technologies. A number of efforts have been made during the last years to improve the quality and accessibility of information on environmentally sound technologies through a wider use of the global information networks, the improvement of the functioning of the local centers for information exchange between government and enterprises (already mentioned above), research, appointing environmental coordinators in enterprises and promoting the European Eco-label, among others. Part of the question has allready been answered above. Besides this, it is well worth mentioning the efforts made by the Walloon Region to establish sectorial dossiers. These describe the technological state-of-the-art in relation to its incidence on the environment. More then 300 companies have been helped in 1996. Quite innovative is also the idea of having a convention signed with the trade unions.
Provide information on the adoption of environmental management systems. National reaction to environmental management system standards such as the ISO 14000 Series and others. Please note efforts made at the national level to promote their adoption and the creation of certification infrastructure in order to facilitate access to these standards to local industry.
Adoption of environmental management systems is slowly seeping through. Some major production companies have been certified in 1996. The expectation is that it will take some more years before SME's will follow. Pilot cases, run by the European Commission with the support of the Walloon and Flemish environmental ministries, were put up to implement the European environmental management system. In Belgium there is an institution, Belcert, in charge of the ISO 14000 en the EMAS regulation.
List and describe programs or work under way to facilitate the transfer of ESTs to small and medium sized enterprises. Please note efforts to facilitate access to financial resources and other transfer strategies.
Most of the instruments mentioned above are also being used to help SME's :
- subsidy for environmentally sound technology: companies that
invest in environmentally sound technology (EST) can get a subsidy
of
15% of the extra costs
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AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 35: SCIENCE FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Belgium is a country with a long scientific tradition. In several
fields (like for example life sciences and materials sciences) it
has
a well-known reputation. The science policies adopted in Belgium
are comparable to those shared by other industrialised
countries. They are based on the conviction that research can
play a major role in ensuring social and economic progress and in
improving the quality of life.
A few main objectives of Belgian science policy are :
-to ensure a sufficient volume of human and financial resources to
maintain and reinforce the high-level basic research (which is
basically done in the university institutions);
-to encourage the industrial research in companies and collective
research centres;
-to stimulate through publicly financed impetus programs, research
contributing towards the pursuance of objectives of general
interest.
Besides this it is important to know that as Belgium is a Federal
country, the competences for the science policy are spread over
the
different levels of public authority (the Federal State, the
Regions and the three linguistic Communities). As a principle each
authority
is responsible for the research falling within its general
competences. To give a few examples : basic and applied research
(in the
universities and research institutions) is mainly financed by
Regional bodies (more specifically the Government of the French or
Flemish Community); the pure environmental related research is
funded by the Regional authorities; space research is funded by the
Federal Government;...
The Federal state may also intervene in support of international
agreements, or when its action relates to activities which go
beyond
the interest of one Community or Region. In these cases, the
Federal state acts on the base of cooperation agreements with the
other
Belgian authorities.
STEPS TAKEN TO ENHANCE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING, IMPROVE LONG
TERM SCIENTIFIC
ASSESSMENT, BUILDING OF CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY:
Several steps have been taken in Belgium during the recent years.
Most (but not all) of the research initiatives financed by the
different authorities are described in detail in a document 2
published by the science policy department at the Federal level
(OSTC). This document was made in order to give an advisory body
(a working party on research and sustainable development
depending on the National Council for Sustainable Development) some
insights in the relationship between sustainable
development and research and resumes all Belgium activities. These
activities intend to foster the long term assessment capacities
in the research institutions.
1 Based on the brochure "Comparison of scientific and
technological policies of Community Member States, Belgium"
2 "Science policy and sustainable development", OSTC, 1996.
It is not available in English, but is available in French
and Dutch
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT ON NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE,
RESEARCH NEEDS AND PRIORITIES: 1
European Commission, Crest, 1993, Report EUR.55035 EN.See this
brochure for more details
(Cont.) A short overview should address the following activities :
At the Federal level :
In the science policy department at the Federal level (OSTC) a
framework program called "Plan for Scientific Support of a Policy
Aimed at Sustainable Development" was launched in 1996. Its budget
totals the amount of 2.4 billion Bfr for the next six years.
