LOCAL AGENDA 21

The Local Agenda 21 was initiated by the United Nations in 1992 at the World Conference for Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Local Agenda 21 promotes the principles of sustainable development to local level administrations, and is implemented by more than 3000 cities in Europe.

At the initiative of the Environmental Partnership Foundation and the National Center for Sustainable Development, the Local Agenda 21 Program started in Miercurea-Ciuc in October 2001. The program was implemented and co-financed in partnership with the Environmental Partnership Foundation and with the Miercurea-Ciuc Local Government, the National Center for Sustainable Development and the UN Development Program.

The most important outcome of the program was the elaboration of the Sustainable Development Strategy of Miercurea Ciuc and its action plan.

Seeing the success of the program in Miercurea Ciuc, the Environmental Partnership Foundation helped in extending the program to other Romanian towns.

A new partnership agreement was made with the National Center for Sustainable Development and the US based Environmental Law Institute in order to implement a sustainable development program, linked to Agenda 21, in two more Romanian cities: Mediaș and Sighişoara.

In order to succeed, the above mentioned three partners implemented a project which included small grants and capacity-building components. Both components had the goal of enhancing the cooperation among different local stakeholders in order to move forward with sustainable development in the two cities. As part of the program three small projects related to environmental protection were funded. The projects were implemented by local NGO coalitions.

The three projects were:

-"Pro Natura Mediensis - The Citizens of Mediaș and the Nature - A Sustainable Cohabitation" - in Mediaş
- Preservation and development of the natural potential of the Serches Lake in Sighişoara; and
- Adopt an Oak - in Sighişoara