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THE AGENDA 21

What is Agenda 21?

Agenda 21 is a program of action into21st century for bringing the Earth into asustainable future. It was adopted by theparticipating government of the world inthe United Nations Conference onEnvironment and evelopment !UNCE"#otherwise $nown as the Earth %ummit# in&io de 'aneiro# (ra)il in 'une 1**2.

Sustainable Development

It focuses on improving the +uality of lifefor all of the Earth,s citi)ens withoutincreasing the use of natural resources

beyond the capacity of the environmentto supply them inde-nitely. It re+uires anunderstanding that inaction hasconse+uences and that we must -ndinnovative ways to change institutionalstructures and inuence individualbehavior. It,s about ta$ing action#changing policy and practice at alllevels# from the individual to theinternational.

Schematically using thee cicles !othe taget dimensions o!  Envionment" Economy and Society

Economic# %ocial andEnvironmental processes areinterlin$ed. /ublic and privateagents ali$e cannot be permittedto act one0dimensionally andisolation. Instead# their actionsmust ta$e into account theinterplay between the threedimensions

%ustainable development goesbeyond environmentalconservation. In order to satisfyour material and immaterialneeds# we re+uire economicprosperity and solidarity in oursociety.

 he sustainable development callsfor long0term structural change inour economic and social systems#with the aim of reducing the

consumption of the environmentand resources to permanentlyaordable level while maintainingeconomic output potential andsocial cohesion.

The #hilippine Agenda 21

/A 21 is our own national agenda forsustainable development. It is basicallymade up of3

0 he /rinciples of unity0 he Action Agenda0 he Implementation %trategies

The $ision o! #A 21

 he /A 21 envisions a better +uality of life for all through the development of a 4ust# moral# creative# spiritual#economically0vibrant# caring# diverse yetcohesive society characteri)ed byappropriate productivity# participatoryand democratic process and living inharmony within the limits of the carryingcapacity of nature and the integrity of creation.

The Enhanced #A 21 has %ve &'(goal elements as !ollo)s*

1. /overty &eduction3 /overty is acentral concern of sustainabledevelopment. Consistent withthis# the various consultationsfor the updating of /A 21 haveyielded poverty reductionagenda that includes measures

to create and enablingeconomic environment forsustained and broad0basedgrowth5 improve employment#productivity and income5 andattain food security.

2. %ocial E+uity3 %ocial e+uityshould mean allocation of resources on the bases of e6ciency and e+uity to achievebalanced development.

7. Empowerment and 8ood8overnance3 Empowerment is aprecondition of informalchoices. 8ood governance is a

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necessary precondition toempowerment# asempowerment is to goodgovernance.

9. /eace and %olidarity3 he cycleof poverty and conict goes onas the cost of war escalate interms of various $inds of 

destruction while withholdingfunds for basic services#resulting in more poverty andunderdevelopment.

:. Ecological Integrity3 in general#the path towards enhancing theintegrity of the country,secological domain will have toinvolve heightened andsustained implementation of environmental laws# as well as

the continued pursuit of resource conservation# andenvironmental restoration;enhancement programs.

The thee &+( ,ey Actos inSustainable Development Wo-*

1. .usiness" the $ey actor ineconomy# which is mainlyconcerned with producing

goods and services for people.2. Govenment" the $ey actor in

polity# which is concerned withdemocratic governance andsecurity of human rights.

7. /ivil Society" the $ey actor inculture# which is concerned withthe development of the socialand spiritual capacities of human beings.

0ive !oms o! go)th ae identi%edas leading to unsustainabledevelopment

1.  obless Go)th results wheneconomic output increasesamidst high unemployment andunderemployment.

2. 3uthless Go)th is forcing

millions of <ilipinos to live inpoverty constraining them fromdeveloping as full beings.=eanwhile# few individualbillionaires;millionaires en4oy an

income level e+uivalent to thecombined income of themillions in poverty.

7. 0utueless Go)th resultsfrom the destruction of naturethrough improper miningpractices# use of pesticides#insu6cient and improper

environmental planning for theconstruction of dams and arange of other ecologicallyunsound development pro4ects.

9. 3ootless Go)th refers to thecultural decay and loss of meaning and identity whichoften accompany economicgrowth fueled by globali)ationand the entrance of  materialistic lifestyles of 

industriali)ed countries.

:. $oiceless Go)th is economicgrowth racing ahead of directhuman rights and democraticprocesses and participatorygovernance essential tomodern societies.

 o these -ve undesirable forms of 

growth can be added a si>th.4eaningless Go)th resultswhen come combination of theother -ve forms of undesirablegrowth bloc$s the creativity of thehuman spirit. he resulting loss increativity# perspective# meaning#hope# and morality necessarilye>presses itself in suicide#violence# drug addiction# crime#corruption and other social ills.

E5ecutive Summay

/A 21 is part of the country,s responseto ful-ll its commitments in the historicEarth %ummit in 1**2 wheregovernment and $ey sectors of societyagreed to implement an action agendafor sustainable development $nown asAgenda 21. /A 21 see$s to answer four!9" +uestions3

• ?here are we now@

• ?hat is sustainabledevelopment@

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• ?here do we want to go@

• ow do we get there@

Whee ae )e no)?

The cuent and Emeging6andscape !o SustainableDevelopment

Achieving sustainabledevelopment is a formidable tas$.ence# the 4ourney towardssustainable development must begrounded on a clear understandingof the challenges trends andopportunities that lie ahead.

