Local government implementation of Agenda 21

Abstract According to Action Agenda 21, which was adopted at the Rio Conference in 1992, sustainable development is a major objective for local and global development. Economic growth, good living conditions, and protection of the earth’s natural environment are important to all people in the world. This article focuses on one aspect of sustainable development, i.e. on environmental sustainability. Research shows that local government can take a leading position in protecting the natural environment and disseminating information on it among stakeholders. However, our knowledge about the dissemination of environmental information practices among stakeholders is limited. The purpose of this research is to fill a gap in current knowledge, to describe and compare the practical work with dissemination of such information among stakeholders in Swedish and Polish municipalities. The questions to be answered are: What environmental information is collected and produced by the local government ? At what stakeholders is such information targeted ? and What effects does it have on decision-making by stakeholders in the investigated municipalities ? The study is based on state regulations, the homepages of municipal offices, and policy documents, official reports, and semi-structured interviews with key managers responsible for the protection of the natural environment in the studied municipalities. Data were collected from late 2015 to early 2017. This research indicates that dissemination of environmental information has a positive effect on the decision-making of internal stakeholders. In both countries, the municipal authorities follow the EU recommendations, resulting in innovative work and growing environmental awareness among the municipal authorities, the residents, and other stakeholders. Improvement of the natural environment is perceived as “a must” for the future. Nonetheless, especially larger municipalities face challenges because the production and dissemination of environmental information is time-consuming. In the long run, however, surprisingly positive effects on the local protection of the natural environment appear.

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Local Agenda 21 and Barriers to Sustainability at the Local Government Level in Victoria, Australia

Australian Geographer ◽

10.1080/713612242 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 163-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

David Mercer ◽

Benjamin Jotkowitz

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Agenda 21 ◽

Local Agenda 21 ◽

Local Government Level ◽

Government Level

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Local Government and Emerging Models of Participation in the Local Agenda 21 Process

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management ◽

10.1080/09640569612679 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

pp. 65-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Claire Freeman

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Agenda 21 ◽

Local Agenda 21

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Evaluating Public Participation Mechanisms in LA21 Programs in Malaysia

GATR Global Journal of Business Social Sciences Review - GATR Global Journal of Business and Social Science Review (GJBSSR) Vol.7(1) Jan-Mar 2019 ◽

10.35609/gjbssr.2017.5.3(10) ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 76-83

Author(s):

Hardev Kaur Latchimanan Singh ◽

Shamsinar Rahman

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Local Government ◽

Public Participation ◽

Local Community ◽

Local Level ◽

Community Action ◽

Base Line ◽

Agenda 21 ◽

Bottom Up ◽

Local Agenda 21

Objective - The role of local government in LA21 is important in order to harness local level participation. In Malaysia, as in many other countries, the need to engage the public in sustainable development issues has shifted the focus to more decentralized and bottom up approaches in harnessing public participation in achieving sustainable development. This means that local authorities as the leading partners in LA21 need to work with the local community and the private sector to develop community action plans for sustainability under Local Agenda 21(LA21). Thus, the overall goal of the study is to determine how participation can best be implemented in LA21 programmes in selective councils by evaluating the key participatory mechanisms that have been employed by the councils. Methodology/Technique - This is a qualitative study that was conducted on four specific councils in West and East Malaysia to determine the effectiveness of the participatory mechanisms used in LA21 programs. The main methods of data collection were through the use of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis. Findings - The overall conclusion is that the councils were still using the conventional methods to encourage public participation and hence were not able to enhance public participation in the LA21 program. Novelty - The study will not only create a framework for local councils intending to implement a bottom-up approach to participation but also establish a base-line description of participatory mechanisms in LA21 programmes to encourage further research in this area of evolving LA21 research. Type of Paper: Empirical Keywords: Public Participation; Participatory Mechanisms; Local Government; Local Agenda 21; Sustainable Development. JEL Classification: H83, Q01.

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