Browse by: "2020"
Index
Title Index
Year Index
The aim of this report is to give an overview of existing guidance on Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA) and their component parts. While the number of documents, from different sources, directly or indirectly related to guidance on IATA, is proliferating, the information is fragmented and hard to find. This overview document is expected to contribute to a common understanding of IATA, by explaining key concepts and providing basic definitions, and to support easier access to existing resources.
The OECD Business and Finance Outlook is an annual publication that presents unique data and analysis on the trends, both positive and negative, that are shaping tomorrow’s world of business, finance and investment. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an urgent need to consider resilience in finance, both in the financial system itself and in the role played by capital and investors in making economic and social systems more dynamic and able to withstand external shocks. Using analysis from a wide range of perspectives, this year’s edition focuses on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that are rapidly becoming a part of mainstream finance. It evaluates current ESG practices, and identifies priorities and actions to better align investments with sustainable, long-term value – in particular, the need for more consistent, comparable and available data on ESG performance.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a biological process in which small ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules inhibit gene expression, typically by causing the enzymatic destruction of specific messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, which are the templates for the synthesis of proteins. This process is commonly referred to as post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS); that is, mRNA is transcribed from the DNA gene but before the message is translated into proteins by ribosomes, the mRNA is blocked or otherwise destroyed by an enzymatic process guided by a specific non-coding small interfering RNA (siRNA) or microRNA (miRNA). The purpose of the OECD work leading to this paper was to develop a broad set of recommendations relating to risk assessment considerations for exogenously-applied dsRNA-based products, with a focus on issues relating to data requirements for determining the environmental fate of sprayable RNA molecules and for examining the potential risks to non-target organisms.
This report addresses the commercial availability and current uses of alternatives (chemical and non-chemical) to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food packaging (paper and paperboard). PFASs are synthetic substances that are widely used in numerous technologies, industrial processes and everyday applications. Since the discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in 1938, PFASs, both polymeric and non-polymeric, have been used extensively in various industries worldwide, due to their dielectrical properties, resistance to heat and chemical agents, low surface energy and low friction properties, etc. Due to the large variety of PFAS substances captured in the OECD definition, the individual PFAS will have different properties, however, in general, the highly stable carbon-fluorine bond and the unique physicochemical properties of PFASs make these substances valuable ingredients for products with high versatility, strength, resilience and durability. Based upon this review, a number of policy recommendations are suggested in this report as well as areas that may be considered for further work. These have been divided into those aimed at international organisations and those aimed at industry.
We are facing a series of converging planetary emergencies linked to the environment, the economy, and our social and political systems, but we will not meet these challenges using the tools of the last century. We need to rethink the role of the economy in improving the well-being of people and the planet. As the world’s leading intergovernmental forum on economic policy, the OECD has a central role to play in creating a new economic narrative. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría therefore invited a high-level group of experts to contribute their proposals on what needs to change in economic policy and policymaking. This report summarises their conclusions. The Advisory Group argues that we need to go beyond growth, to stop seeing growth as an end in itself, but rather as a means to achieving societal goals including environmental sustainability, reduced inequality, greater wellbeing and improved resilience. This requires updating the philosophy, tools and methods underpinning the analysis that influences economic decision-making. Drawing on developments across the modern field of economics and political economy, the report argues for a new approach which recognises the rootedness of economic systems and behaviour in the relationship between people, social institutions and the environment.
A growing number of governments seek to adopt an approach based on Best Available Techniques (BAT) as part of the regulatory framework to prevent and control industrial emissions. Providing guidance on BAT-based permitting is, in the short term, a means to strengthen policy in individual countries. In the long term, it might facilitate greater international harmonisation of procedures to establish BAT and BAT-AE(P)Ls. This would assist efforts to protect human health and the environment across countries, and expand the level playing field for industry. This document presents a high-level overview of each step of the process to determine BAT, BAT-AE(P)Ls and permit conditions, including information on the principles and factors that should be considered in this process, based on best practices from OECD member and partner countries. It provides references to more detailed information from countries where such approaches are employed, and includes a range of elaborate examples from national and supra-national jurisdictions as well as international conventions. The document promotes an integrated approach to BAT-based environmental permitting. This is the fourth in a series of documents developed as part of the OECD’s BAT project.