This framework program consists of seven research programs; some of
these are new, others prolong activities which already
launched in previous years. These programs are :
At the Regional level : -In Flanders there are three research programs of special importance in the context of sustainable development : a program on environmental technologies (in Dutch abbreviated as VLIM), a program on energy technologies (abbreviation : VLIET) and a program focused on "nature'" (abbreviation VLINA).
* VLIM aims to enhance the development and implementation of those techniques that make ecologically sound and economically efficient production possible. Five major areas were developed : the development of environmentally sound production processes; integrated measure and interpretation techniques for environmental technologies; treatment of specific waste aimed at reusage or recycling; techniques for prevention or remediation of diffuse pollution; techniques for the disposal of historic pollution. A separate part of the VLIM-program was dedicated to socio-economic studies. These studies addressed questions like how to stimulate environmentally sound behaviour; how to augment responsibility; the enlargement of policy instruments;...
* VLIET addresses the following issues : the traditional energy
sources, renewable energy sources, final utilisation of energy
technology
and all kind of policy aspects. Sustainable development is present
in all of the program.
|
(Cont.)
Five sectors are concerned : prevention of industrial pollution and limitation of waste (especially packing materials); recycling of effluents, industrial waste, residential waste and agricultural waste; treatment of industrial effluents and industrial waste; control of industrial emissions; methods to intervene effectively in case of industrial pollution. Besides this, the DGTRE developed a broad information campaign directed towards the industry, by the publication of very detailed sectoral technology and environment files. These files tackle the reduction of disturbances (prevention as well as curative) with special attention to environmental, technological and economical aspects.
When it comes to enhance the scientific understanding of sustainable development, one should mention also all activities like exhibitions, publications of all kind, promotion campaigns (like the one of the Brussels Capital City Region) etc... which were organised and sponsored by a very broad variety of institutions, state owned as well as private institutions.
|
Number of scientists, engineers and technicians engaged in research and experimental development | |||
Total expenditure for research and experimental
development Bf 116.773 million - with an US$ at +/- 31 Bfs this equals |
| ||
Other data |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 36: PROMOTING EDUCATION,
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND TRAINING
a) Reorientation of education towards sustainable
development
The Flemish, French and German-speaking Communities are responsible
for education at all levels, professional training and
scientific research.
In the Flemish, the French and the German-speaking Community,
school curricula are being revised at all levels to incorporate
environmental issues. Environmental health, safe drinking water,
sanitation, food, ecosystems, recycling and energy savings are
issues covered at all levels of school curricula.
There exists a large number of initiatives which respond to the
present need for environmental education within the education
system.
An example is the educational package on air and water, put
together by the Flemish Environment Agency, which can be used for
support in all subjects where environmental education may arise,
such as biology and other science subjects, and social education.
These packages have been sent to the heads of the 2500 Flemish
primary schools.
Aiming to coordinate and filter the huge amount of initiatives
public and private organizations offer to the schools, the Flemish
Minister for Education has created a yearly renewed compilation of
the most valuable initiatives entitled "Dynamo".
Herein, one major part gives an overview of a number of the most
interesting environmental projects schools can subscribe to.
The "Green School Project" stands for a system of environmental
care inside the school as a whole, regarding subjects such as waste
management, water pollution, energy and paper saving, green area,
... . This project has been developed by the Free University of
Brussels by order of the Flemish Minister for the Environment and
is now being implemented within a larger number of secondary
schools after a testing-period in a small number of pilot
schools.
Also in the French Community tools have been developed to introduce
concepts required to understand the physical and socio-economic
aspects of environmental problems. For instance, educational files
for the teachers of the final years of primary education
have been drawn up around various topics connected to environmental
protection. These files contain cards which develop
constructive actions, in a multi-disciplinary framework, to inform,
sensitize and provoke reflection and a more responsible attitude
in young pupils towards their environment.
Several schools in the German-speaking Community set up so-called
"Zukunftwerkstätten" (future-workshops). Here, pedagogy and
technique are employed in the strict sense of sustainable
development: e.g. by working out an Eco-audit or waste- and
energy-balance
sheets etc. A wide environmental education is practiced in all
primary and secondary schools in the
German-speaking Community.
