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National Strategy for Local Impact in Norway
STRATEGYStrengthen local government
CHALLENGE
To encourage and assist local governments in Norway to implement sustainable development in the form of Local Agendas 21
ACTION
Create a supportive national framework to provide local governments with the regulatory, jurisdictional and financial resources they need to implement Local Agendas 21
PROFILE
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (NALRA)
Population: 4.5 million located in 434 municipalities and 19 counties
Land Area: 324,000 km2
Budget: US$21 million
CASE
Agenda 21 calls on all local authorities to engage with their populations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and business sectors in order to develop Local Agenda 21 (LA21) action plans for sustainable development. Norway is one of the many countries that adopted Agenda 21 at the national level and is now supporting LA21.
Much of the foundation for the LA21 effort in Norway originally was laid in environmental protection reforms. In 1993, the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (NALRA) and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) began a local environmental management program that eventually included almost all of Norway's 434 municipalities.
The objective of the program was to enable local governments to integrate environmental protection and natural resource management into their overall planning processes. The participating municipalities were required to have their environmental management plans in place by the end of 1996.
Local governments received state grants so that they could appoint coordinators for environmental affairs. In addition, the MoE allocated considerable funds for training, networking and exchange of information. The resulting network of environmental coordinators in each municipality provided a good base from which to begin the LA21 initiatives.
In 1996 and 1997, the national government developed a White Paper that emphasized that sustainable development must be based on three perspectives:
- an ecological perspective that deals with maintaining nature's production capacity,
- a generational perspective that deals with a more equitable distribution of goods between generations,
- a welfare perspective that deals with equitable distribution of goods around the globe today.
The MoE and NALRA organized a conference in Fredrikstad in February 1998, bringing together more than 700 representatives from the central and local government and NGOs. The event gave participants more details on their roles and opportunities in the LA21 effort. Local governments were asked to endorse the Fredrikstad Declaration, which committed them to mobilize their residents, NGOs and other social partners to play an active part in LA21 processes, and to establish suitable meeting places and networks. This conference and the declaration provided the impetus needed to get LA21 going in Norway.
While responsibility for coordinating the LA21 effort at the national level rested with the MoE, NALRA worked in close cooperation to coordinate with local governments. Most of the work was to be done locally, with each municipality deciding what issues to tackle first depending on their local conditions and challenges.
To support this work, the MoE, NALRA and the counties worked together to develop a regional network of LA21 nodes. This network was established in 1998 and 1999. The MoE and NALRA also jointly publish a periodical called Local Agenda 21 four times each year. Information sharing between the local authorities was further facilitated by the launch of a national internet site for LA21 (www.agenda21.no).
When the MoE and NALRA first initiated the LA21 program, they committed to a five-year program, to end in 2002. During the program's last year, NALRA is focusing its efforts on ensuring that LA21 concepts have become a regular part of municipal planning and budgeting processes. They have just issued a position paper on the role of municipalities and counties in continuing sustainable development work in the coming years. The position paper also provides input into the development of a national strategy for sustainable development, which is expected to be completed in May 2002, and will move Norway from LA21s to a national Agenda 21.
RESULTS
By the fall of 2000, more than half of Norway's municipalities and all 19 counties had endorsed the Fredrikstad Declaration. In a 2000 survey, 70% of municipalities claimed to be carrying on some kind of LA21 activity. However, the level of effort within each municipality varies considerably, with 40% having started some kind of project.
A more recent (March 2002) survey showed that 80% of the municipalities plan to continue their LA21 work, either at the same level (60%) or at an intensified level (20%).
Local projects that have been implemented under the LA21 banner include attempts to come up with more sustainable and holistic solutions for housing, transport, energy use and changing public attitudes. Many of the LA21 projects are focusing on informing and mobilizing the public, whereas only a few focus on more physical tasks, such as changes to energy infrastructure or transport.
LESSONS LEARNED
When the municipalities were first asked to develop environmental management plans by 1996, it turned out that the most successful municipalities were those that incorporated their environmental management plans into their normal planning and budget systems. Municipalities that developed stand-alone environmental management plans ended up with plans to which nobody paid very much attention. NALRA learned from this experience. Instead of asking for stand-alone LA21 plans, NALRA encouraged the municipalities to include LA21 and sustainable development aspects directly into existing budget and planning documents and processes. More than 80% of the municipalities that undertook LA21 initiatives found this approach to be useful.
While the LA21 work can be coordinated centrally, the majority of the work must be done locally. It is essential to have regional coordinators that are mobile, and that can visit municipalities and other organizations to provide advice and assistance.
LA21 work is complex and results will not be seen overnight. It is like building a cathedral, stone by stone. With patience and perseverance, the task can and will be accomplished over time.
CONTACT
Mr. Ole Jørgen Grann, Environmental Advisor
Norway Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Fax: +47-22/83 62 04
Email: ole.grann@ks.no
Website: www.ks.no
National LA21 Program in Turkey
In 1997, the International Union of Local Authorities-Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (IULA-EMME) initiated the "Promotion and Development of Local Agendas 21 in Turkey" project with the support of the UN Development Programme-Capacity 21. The project sought to build the capacity of local authorities to develop local action plans based upon participation, involvement of local actors, establishment of local "partnerships" and decentralization of local decision-making processes. The project was successfully completed in December 1999, and was selected to be the most successful and far-reaching project amongst the Capacity 21-supported programs conducted in 50 countries.
Building on these achievements a continuation project was launched in January 2000. This project seeks to strengthen decentralized governance by ensuring that civil society is able to participate in decision making and influence local investment. The continuation project encompasses five main objectives, including creating a mechanism through which LA21 processes can influence local decision making and ensuring that LA21 receives long-term sustained support. Project partners from Turkey currently include 48 cities and 5 regional associations of local authorities.