Adopting more sustainable ways of managing the ocean is a global priority: protecting its health will bring benefits to all. Developing countries face specific challenges, as many depend heavily on ocean-based industries and are overly exposed to the consequences of ocean degradation. Enhancing their access to science, policy advice and financing would allow them to tap better into the opportunities of a more sustainable ocean economy, including more decent jobs, cleaner energy, improved food security and enhanced resilience, while contributing to the protection of the world’s ocean.
This report provides policy makers in developing countries, as well as their development co-operation partners with a wealth of fresh evidence on (i) the latest trends in selected ocean-based industries; (ii) policy instruments, including economic incentives, to promote ocean sustainability in various contexts; (iii) the first review of development finance and development co-operation practices in support of more sustainable ocean economies, including a discussion of how development co-operation can help re-orient private finance towards sustainability.
Все большее число государств стремится сделать подход, основанный на применении наилучших доступных технологий (НДТ), частью нормативной правовой базы для предотвращения и контроля промышленных эмиссий. В краткосрочной перспективе разработка рекомендаций по выдаче разрешений на основе НДТ станет средством усиления данной политики в отдельных странах, в долгосрочной – будет способствовать большей международной гармонизации процедур установления НДТ и BAT-AE(P)L, что поможет усилиям разных стран, направленным на защиту здоровья человека и окружающей среды, и поддержит равные условия для промышленной деятельности. Настоящий документ подготовлен на основе передового опыта стран – членов и партнеров ОЭСР и содержит общий обзор каждого из этапов определения НДТ, BAT-AE(P)L и условий разрешений, включая информацию о принципах и факторах, которые следует учитывать в ходе данного процесса. Отчет содержит ссылки на более подробную информацию, предоставленную странами, в которых используются такие подходы, и включает ряд сложных примеров из национальных и наднациональных юрисдикций, а также международных конвенций. Документ поддерживает комплексный подход к выдаче экологических разрешений на основе НДТ.
This report analyses the actions necessary in the near and medium term to reduce Israel’s GHG emissions in three sectors– electricity, residential and transport, for which specific policy recommendations are developed. The report will serve as input to the roadmap that will be developed to support the country’s long-term low-emission strategy (LT-LEDS). The report adopts a “well-being lens” that aims to integrate climate action and broader societal priorities, such as affordable housing, better accessibility to jobs, services and opportunities, and improved health. Such an approach can make climate policies both easier to implement politically, economically and socially, as well as more cost-effective. Particular attention is given to avoiding locking in unsustainable development pathways that would impede the achievement of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in the second half of the century. In addition to the range of sector specific recommendations, a key recommendation for Israel is to enshrine the vision and targets of its LT-LEDS in national legislation, once developed and agreed. While written before the COVID-19 crisis, this report can also inform decisions on Israel’s recovery from the crisis, helping to avoid actions that would lock-in “inferior” carbon-intensive paradigms and entrench inequalities or reduce quality of life more broadly.
This report collates and analyses the responses from a 2012 survey circulated to OECD Member countries to collect information on risk management and risk mitigation approaches used and developed by governments for professional agricultural pesticide use near residential areas. The purpose of the survey was to provide an information source on the various approaches to risk mitigation related to pesticide use/application/spray drift adopted by countries (whether on a legal or voluntary basis).
This document provides guidance for the methods to address dissolution rate and dispersion stability for nanomaterials with focus on environmental aqueous media. The definition of nanomaterials as having one dimension between 1 and 100 nm is generally accepted. The guidance provided here is relevant for solids in the nanoscale as well as their aggregates and agglomerates and it focuses on their fate and behaviour in aqueous media. In particular it presents the influence of various experimental conditions on the performance and outcomes of the discussed methods. In addition, this GD addresses modifications or additions to the methods and aims to give support for the interpretation of the test results.
Con el fin de alcanzar sus objetivos de política pública, las regulaciones deben de estar acompañadas de una estrategia de promoción del cumplimiento diseñada cuidadosamente y bien implementada, la cual incluya las fiscalizaciones. Este reporte provee una evaluación de la estrategia de promoción del cumplimiento regulatorio y de las fiscalizaciones en el sector ambiental de Perú, además de incluir recomendaciones para fortalecer dicha estrategia. Este reporte evalúa las políticas y el marco legal del Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental de Perú, así como las prácticas y recursos empleados en las actividades de promoción del cumplimiento y fiscalizaciones. Asimismo, ofrece opciones de política pública para mejorar el desempeño. El punto de partida para el análisis comparativo es la Guía de la OCDE para el cumplimiento regulatorio y las inspecciones. Utilizando una lista de 12 criterios, esta Guía es una herramienta simple para evaluar el sistema de promoción del cumplimiento y las fiscalizaciones un una jurisdicción, institución o estructura.