A working group on education and Agenda 21, active in the Flemish
Region, has been investigating how the recommendations of
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) should be implemented in the Flemish Region and
Community. The report of this working group, composed of
representatives of the various interested departments of the
Flemish
Community, indicates that an important task for the Government and
for the administration lies in stimulating and actively supporting
environmental education within education as a whole. This should
be done by spreading environmental information, providing advice,
recycling and supporting in-service training programs for teachers,
producing and making available reading materials. According
to the same report, the difficulties encountered while attempting
to introduce environmental education in primary and secondary
schools include the lack of time as a consequence of the overloaded
curriculum and the general use of the timetable system (in
secondary schools). Both these elements are a hindrance to the
promotion of effective environmental education in schools, which
should be the subject of interdisciplinary project education.
Creating a network of Centers for Environmental Education run by
different authorities and private organizations, new working
models and interdisciplinarity in schools should be promoted.
Collaboration and training should increase the degree of
professionalization in environmental education, which is, in
practice, in many cases a voluntary occupation.
For the same reason, scientific research is made to define profiles
of environmental educators, so that specific needs can be answered
by modular-concept courses of lectures which are being developed.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT:
(Cont.) b) Increasing public awareness The Federal State and, to a larger extent, the Regions, took a number of initiatives to inform the general public on environmental issues. In the area of energy use and climate change, for instance, a first campaign on the greenhouse effect and possible measures to limit it was set up by the environment administration of the Federal Government, following the drawing up of a Belgian National Program for the reduction of C02 emissions. Also in this area, the Walloon Region published a number of informative files aimed both at secondary education and the general public, in the period after the Rio Conference. The brochures, "Effet de serre et changement climatique" and "l'Ozone, un bien précieux et fragile (Ozone stratosphérique)", are currently being revised and will be published again in 1997. Both in Flanders and Wallonia, a number of actions exist directed at informing the general public in the area of rational energy use. As far as the energy-saving measures in the household sector are concemed, the recent "Draft Plan for a C02 / REG Policy Plan for the Flemish Region" attaches importance to thorough information of the population and to the supply of energy advice. In addition to media campaigns which are anticipated, the draft plan also mentions energy officials, energy offices and the energy-information system "BBT-EMIS", which can also be reached over the Internet.
In order to spread environmental information a large official Flemish Internet-site (URL: http://www.mina.be) offers a wide scale of both static information and on-line data. More specialized target groups are reached by information both on Internet and on more traditional carriers: engineers, technicians and municipal authorities can apply techniques from the two elaborate and practical guides concerning Ecological Engineering, developed by the Environment Administration in search of ecological methods of building and managing roads and waterways.
The principle of good management, included the transparency of government, is put into practice by, for instance, public hearings and investigation on the plan for the environment policy 1997 - 2001. Among the range of instruments put in action in Wallonia to inform individuals on energy saving are television and radio spots, a system of 13 energy offices distributed over the Region, and the publication of energy guides and brochures. As far as Wallonia is concerned, environment information can be gathered from a Regional Internet-site (URL: http://envagri.wallonie.be).
c. Promoting training. Specific training, e.g.,. concerning rational energy use for energy managers and agents in the building and construction sector, were organized in Wallonia as well as in Flanders. Above-mentioned Centers for Environmental Education in Flanders also provide workshops and symposia for professionals on ecological themes like, for example, small-scale wastewater treatment.
ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS: The Flemish authorities involved are the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Education. Thanks to an agreement between both departments, teachers are sent to secondment in Centers for Environmental Education. Provincial authorities as well as municipalities often develop all kinds of environmental education-initiatives. An important number of NGO's participate in the consultation and practice on environmental education. Networking inside Flanders and across the borders is getting more and more attention from several actors in the field of environmental education. FINANCING AND COST EVALUATION OF THE LABOUR ACTIVITIES:
|
Ministry of the Flemish Community | 1995 | |||
Adult literacy rate (%) Male | no data | |||
Adult literacy rate (%) Female | no data | |||
% of primary school children reaching grade 5 (1986-97) | no data | |||
Mean number of years of schooling | ||||
% of GNP spent on education | ||||
Females per 100 males in secondary school | ||||
Women per 100 men in the labour force | ||||
Other data 39,1 % of males attended college or university in 1993/4, while for females, that figure was 41,0 %
The number of people with only primary schooling decreased from 73
% (1970) to 47 % (1991) |
Ministry of German-speaking Community | |||
Adult literacy rate (%) Male | |||
Adult literacy rate (%) Female | |||
% of primary school children reaching grade 5 (1986-97) | |||
Mean number of years of schooling | |||
% of Community budget spent on education | |||
Females per 100 males in secondary school | |||
Women per 100 men in the labour force | |||
Other data
In 1995, 50,89 % of primary school attendees were male, and
49,11 % were female. |
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 37: NATIONAL MECHANISMS
AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR CAPACITY-BUILDING IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
National capacity building is also covered under sectoral
chapters.
