sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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The challenge remains to build democratic and pluricultural societies from which ethnic
inequities have been eliminated and which give effective recognition to the contributions and worldview
of the region’s indigenous peoples (ECLAC/UNFPA, <strong>20</strong>09).
4. Non-governmental organizations
Agenda 21, chapter 27, states that non-governmental organizations play a vital role in the shaping and
implementation of participatory democracy. It goes on to say that the community of non-governmental
organizations offers a global network that should be tapped, enabled and strengthened in support of
efforts to achieve <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>.
The opening and democratization seen in most countries in the region in the 1980s and 1990s
enabled non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to be set up with missions in different areas of
<strong>development</strong>. In the environmental arena, this did not translate into broadening the social base of
environmental organizations in the region but rather transnationalizing many of them through financial
and programme links with NGOs in developed countries (UNEP, <strong>20</strong>10). Despite this, over the past two
decades, non-governmental organizations in the region have matured and helped to advance the transition
to <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> by means of programmes and projects on a whole range of issues, such as
informal environmental education, <strong>sustainable</strong> resource management, support for local communities faced
with socio-environmental conflicts, and other initiatives.
Since 1992, non-governmental organizations in the region have also been actively involved in
implementing projects and actions to further full implementation of Agenda 21. The World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg promoted partnership-building between civil society and
international organizations and Governments to generate <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> actions. One such is the
Partnership for principle 10, which seeks to develop practical actions to ensure citizen access to
information, participation and justice in environmental matters. The members of this partnership are four
Latin American and Caribbean Governments and 10 NGOs from the region.
Funding is still a key issue for NGOs. To ensure the sustainability of their programmes and
activities, NGOs are now expected to be more transparent and accountable for their actions.
5. Local authorities
Agenda 21, chapter 28, states that, because so many of the problems and solutions relating to <strong>sustainable</strong>
<strong>development</strong> have their roots in local activities, the participation and cooperation of local authorities will
be a determining factor in fulfilling this objective.
Local governments have called for greater inclusion of stakeholders in international negotiation
processes and for greater recognition for their special status as governmental institutions. This special status
was recognized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the
sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16), in Cancun, Mexico in December <strong>20</strong>10, where
local governments were described as “governmental stakeholders” for the first time (ICLEI, <strong>20</strong>11a).