Local Agenda 21

As a Local Agenda 21 action program is called, is to develop a community or region towards sustainability. Model for this community action program is a 1992 by then 178 UN member states passed in global program, Agenda 21, this includes actions in many policy fields in order to make the life and economy of the human species fit for the future ( " to survive the 21st Century" ). The Agenda 21 speaks besides the international institutions and national governments on all political levels; in Chapter 28 of this document, all municipalities of the signatory countries will be asked to create at their level, such a sustainability-oriented action program. This will be done in collaboration with citizenship, civil society organizations and the private sector. A common slogan is " Think globally - act locally"

" Since many of the issues raised in Agenda 21 problems and solutions are related to activities at the local level, the participation and cooperation of local authorities is a key factor in achieving the objectives set out in the agenda. [ ... ] Until 1996, most local authorities in each country should jointly subjected to a consultative process with their populations and achieved a consensus on a local Agenda 21 "for the community."

Worldwide process

Worldwide in over 10,000 cities and towns citizens, groups, clubs, associations and initiatives together with the administrations and representatives from the business community have begun to push for the implementation of Agenda 21 at the local level. The majority of these communities is in Europe. In Germany there are already more than 2,600 municipalities that have adopted a council decision to develop a Local Agenda 21.

Since the Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 is short, have numerous representatives of European local authorities at conferences in 1994 in Aalborg, Denmark and 1996 in Lisbon to the full text of Agenda 21 Following further guidance was drawn up and agreed how to design a process of creating a local Agenda 21. This was stated in the Aalborg Charter and the Lisbon Declaration. Since then, one can speak of a concept for this participation process.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 an extensive record of 900 municipal representatives was held on the Local Government Session. They found that many individual measures pointing in the direction formulated in 1992, but in the municipalities still resistance to the comprehensive reform program " Local Agenda 21" are made.

Another conference of European communities, 2004 in Aalborg deepened the concept of " Local Agenda 21" and urged realization of the original concept. In the final document " Aalborg Commitments " whose procedures were described accurately. The main elements are:

  • Inventory ( Sustainability Report and current objectives / measures)
  • Joint setting of goals (guiding principles and measurable goals ),
  • Deriving measures from those objectives,
  • Regular performance review.

"We have to participate actively the vision of inclusive, prosperous, creative and sustainable cities and towns that offer high quality of life to all inhabitants and give them the opportunity to participate in all aspects of urban life. " ( Aalborg Commitments 2004).

National

Germany

Initial phase (1992-1998)

In the initial phase 1994-1997 (1st generation) were mainly environmental issues and project work in the center of the local Agenda 21 work. The Local Agenda 21 and also the issue of sustainability was anything but a " self-evident ". During this time, considerable resistance had to be overcome and build trust. In Bavaria, in 1997 there were only 80 local Agenda 21 resolutions. Leading the way was Berlin in the Local Agenda 21 Köpenick, in North Rhine -Westphalia, the Local Agenda 21 Munster, in Bavaria, the city of Munich and the Agenda 21 Altmühltal (Landkreis Eichstätt, Altmühltal Nature Park ). Often the first initiative (from 1994) of church circles ( Köpenick, Altmühltal) and educational institutions (Munich ) went out.

Growth phase (1998-2002)

The turning point for the growth phase is marked by the Rio Earth Summit plus 5 in New York. The experience of the first generation were evaluated and led to a bunch of improvements. This resulted eg in Bavaria, the point 21 headquarters and various funding programs. It was mainly about better conditions for a successful Local Agenda 21 process. A major contribution was the clarification of the steps on the Local Agenda 21

Even during the growth phase of the Agenda process in Germany after the reduction of public funds has stalled. Where there regional differences existed here. In addition, depending on personellem commitment of full-time internal or external local Agenda officer and the echo of the local politicians mostly volunteer more or less high frustrations of consistently volunteer Agenda activists.

