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Communities respond five years on from Rio

Five years on from the Rio Earth Summit, some 900 delegates from over 50 countries gathered in Newcastle to reaffirm that in working towards global sustainability there is an urgent need to accelerate local programs and plans. The international 'Pathways to Sustainability' Conference was hosted by Newcastle City Council and staged on 1-5 June.

With endorsement from the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Environment Program, International Union of Local Authorities and International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI), in welcoming delegates to Newcastle, Lord Mayor Greg Heys said, "This Conference would not work without its biggest sponsors, you who work and are committed to sustainable development in towns and cities around the world."

Jeb Brugmann, Secretary General, ICLEI acknowledged the foresight of Newcastle in bringing people together to review what has been achieved five years on from Rio and drawing this together to present to the United Nations. The Newcastle Declaration endorsed and signed on World Environment Day, 5 June 1997 the final day of the Conference, will be presented to a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly later this month. This Declaration takes commitment to global action to a new level, providing not only a statement of intent, but a plan of action.

Acknowledging that Local Agenda 21 is the central framework for achieving global sustainability, the document calls on local authorities around the world to develop action plans by the Year 2000 to implement Local Agenda 21, and to monitor and review their progress reporting back by 2002. In the Conference session providing an international report on Local Agenda 21, it was stated that more than 1,800 Local Authorities around the globe were currently participating in a multi disciplinary approach to implement a Local Agenda 21 process. Recent surveys indicate that over 100 of these are Councils within Australia, around one in every seven Councils.

According to Prabha Khosla, Director Local Agenda 21 Incentive Grants Project with ICLEI, who is working with 14 separate communities around the world, including Johnstone Shire in Queensland, the following elements are essential to the success of a Local Agenda 21 process.

• A multi sectoral partnership that includes representatives from all sectors in the community.
• A special effort is needed to include industry, business and low income earners.
• An explicit strategy for communication and information sharing.

Of the 14 Local Authorities involved in this Program, 11 presented case studies at various information sharing workshops during the Conference.

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