Local Agenda 21 is an initiative that officially originated with the UN Program 21, approved at the Rio Conference in 1992. It defines the action plan that states should implement to change the current development model, based on resource exploitation as if they were infinite, to a model that meets the needs of the current population without compromising the needs of future generations.
Local Agenda 21 is, therefore, a process and a strategy that municipalities must follow to move towards a sustainable development model.
Implementing a Local Agenda 21 process results in a municipal strategic plan based on sustainability principles and, using the initial environmental, economic, and social situation of the territory, sets a series of goals and objectives. Local Agenda 21 is also a participatory process involving all sectors of society.
The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable development at the local level. The concept of sustainable development does not focus solely on ecological aspects but integrates the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the municipality.
The Action Plan process seeks solutions that are socially, economically, and ecologically reasonable, with sufficient public support, based on weaknesses identified during the initial phase or audit phase.
A Local Action Plan is a voluntary instrument guiding local management and policies toward sustainability. It is structured through objectives and actions to be carried out in the municipality over several years and constitutes the fundamental element of local Agendas 21.
The starting point for developing the Action Plan is the Socio-Environmental Diagnosis or Audit (1st phase), which, through a thorough study of the structural, environmental, and socio-economic aspects of the municipality and their interrelation, allows understanding the real situation and planning the municipality’s future sustainably.
To date, the Energy Department of the Ribera Consortium has defined the environmental audit of Llaurí (2011) and the Local Agenda 21 of Alginet (2015).
