PrepCom I: Statement by Local Authorities |
Presentation to CSD 10 Session, PrepCom I - Multistakeholder Panel Sean Southey,
Secretary General
Good Morning, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Commission on Sustainable Development. My name is Sean Southey, I am the Secretary General of ICLEI - the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. I am speaking to you today on behalf of Local Government. ICLEI is facilitating a comprehensive Local Government Preparatory Process for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. We are convinced that the findings of the local government parallel process will provide a major success story in Johannesburg. A much needed success story! EFFECTIVENESS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT'S CONTRIBUTIONS It is apparent that the world has not effectively responded to the challenges laid out in Agenda 21. It has proven substantially more difficult to implement Agenda 21 than anticipated. However, if one looks at the experiences of Local Government, one observes a more positive picture. Local government with our partners have made progress. We have much to offer the global community. And local successes are national successes! They can be a key component of the national experiences to be shared in Johannesburg. LOCAL AGENDA 21 The Local Agenda 21 phenomenon has been one of the most significant achievements arising from the Earth Summit. The Local Agenda has provided an innovative tool for multistakeholder assessment and sustainable development planning, with more than 3,000 having been undertaken globally. CITIES FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION Further, we all know progress on the Kyoto Protocol has stalled. In contrast, Local Government climate protection efforts are very active and demonstrate an ability to set and achieve targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously strengthening local economies. Participants in Icel.'s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign alone account for nearly 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. These experiences, along with the proliferation of locally driven community initiatives since UNICODE and the near global acceptance of the value of decentralization - all speak to the fact that the local governments have a distinct role and the ability to act effectively with the other Major Groups in responding to Agenda 21. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARALLEL PROCESS As the premier umbrella organization for Local Government on sustainable development and environmental management, ICLEI is coordinating the Local Government preparatory process with the endorsement of the International Union of Local Authorities (ILEA), the Secretariat of the UN CSD and others. This process will review the progress on the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Conventions to identify specific strategies for accelerated action in the next decade at the local level. ICLEI believes that the future success and credibility of the international movement for sustainable development for sustainable development depends upon the articulation and endorsement of a locally - focussed, bottom-up strategy at the World Summit. ELEMENTS OF THE PROCESS Local Government is committed to sustainability. The Local Government preparatory process includes extensive regional consultations with Local Government leaders, technical experts, and other partners. Regional meetings have already taken place in Rio, Johannesburg, Melbourne and in Hamilton New Zealand, and valuable insights were gained in Bremen through the Bremen Initiative. Further regional meetings are upcoming in Ann Arbor Michigan, London and in Honolulu. Further, ICLEI has launched a global survey on Local Agenda 21 with support from UNDESA and Capacity 21/UNDP. The findings of the survey will benchmark the pervasiveness of Local Agendas 21 and provide guidance on best strategies to enhance implementation. A report on the findings of the survey, with a Report on the Best Strategy Case Studies for Local Sustainability, will be submitted to the Summit alongside the Official Local Government Position Paper. Our preliminary consultations for Johannesburg 2002 have all pointed to a clear and important message - that local action works - but an effective national enabling environment is essential. We could inform you of innumerable individual success stories - but as isolated measures they are not enough. There need to be supportive national and state policies, finances and programmes to ensure that these successes can be sustained and replicated. RECOMMENDATIONS I would like to leave you with five key recommendations on behalf of the Local Government community.
In closing, I would like to thank you on behalf of Local Government for this opportunity to address the Commission and I wish you good deliberations.
|