Donors: You may wish to describe here how Agenda 21 has
influenced your ODA policies in this area.
Developing countries: You may wish to describe any new
national mechanisms for capacity building - and any changes in
technical cooperation.
National Capacity-Building
Flemish Region
In its policy document "Vlaanderen internationaal" of 1O November
1995 the Flemish Government has given attention to a
number of general principles regarding its emerging development
policy. Based on particular features of its societal strenght as a
Region these principles include implicitly possibilities for
capacity-building initiatives. The implementation of this aspect of
the
Flemish development policy shall make use of the expertise of the
Flemish governmental Organisation for Training and Technical
Assistance which is actually involved in a number of
capacity-building projects. Concerning its external affairs the
Flemish
Government has a fund for sustainable development which offers
possibilities for capacity-building initiatives next to its budget
for implementing existing cooperation agreements with countries
such as South Africa and Chile.
Capacity-Building in Developing Countries
In order to increase the capacity-building regarding sustainable
development in developing countries, the Belgian Agency for
Development Co-operation (BADC) usually includes, in its bilateral
projects, activities on grass-root and Governmental levels by
promoting the bottom-up and participatory approach.
Additionally, BADC finances international course programmes and
training grants at Belgian universities and institutions in a
wide variety of disciplines that tackle problems such as research
and management of natural resources, health, education,
environmental pollution, rural and urban habitat, demography, among
others.
Finally, BADC is funding training programmes that stem from private
organization initiatives in the fields of transport,
infrastructure, management, industry, agriculture, fish farming and
the social sector.
NATIONAL PRIORITY:
STATUS REPORT :
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 38: INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
Ch. 38: Brief summary of any particular UN System
response affecting this country/state:
As a reminder
|
AGENDA 21 CHAPTER 39: INTERNATIONAL LEGAL
INSTRUMENTS AND MECHANISMS
Ch. 39: International Legal Instruments are covered
under the relevant sectoral chapters. This is a listing of major
agreements/conventions (not already covered) entered into and
relevant to Agenda 21:
Major agreements entered into and relevant to Agenda 21
Framework Convention on Climate Change, ratification instruments deposited in January 1996.
Convention on Biological Diversity, ratification instruments deposited in November 1996.
Global Environmental Facility (GEF)
After participating in the GEF-Pilot Phase (1991-1994), contributing 4.42 million SDR to the Core Fund and co-financing projects in Tunesia and Burkina Faso/Côte d'Ivoire for an amount of 5 million SDR, Belgium has, since 1995, fully joined the restructured GEF. Through the Belgian Agency for Development Co-operation, Belgium is contributing its 1.68 % share of the GEF Trust Fund, i.e. close to 24 million SDR, for the period 1994-1997.
|
2. | International cooperation and trade | |||||
3. | Combating poverty | |||||
4. | Changing consumption patterns | |||||
5. | Demographic dynamics and sustainability | |||||
6. | Human health | |||||
7. | Human settlements | |||||
8. | Integrating E & D in decision-making | |||||
9. | Protection of the atmosphere | |||||
10. | Integrated planning and management of land resources | |||||
11. | Combating deforestation | |||||
12. | Combating desertification and drought | |||||
13. | Sustainable mountain development | |||||
14. | Sustainable agriculture and rural development | |||||
15. | Conservation of biological diversity | |||||
16. | Biotechnology | |||||
17. | Oceans, seas, coastal areas and their living resources | |||||
18. | Freshwater resources | |||||
19. | Toxic chemicals | |||||
20. | Hazardous wastes | |||||
21. | Solid wastes | |||||
22. | Radioactive wastes | |||||
24. | Women in sustainable development | |||||
25. | Children and youth | |||||
26. | Indigenous people | |||||
27. | Non-governmental organizations | |||||
28. | Local authorities | |||||
29. | Workers and trade unions | |||||
30. | Business and industry | |||||
31. | Scientific and technological community | |||||
32. | Farmers | |||||
33. | Financial resources and mechanisms | |||||
34. | Technology, cooperation and capacity-building | |||||
35. | Science for sustainable development | |||||
36. | Education, public awareness and training | |||||
37. | International cooperation for capacity-building | |||||
38. | International institutional arrangements | |||||
39. | International legal instruments | |||||
40. | Information for decision-making |
See "Comments" hereunder.