In order to advance the process of agenda work again, so in 2001 the German Association Agenda was founded in 21 and 2002 Nationwide Service Centre Local Agenda 21 as well as at the country level currently the only national association in Hesse at the federal level. The Hessian Land Association pursues besides the general promotion of voluntary work in the LA -21 implementation specifically highlighting economic projects. In a narrower sense, these are based on creating commercially viable alternatives to fossil energy supplier for the supply of energy sources based on renewable raw materials. The focus here is in the state of Hesse, the use of wood.

Quality phase (from 2002)

Local Agenda 21 has now become the " self-evident " and into a worldwide movement. At the World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, was drawn into the Local Government Session balance sheet and prepare the next phase. Although there are over 10,000 processes worldwide, it comes in many places to the first signs of fatigue. Some processes are even run completely in the "sand". Many municipalities have stopped on the way in the middle or off course. Some are missing a few steps to a successful stopover. Through the local frustration experiences, but also by the similarity of names with Agenda 2000 and especially in Agenda 2010 the image of the Local Agenda 21 has been severely hit in Germany. On the other hand, sustainability and future viability of the central challenges of municipalities in Germany and in the EU has become ( see Study Germany 2020). In the Free State of Bavaria, the largest evaluation of the Local Agenda 21 was carried out in Germany in 1097 with local governments.

Local Agenda 21 processes the 3rd generation

With the model project "Visions for Ingolstadt " a new emphasis was placed internationally and prepared the 3rd generation of instruments. Due to the numerous experiences of the processes of the second generation in Bavaria, Germany and Europe analogous to the states and state governments of the paradigm shift to local sustainability strategy was in the city of Ingolstadt, completed. By Ralf Klemens Stappen a first prototype of the new methodology was developed for the city of Ingolstadt, which is / was the OECD standard for "Sustainable Development Strategies ", provides for the first time at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 at the UNDP. Important is a cyclical and process-oriented understanding of sustainable development and the anchoring in a municipal sustainability management. So today are powerful tools for local sustainability available and a professionalization of the practice is distinguished slowly.

Other new tools include:

  • The model of civic community;
  • The integration with higher-level sustainability strategies (eg the EU or Germany );
  • A strategic orientation
  • Sustainability as a holistic point of view as " umbrella " or " umbrella" for economic, environmental, social, cultural, One World, etc.
  • Wide and qualified citizen participation,
  • Good governance structures for the overall process;
  • High quality results;
  • Anchored conversion mode;
  • Integration with other areas and instruments such as social city, municipal development cooperation

For example, the Local Agenda 21 process the town of Neumarkt

The town of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate ( region of Nuremberg ) has ( with the Ingolstadt-based method ) a Local Sustainability Strategy with City Mission and Urban Development program as the first city in Germany - as part of a Local Agenda 21 process - developed and approved. At the center are six guiding principles, 24 principles for the future of 2025, 17 key projects and 164 individual projects and measures for sustainable urban development (see literature). Neumarkt has a special local culture of sustainability, for example, expresses the fact that the Ökobrauerei Lammsbräu in 2002 received the Environmental Award of the DBU and thus one of the most sustainable and greenest companies in Germany houses. Another special feature is the church's environmental management in the parish of the Holy Cross ( in the context of Agenda 21 Diocesan of the Diocese of Eichstätt ), which was certified as the first parish in Germany according to EMAS ( Eco -Management and Audit ), and the numerous sustainability projects in the district of Neumarkt. The town of Neumarkt 2012 was awarded the German Sustainability Award as most sustainable city in the Mid- Cities.

Similar processes take place in Oslo, Rugby and Cardiff. Central to this is a link to the sustainable urban development and community development.

Goal of quality phase to complete the started Local Agenda 21 processes is high ( intermediate result model ) and the municipalities to prepare well for the challenge of sustainability.

Austria

In Austria, the Local Agenda 21 is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Municipality Sustainability reporting Social policy
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