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out to pave the way for achieving sustainable development at local level, pursuing the target of improving the quality of life for all people. Basic commitments to respect the “carrying capacity” of ecosystems and the preservation of opportunities for future generations, coupled with the endorsed mechanism of consensus-building via broad-based participation manifest that Local Agenda 21 is not only far-reaching and comprehensive, but is also and essentially a collective project.
The emphasis of Local Agenda 21 on the preparation and implementation of a long-term, strategic action plan that addresses priority local sustainable development concerns essentially necessitates the realization of a “governance” approach encompassing a wide spectrum of participatory mechanisms, based firmly upon local partnerships.
Taking into consideration that the concept of sustainable development needs to be merged with democracy, human rights, participation, transparency, efficiency, accountability and other essential concepts of local governance, it is apparent that local action planning under the umbrella of Local Agenda 21 is simultaneously a project for “developing local democracy”. |
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