PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21
What is A g enda 21? Agenda 21 is a program of action into the 21st century for bringing the Earth into a sustainable future. It was adopted by the participating governments of the world in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), otherwise known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992.
Whatt is Philippine Ag end Wha enda a 21 21 (PA 21)? Philippine Agenda 21 (PA 21) is our own national agenda for sustainable development. It is basically made up of:
The Principles of Unity The Action Agenda The Implementation Strategies
PA 21 is the Philippines’ commitment to the UNCED. It also lays down the mix of strategies that integrate the parameters in the country’s overall development strategy, identifies the intervention areas (or Action Agenda) – from the national to the regional level – with the corresponding implementing platforms and plans. What is the Vision of PA 21? PA 21 envisions a better quality of life for all through the development of a just, moral, creative, spiritual, economically-vibrant, caring, diverse yet cohesive society characterized by appropriate productivity, participatory and democratic process and living in harmony within the limits of the carrying capacity of nature and the integrity of creation. What is sustainable development? Sustainable development as defined in the PA 21 (1996) is “harmonious integration of a sound and viable economy, responsible governance, social cohesion and ecological integrity, to ensure that development is a life- sustaining process.” What is the Enhanced PA 21? Ten yeas after the UNCED, world leaders gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to reinvigorate global commitment to sustainable development. In line with the Johannesburg Summit, the PA 21 was updated into the Enhanced PA 21, particularly noting that:
The rise of globalization and the creation of an external environment of finance, markets, and technology did not seem conducive to sustainable development.
The civil society needs to specify its commitments and contributions to achieving sustainability in the updated document. Government departments need to be imbued with the sustainable development perspective with which to handle issues properly.
What are the Goal Elements of the Enhanced PA 21 21? ? The Enhanced PA 21 has five goal elements, as follows: 1. Poverty Reduction: Reduction: Poverty is a central concern of sustainable development. Consistent with this, the various consultations for the updating of PA 21 have yielded poverty reduction agenda that includes measures to create an enabling economic environment for sustained and broad-based growth; improve employment, productivity and income; and attain food security. 2. Social Equity: Equity: Social equity should mean allocation of resources on the bases of efficiency and equity to achieve balanced development. Efficiency and equity mean the channeling of resources to developing areas where greater economic benefits accumulate and where there is greater need, distribution being dependent on the practicality and urgency of needs. 3. Empowerment and Good Governance: Governance : Empowerment is a precondition of informal choices. Good governance is a necessary precondition to empowerment, as empowerment is to good governance. These two are a defining element of each other. 4. Peace and Solidarity: Solidarity: The cycle of poverty and conflict goes on as the costs of war escalate in terms of various kinds of destruction while withholding funds for basic services, resulting in more poverty and underdevelopment. Integrity: In general, the path 5. Ecological Integrity: towards enhancing the integrity of the country’s ecological domain will have to involve heightened and sustained implementation of environmental laws, as well as the continued pursuit of resource conservation, and environmental restoration/enhancement programs.
What is the Ph ilippine Counci l for S us ta tainabl inable e Development? The Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) is a multi-sectoral body formed to coordinate and monitor the fulfillment of the commitments of the Philippines to the UNCED, and later, the WSSD. It has spearheaded the formulation of PA 21. Who are the key actors in sustainable development work?
Philippine Agenda 21 (PA 21) recognizes three key actors in sustainable development, development, and their roles in different realms of society. They are:
Business, the key actor in economy, Business, the econom y, which is mainly concerned with producing goods and services for people. Government,, the key actor in polity, which is Government concerned with democratic governance and security of human rights. Civil society, society, the key actor in culture, which is concerned with the development of the social and spiritual capacities of human beings. Philippine Agenda 21 is the nation’s blueprint for sustainable development. In concreting the vision, it describes a path for individuals, ind ividuals, families, households and communities; an action plan for each ecosystem (coastal/marine, freshwater, upland, lowland, and urban); and across ecosystems in consideration of the interaction of the various lifescapes and landscapes found therein. The path is grounded on respect and active advocacy for the empowerment of the various social groupings of society to manage the economy, critical resources, society and culture, politics and governance and in the arena of foreign relations. Philippine Agenda 21 advocates a fundamental shift in development thinking and approach. It departs from traditional conceptual frameworks that emphasize sector-based and macro concerns. Philippine Agenda 21 promotes harmony and achieves sustainability by emphasizing.