В настоящем отчете анализируются планируемые инфраструктурные проекты, основы принятия решений относительно развития инфраструктуры и документы по вопросам стратегического планирования, существующие в восьми странах Центральной Азии и Кавказа: Азербайджане, Грузии, Казахстане, Кыргызской Республике, Монголии, Таджикистане, Туркменистане и Узбекистане. В нем проводится сопоставление текущих инвестиционных потоков с национальными целями в области развития стран для указания несоответствий между ними и предоставляются рекомендации директивным органам для более полной интеграции проблем, связанных с изменением климата, и прочих экологических вопросов в процессы принятия решений относительно развития инфраструктуры. В отчете представлен комплексный обзор инфраструктурных инвестиций, в основном в сфере транспорта и энергетике, осуществляемых в регионе, а также указаны риски и возможности, связанные с нынешними тенденциями в области инвестиций.
L'essai de mutation réverse sur les bactéries est pratiqué sur des souches de Salmonella typhimurium et d'Escherichia coli auxotrophes pour un acide aminé, afin de détecter des mutations ponctuelles provenant de substitutions ou de décalages du cadre de lecture. Le principe de cet essai de mutation réverse sur les bactéries repose sur la détection de mutations qui inversent des mutations présentes dans les souches d’essai et rétablissent les possibilités fonctionnelles des bactéries pour synthétiser un acide aminé essentiel.
Des suspensions des cellules bactériennes sont exposées à la substance d'essai (liquide ou solide) en présence et en l'absence d'un système métabolique exogène d'activation. Au moins cinq concentrations différentes analysables de la substance d'essai devraient être employées. La concentration d'essai maximum recommandée pour les substances non-cytotoxiques solubles est de 5 mg/boîte ou de 5 ml/boîte. Il y a deux méthodes : la méthode par étalement et la méthode de pré-incubation. Pour les deux techniques, après deux ou trois jours d'incubation à 37°C, les colonies révertantes sont comptées et comparées au nombre de colonies révertantes spontanées des boîtes de contrôle.
The bacterial reverse mutation test uses amino-acid requiring at least five strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli to detect point mutations by base substitutions or frameshifts. The principle of this bacterial reverse mutation test is that it detects mutations which revert mutations present in the test strains and restore the functional capability of the bacteria to synthesize an essential amino acid.
Suspensions of bacterial cells are exposed to the test substance (liquid or solid) in the presence and in the absence of an exogenous metabolic activation system. At least five different analysable concentrations of the test substance should be used. The recommended maximum test concentration for soluble non-cytotoxic substances is 5 mg/plate or 5 ml/plate. There are two methods: the plate incorporation method and the preincubation method. For both techniques, after two or three days of incubation at 37°C, revertant colonies are counted and compared to the number of spontaneous revertant colonies on solvent control plates.
Sovereign wealth funds manage a large share of the world’s invested capital. The action or inaction of these funds on climate finance is of crucial importance to the world’s ability to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, and restrain global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. However, sovereign wealth funds have so far played a very limited role in climate finance. This report provides guidance on how governments can support their sovereign wealth funds in becoming climate-aligned commercial investors. The establishment of synergies between sovereign wealth funds and strategic investment funds can help scale up investments in clean-energy infrastructure.
L'OCDE s'efforce de trouver des solutions fondées sur des données probantes à toute une série de défis sociaux, économiques et environnementaux, en promouvant "Des politiques meilleures pour une vie meilleure". La propagation mondiale du coronavirus en 2020 a rendu l'engagement au service de cet objectif d'autant plus pertinent. Cette édition du Rapport du Secrétaire général de l'OCDE aux ministres présente les principales réalisations de l'OCDE en 2019. Elle décrit les travaux de l'OCDE sur l'économie, l'emploi, l'éducation, la santé, les inégalités, l'environnement, la fiscalité et bien d’autres domaines, dans le contexte d’un monde en rapide évolution. Ce rapport présente également les activités du Secrétaire général et de son bureau, ainsi que celles des directions, agences, entités spéciales et comités consultatifs de l'OCDE.