2. Comments
Belgium hosted in 1995 an International Workshop on
Indicators of Sustainable Development for Decision-Making organized
with the Government of Costa Rica, UNEP and SCOPE (Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment). A Working
List of Indicators (in the form of a set of methodology sheets) was
proposed in this first workshop, from which countries could
select the indicators that they may use in their national policies,
according to their own problems, policies and targets. This has
been adopted by the Commission on Sustainable Development in 1996.
The same year, Belgium hosted a second International
Workshop which welcomed the methodology sheets as a valuable basis
for aiming at some harmonization in methodological
approaches and commended the Department for Policy Co-ordination
and Sustainable Development for their publication. The
second Ghent meeting marked the launch of the testing of indicators
of sustainable development and produced guidelines and
timetable for this testing phase.
Belgium does not yet have a core set of indicators of sustainable
development but, in 1996, Belgium decided to become a "testing
country" in the CSD Program on Indicators of Sustainable
Development. The Interministerial Conference on the Environment
(ICE) of the 4th of June is responsible for the testing of the
environmental part of the Working List. It has, therefore, created
a
working group methodology sheets of the indicator's working list of
the CSD. The working group has examined the list and
concluded that data are, in principle, available for 20 of the 57
environmental indicators of sustainable development. The ICE of
the 12th of November 1996 decided that Belgium was to start with
the in-depth analysis and filling-in of the methodology sheets
of three indicators: domestic consumption of water per capita, use
of agricultural pesticides, household waste disposed per capita.
At the Federal level, there are research programs mostly aimed at
developing institutional indicators of sustainable development,
in particular, and other indicators, in general. Their results were
discussed in seminars and open meetings during the year 1996.
At the Regional level (Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels), work on
indicators is carried out in the framework of Regional
environmental reporting and policy-making. At the Regional level
also, legislation has been adopted in the framework of
European legislation aimed at enforcing the evaluation of
environmental impacts of projects. A volontary system of
environmental evaluation for firms is being implemented by the
Regions, in accordance with the European Directive on EMAS.
Regarding Flemish Regional indicators, demographic and
environmental indicators are published annually in VRIND. The
Flemish Government created a database - Functional Regional
Database, FRED - to cover all types of policy relevant indicators.
All Flemish agencies concerned with environment and sustainable
development policies are connected to this database. The
Walloon State of the Environment, published each second year, has
proved an excellent tool for decision-making to both the
public and private sectors in the Walloon Region. The Walloon
Government is also developing a central database of
environmental data and indicators. Particular importance is given
to the maintenance and improvement of networks to control
environmental quality and inventories of polluting emissions. In
collaboration with the Walloon Association of Enterprises, the
Walloon Government has initiated a programme to provide small and
middel enterprises with environmental advisors. In the
Brussels Region, the implementation of existing plans includes the
use of indicators to assess the performance of policies and
actions launched in those fields (waste management and promotion of
the biological inheritage - plans for the management of air
quality and noise data, are in development). About fifteen
environmental and social indicators included in a "dashboard" are
published regularly as well as Reports about the State of the
Environment (1990,1994). Since October 1996, an environmental
statistical observatory has been created to collect data and
produce indicators. A report of the notion of "indicators of
sustainability", which has different interpretations, has been
published.
Bodies involved here include the Federal Planning Office, the
Ministry of the Flemish Government, the Walloon Directorate
General for National Resources and the Environment and the Brussels
Institute for Environmental Management. Science Policy is
financing a research program on the application of satellite
remote-sensing data and geographical information systems. This
includes activities to raise public awareness on satellite datas
and to demonstrate, through case-studies, its use as a tool for
decision-making.
1. Questionary
| ||||
Number of telephones in use per 100 inhabitants | ||||
Other data |
Copyright © United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Comments and suggestions: esa@un.org
1 November 1997