Local Agenda 21 Mandate

Local Agenda 21 is the action plan for a sustainable development of a municipality, set up by local government together with the local stakeholders and citizens. The mandate for setting up a Local Agenda 21 was given to local governments world-wide at the UN conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. ICLEI, acting on behalf of local governments, had brought in this mandate which was incorporated into chapter 28 of Agenda 21, the final document of UNCED.

Each Local Authority should enter into a dialogue with its citizens, local organisations and private enterprises and adopt "a local Agenda 21”. Through consultation and consensus-building, local authorities would learn from citizens and from local, civic, community, business and industrial organisations and acquire the information needed for formulating the best strategies. The process of consultation would increase household awareness of sustainable development issues. Local authority programmes, policies, laws and regulations to achieve Agenda 21 objectives would be assessed and modified, based on local programmes adopted. Strategies could also be used in supporting proposals for local, regional and international funding. (Agenda 21, 28.3)

Local Agenda 21 Process Methodology

: The LA21 Process (Click to enlarge)

Sustainable development requires involving all citizens in their area of responsibility in the community: in business, administrations, political offices, societies or private households. Together they should undergo a change in outlook, which will consequently lead to a change in patterns of behaviour: How can the desired quality of life be reached for all people with a concurrent reduction in the consumption of natural resources? Agenda 21 argues that a direct dialogue concerning these matters can most effectively be initiated by local authorities:

As the level of governance closest to the people, they play a vital role in educating, mobilising and responding to the public to promote sustainable development. (Agenda 21, 28.1.)

Since 1992 more and more European municipalities have started Local Agenda processes that usually are carried out through five steps:

Setting up a Local Agenda forum and/or working groups, ideally consisting of the administrative, political and business representatives, plus societies and private households;

Discussion and analysis of the main local issues;

Identification of goals and ideas for action for the sustainable development of the municipality;

Integration into a Local Agenda 21 action plan which is adopted by the city council;

Implementation of the action plan, again including all representatives.

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To achieve a useful result in this process, a competent facilitation of the working groups, a professional process management through the municipal administration as well as the continued involvement of the municipal leaders are of outstanding importance.

Local Agenda 21 in Europe

ICLEI's latest world-wide Local Agenda 21 survey documents that by the year 2002 more than 5,000 local governments throughout Europe have started their own Local Agenda 21 process. More than 2,000 of them have signed the Aalborg Charter of European Sustainable Cities and Towns towards Sustainability. The results and strategies, however, vary.

Some communities have adopted comprehensive municipal development plans, which are, however, not immune to problems in their realisation. For this reason, many municipalities go for a patchwork of ideas and projects which are translated into action directly with the relevant partners who helped develop them. This type of Local Agenda 21 is favoured especially in those countries of Europe with advanced routines and experience in planning and public participation.