FOREWORD


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SEMINAR
OBJECTIVES

SUMMARIES
OF THE SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS

Session 1

Environmental Information Systems Capacities in Countries with Economies in
Transition(Present State) 16

Session 2

Environmental Information Networks:The International
Perspective

Session 3

International Electronic Networks

Session 4

Role of Information and Communications in Decision-Making

PROGRAMME

In 1994, UNEP initiated a program to support environment assessment
reporting and data management capacities in countries with economies in
transition in Central and Eastern Europe. This includes identification
of needs and the formulation of project proposals to meet these needs.
With partner agencies and other donors, UNEP seeks to leverage finances
to correct any imbalances. This activity is a part of UNEP's global ENRIN
(Environment and Natural Resources Networking) program, which is a direct
follow-up of Agenda 21, chapter 40 on information for decision-making.
This chapter underlines that there is a need for easily accessible environmental
information at all levels, from that of senior environmental decision-makers
to the grass roots. An agreement has been made with the GRID-Arendal center
in Norway for implementation of the ENRIN program in Central and Eastern
Europe.

The international workshop on "Integrated Environmental Information
Systems in Support of Decision-Making in Countries in Transition"
was held in Moscow on May 29 - 31, 1995 to follow-up the interest the
program has met in the CIS countries. The workshop was attended by 80
participants: Government Representatives from the CIS countries, representatives
from international organizations (UNEP, IEC, OECD, IRPTC, WHO, WCMC, World
Bank, Black Sea PCU, US/EPA) and experts from the CIS countries and abroad.

This report presents the results of the workshop together with the initial
analyses in the CIS countries. It is intended to distill and present promising
avenues of cooperation, stimulate discussion and promote international
consensus on the way ahead. It also seeks to attract other partners to
this important venture of ensuring true international cooperation in stimulating
cooperative action on issues affecting our shared resources.