1 Demogaphic Tends2 /ultual Tends

+ Science and TechnologyTends

7 Economic Tends' 8bani9ation Tends: Human Development Tends; Envionmental Tends< =nstitutional Tends> #olitical Tends

What is Sustainable Development?

A /onceptual 0ame)o- !oSustainable Development

 he ?orld Commission onEnvironment and evelopment!?CE"# in its report BurCommon <utureD published in1*F# de-nes sustainabledevelopment as Bmeeting theneeds of the present generationwithout compromising the abilityof the future generations to meettheir own needsD

 hus# the essence of sustainabledevelopment is in the harmoniousintegration of a sound and viableeconomy# responsible governance#social cohesion;harmony andecological integrity to ensure that

development is a life0enhancingprocess. he ultimate aim of development is humandevelopment now and throughfuture generations.

Whee do )e )ant to go?

Elements o! a Shaed $ision

In concreti)ing the vision# /A 21describes a path of images forindividuals# families# householdsand communities5 for eachecosystem and across ecosystemsin consideration of the interactionof the various life capes andlandscapes found therein. he /A21 adheres to the followingprinciples of sustainabledevelopment.

• #imay o! Developing Human

#otential• Holistic Science and

Appopiate Technology

• /ultual" 4oal and Spiitual

Sensitivity

• Sel! Detemination

• National Soveeignty

• Gende Sensitivity

• #eace" de and National8nity

• Social ustice and =nte@"=nta@geneational and SpatialEuity

• #aticipatoy Democacy

• =nstitutional $iability

• $iable" Sound and .oad basedEconomic Development

• Sustainable #opulation

• Ecological Soundness

• .iogeogaphical euity and

/ommunity .ased 3esouce4anagement

• Global /oopeation

Ho) do )e get thee?

peational 0ame)o- andAction Agenda

 he perational <ramewor$ of 

/hilippine Agenda 21 consists of amultilevel guide for decision0ma$ing consisting of sustainable

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development criteria# parametersand descriptors.

perationally# sustainabledevelopment is development thatdraws out full human potentialacross ages and generations. It is#at the same time# ecologically

friendly# economically sound#politically empowering# socially 4ust# spiritually liberating# gendersensitive# based on holisticscience# technologicallyappropriate# builds upon <ilipinovalues# history# culture ande>cellence and

/A 21 advocates a fundamentalshift in development thin$ing and

approach. It departs fromtraditional conceptual framewor$sthat emphasi)e sector based andmacro0concerns. /A 21 promotesharmony and achievessustainability by emphasi)ing3

• A scale of interventionthat primarily are0based. he national

and global policyenvironment buildsupon and supportarea0based initiatives.

• Integrated islanddevelopmentapproaches whereapplicable.

• /eople and theintegrity of nature atthe saltier of  developmentinitiatives.

Action Agenda

 he Action Agenda at the level of

ecosystems consists of strategic andcatalytic interventions covering thefollowing ecosystems and criticalresources.

Ecosystems

• <orest;upland ecosystem

• Coastal and marineecosystem

• Urban ecosystem freshwaterecosystem

• Gowland;Agricultural

ecosystem

/itical 3esouces• =inerals

• (iodiversity

Stengthening the 3ole o! 4aBoGoups

perationali)ing sustainabledevelopment involves the interloc$ingcomponents of an ecosystem and howthese interrelate towards de-ningspeci-c roles and addressing speci-cneeds of individual sectors. heidenti-cation of $ey players and theirinteraction provide a basis for deepeningour analysis and treatment of theecosystem# as well as the de-nition of the varying roles that varioussta$eholders are e>pected to play forachieving sustainable development.

/ategoies o! maBoSta-eholdes

.asic Sectos  H comprisethe ma4or poverty groups5<armers# Gandless ruralwor$ers# -sherfol$#Indigenous people and theurban poor.

=ntemediaies C  serve asthe fulcrum upon whichsocio0economic# cultural andpolitical interventionstowards sustainabledevelopment depend. heseare the <ormal institutionsthat include 8overnmentrgani)ation# Church0basedrgani)ation# civic groups

and professionalassociations5 mass media5and the internationalcommunity.

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3oles o! the 4aBo Goups inSustainable Development

 he roles of the ma4orsta$eholders in sustainabledevelopment are de-nedaccording to sectoral needs#motivation# or interest and

perspectives. But there arebasic key holders that areconsidered “common” among the basic sectors andthe intermediaries. In theperformance of this role# itsinterventions must gobeyond the protection of theenvironment. It implies aresponsibility to eect abalance between

development and ecologicaldimensions. E+uity andsocial 4ustice are primarygoals that should also beachieved.

The 6ocal Agenda 21

 he /A 21 emphasi)es the importance of 

locali)ation as a strategy for itsimplementation. It de-nes as a processthat involves the formulation of localsustainable development action agenda#and the establishment of local %councils to implement the said agenda./A 21 sees that locali)ation will ensurethat % ta$es root in each region#province# city and municipality.

n the 2:th day of 'anuary 1***# =..

No. 9F was issued by the 6ce of the/resident to strengthen theoperationali)ation and locali)ation of /A21 and to monitor its implementation.

A number of regions have alreadyformulated their own Gocal Agenda 21#serving as the region,s guide andspringboard for the formulation by thelocal governments# regional line

agencies# and all other entities of theirrespective %ustainable evelopmentAgenda.

%ummari)ed by3

3onel Gealadi9o

Dagohoy   (/A