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

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Since 1992, municipalities in Latin America and the Caribbean have made progress in setting up
environment departments and have put in motion processes for integrating the environment with the
economic and social <strong>development</strong> pillars in areas under their institutional and geographic jurisdiction. A
large number have implemented their own local Agenda 21, emphasizing the unique challenges of each
area, including community <strong>development</strong>, tourism, economic <strong>development</strong>, poverty eradication, water
resource management, or culture and heritage preservation. Some of the challenges facing local
authorities are funding difficulties and achieving an optimum scale for solving such problems as waste
treatment or sanitation. Various countries in the region have set up associations of municipalities for
resolving <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> issues by sharing capacities and matching the policy scale to the scale
of problems. Two examples are the Intermunicipal Consortium for the Sustainable Development of
Transamazônica and Xingú, in the Brazilian Amazon (IPAM, <strong>20</strong>11) and Colombia’s associations
of municipalities.
Box III.7 discusses the role local governments could play in greening local economies.
Box III.7
ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN GREENING LOCAL ECONOMIES
Local governments can encourage, enable, motivate and regulate the local economy to make it greener. For instance,
they can:
• Steer municipal investments and purchasing power to influence the market. Environmental and social criteria
can be taken into account in investment and procurement decisions, for example when procuring municipal
vehicles or investing in buildings. Investments in municipal services, such as energy, public transport, waste
and water, can change the energy usage and waste production of a city. Such investments send clear signals to
the market in favour of <strong>sustainable</strong> goods and services.
• Set framework conditions for investments. Local governments can also use their regulatory powers for strategic
urban <strong>development</strong>. A smart, connected and compact city can be enabled through full-costing policies and
methodologies, building codes, land-use policies and energy-efficiency standards.
• Provide incentives and financing. Local governments can influence private sector behaviour through financial
incentives and disincentives, such as environmental taxes, charges or reductions.
• Inform private behaviour. Raising awareness, providing public information and involving stakeholders can
contribute to changing purchasing and consumption patterns of individuals and organizations.
• Drive local innovation. Local governments can set targets and incentives for local renewable energy production,
adopt innovative policies to overcome barriers, pioneer new approaches, create forums for exchanges or bridge
research and local practice.
• Scale up. From procurement to construction, local governments can play a key role in catalysing and scaling up
a green urban economy.
Source: International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), “Green urban economy”, Briefing Sheet, January <strong>20</strong>11.
6. Workers and trade unions
Workers and trade unions in Latin America and the Caribbean are increasingly aware of the importance of
the environment in the public debate. Trade union participation in sectoral, regional and international
discussions on <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> has risen over the past 10 <strong>years</strong>. Box III.8 describes the region’s
most important trade union declarations and platforms. The declaration of the second Trade Union
Conference on Labour and the Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean in <strong>20</strong>09 expresses
concern at the scant progress made in effecting the far-reaching changes required in production, trade and
financing models.