L’OCDE constitue au niveau mondial l’une des sources les plus importantes et les plus fiables de recherche et de données statistiques comparables. C’est aussi un forum et un pôle de connaissances sans équivalent pour l’échange d’expériences, le partage de bonnes pratiques et la formulation de conseils sur les politiques publiques et l’élaboration de normes de référence au niveau mondial. Cette année marquera le 60e anniversaire de l’Organisation : ce sera l'occasion de nous retourner sur le passé et d’élaborer une vision pour l'avenir. Plus que jamais, nous avons besoin de politiques fondées sur des données probantes pour construire des sociétés et des économies qui soient plus résilientes, plus inclusives et plus durables.
The OECD works on finding evidence-based solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges, promoting “Better Policies for Better Lives”. The global spread of coronavirus in 2020 has made the commitment to this motto all the more relevant. This edition of the OECD Secretary-General's Report to Ministers outlines the main achievements of the OECD in 2019. It describes the OECD’s work on economics, employment, education, health, inequalities, the environment, tax and many other fields in the context of a rapidly changing world. It includes the activities of the Secretary-General and his office, as well as those of OECD directorates, agencies, special entities and advisory committees.
The OECD is one of the world’s largest and most trusted sources of comparable statistical data and research. It is also a unique forum and knowledge hub for exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and global standard-setting. This year will mark the 60th anniversary of the Organisation, and this will be the opportunity to reflect on the past, and develop a vision for the future. More than ever, we need evidence-based policies geared towards building societies and economies that are more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.
The report presents an in-depth analysis of various policies that aim to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of urban transport. Decarbonising transport lies at the core of efforts to mitigate climate change and has close links to urban sustainability and housing affordability. The report identifies the drivers of rising emissions in the urban transport sector and offers pathways to reduce them through a combination of transport and land use policies. The analysis yields a holistic welfare evaluation of these policies, assessing them according to their environmental effectiveness, their economic efficiency and their impact on fiscal balance and housing affordability. The report concludes that significant reductions in emissions from urban transport can be achieved through a careful alignment of transport policies designed to promote the use of public transit and electric vehicles, and land use policies, which foster a more compact urban form. The study is based on the case of Auckland, New Zealand but the lessons drawn are relevant for institutions and governments working on issues relating to urban sustainability, transport, housing and climate change mitigation.
Comment va la vie ? indique si les conditions d'existence s'améliorent pour les habitants de 37 pays de l'OCDE et de 4 pays partenaires. Cette cinquième édition présente les derniers enseignements tirés d'un ensemble actualisé de plus de 80 indicateurs, couvrant le bien‑être actuel, les inégalités et les ressources nécessaires au bien‑être futur. Depuis 2010, le bien‑être des individus s'est renforcé à de nombreux égards, mais les progrès accomplis ont été lents ou la situation s'est dégradée dans d'autres dimensions, notamment concernant les liens entre individus et leurs relations avec les pouvoirs publics. D'amples écarts perdurent en fonction du sexe, de l'âge et du niveau d'éducation dans la plupart des dimensions du bien‑être. Globalement, les pays de l'OCDE où le niveau moyen de bien‑être est le plus élevé se caractérisent aussi par une plus grande égalité entre groupes de population et un nombre plus limité de personnes en situation de privation. Nombre de pays de l'OCDE où les niveaux de bien‑être étaient les moins élevés en 2010 figurent parmi ceux où ils ont le plus progressé depuis lors. Néanmoins, les améliorations du bien‑être actuel ne sont pas toujours allées de pair avec des progrès concernant les ressources nécessaires à la préservation du bien‑être dans le temps, des signes alarmants se faisant jour pour le capital naturel, humain, économique et social. Au‑delà d'une analyse globale de l'évolution du bien‑être depuis 2010, ce rapport offre une analyse approfondie des 15 dimensions de l'Initiative du Vivre mieux de l'OCDE, notamment de l'état de santé des individus, de leur bien‑être subjectif, de leurs liens sociaux et du capital naturel, entre autres, et présente les résultats de chaque nation dans des profils par pays.