The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide
from a single jurisdiction impossible. Finally, in many cities, different municipal, provincial, parastatal, and private agencies have
conflicting jurisdictions and compete with each other for resources and customers.
Create clear jurisdiction over the relevant action areas; eliminate jurisdictional competition.
Implementing a comprehensive Action Plan often requires either 1) jurisdictional reform or 2) mechanisms to bring different
jurisdictions together to coordinate the implementation of strategies. Jurisdictional reform can include the extension of existing
municipal boundaries, the amalgamation of multiple jurisdictions into larger local authorities, the renegotiation of service territories,
or the transfer of powers, responsibilities, and resources from one jurisdiction to another. Inter-jurisdictional coordination can be
formally established through the creation of joint commissions or councils with representation from each jurisdiction. Where formal
jurisdictions cannot agree to coordinate with each other, residents can establish informal mechanisms, such as “round tables” or
other stakeholder groups, which consist of influential persons or groups from each jurisdiction. These groups can lobby and facilitate
agreements between the different formal jurisdictions to accept common standards.
Establish structures to coordinate actions between the different jurisdictions and sectors in the service area.
Worksheet 4 provides a matrix that can be used to identify which jurisdictions need to be involved in the implementation of Action
Plan goals. Case #13 demonstrates how one group of municipalities in the Jundiai River Basin in Brazil worked together to establish
a common management strategy for a shared river valley.
5.1.2 DECENTRALIZATION
Securing the participation of service users in the implementation of an Action Plan often requires the decentralization of highly
centralized municipal structures. Decentralization permits municipal departments to work closely with neighborhood organizations
and residents in order to implement programs and evaluate services. At the local level, two major kinds of decentralization are
evident today.
Municipalities are actively decentralizing mechanisms for delivering specific services. For example, solid waste collection services
have been decentralized in numerous cities. La Paz, Bolivia, reorganized its traditional solid waste management department into a
quasi-public enterprise that
WORKSHEET 4 JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION FOR ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
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