A scale of intervention that is primarily areabased. The national and global policy environment builds upon and supports areabased initiatives. Integrated island development approaches where applicable. This recognizes the archipelagic character of the Philippines which includes many small island provinces. People and integrity of nature at the center of development initiatives. initiatives. This implies the strengthening of roles, relationships, and interactions between and among stakeholders in government, civil society, labor and business. Basic sectors have an important role to play in achieving
equity and managing the ecosystems that sustain life. PA 21 was adopted on 26 September 1996, with the issuance of Memorandum Order No. 399 by then President Fidel V. Ramos which identified the roles of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and each sector in the operationalization of PA 21. The action agenda is based on the imperatives of the current national situation and emerging landscape for sustainable development. CAPACITY 21 project was a capacity-building initiative designed to assist the government in fulfilling its commitment to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Specifically, it aimed to support the PCSD in integrating the principles of Agenda 21 into national planning and development. The major components of the project were: w ere: (1) formulation of the Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21); (2) documentation of sustainable development practices; (3) human resource development; and (4) conduct of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) programme. These components were aimed at developing stakeholders’ capacity to fulfill their mandate and perform their tasks in pursuit of sustainable development for the country. The Capacity 21 Project has linked several government agencies (such agencies (such as the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources) with several youth organizations from PO and NGOs in the preparation of the Philippine Agenda 21. This is a catalytic project that assisted PCSD members and other stakeholder groups in building their capacity to integrate principles of sustainable development and the Philippine Agenda 21 into their development plans and programmes. One objective of the project is the upgrading and strengthening of the institutional and technical capabilities of PCSD towards the promotion and sustenance of advocacy efforts in sustainable development. That objective will be pursued through the HRD component of the
project which is designed to develop competencies, knowledge and the skills necessary for the formulation, integration, monitoring and evaluation of the Philippine Agenda 21.
Sustainable development is development is development that development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources. GOVERNANCE FOR PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21 The GOPA 21 with the support of the Philippines-Canada Development Fund was implemented from 1999 to 2002 in order to strengthen the capacities of stakeholders at the LGU level in collectively addressing the SD issues. Its overarching goal is the integration of SD and PA21 in the decision-making structures and processes among LGUs. GOPA 21 was implemented in nine pilot sites in the Visayas and Mindanao and focused in the partner sites, participatory and consensus-based formulation of local Agenda 21, and institutionalization of the local agenda 21 into the governance processes of target LGUs. The project was instrumental in doing the following: i) identified and adressed priority following: i) capacity-building to enhance capacities of stakeholders in effecting SD in their respective areas; ii) formulated social marketing plans to broaden social acceptability of SD concepts and initiatives; iii) formulated and adopted policies and ordinances to be able to sustain the project outcomes; iv) defined the elements of localization; and v) conducted and initial assessment of PA 21 implementation. Sustainable Cities Programme in Philippines The Sustainable Cities Programme was implemented in the Philippines through the "Strengthening Local Environmental Planning and Management" (L-EPM) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The Project was established to strengthen the Local Government Units (LGUs) and enhance their capacities for participatory environmental planning and management at the local level,
whilst enhancing the capability of national institutions like DENR and the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) to support LGUs in EPM. Through the financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN-HABITAT, the three year programme was implemented through a Project Management Coordinating Unit (PMCU) established in the DENR, in partnership with the LCP. Tagbilaran City Environmental Management Office (TCEMO) was assisted by three parttime coordinators for (1) solid, toxic and hazardous waste, (2) Air quality and traffic, (3) Coastal resources, water quality and liquid wastes on temporary assignment to the office. Over time these City environmental management tasks have gradually been lodged within the City Planning and Development Office. Successfully promoted the involvement & participation of key stakeholders in LGU decision making on priority environmental concerns, and facilitated the establishment of broader partnerships with other government agencies as well as with communities and the private sector. Working Group members from civil society groups were able to acquire technical knowledge on coastal waste management, which further strengthened their organization's interest and helped develop advocacy strategies to their members, resulting in regular Coastal Cleaning Campaigns. The capacities of the LGU were enhanced in different areas, including the establishment of Environmental Management Information Systems & Geographical Information Systems.
