| Background | ||||||||
A Memorandum of Understanding
was signed on 14 March 2000 between the Government of the Republic of
Namibia and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark on Co-operation on
Environmental Assistance, 2000 - 2002. In terms of this agreement, the Municipality of Walvis Bay and the Danish Government agreed in 2000 to implement the Walvis Bay Local Agenda 21 Project. In March 2001, the Danish engineering and planning company COWI A/S was contracted to provide technical assistance for the project. The project officially began in Walvis Bay on 15 May 2001. |
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| The Walvis Bay Local Agenda 21 Project | ||||||||
The Walvis Bay Local Agenda 21
Project was an initiative about the environment and the development of
Walvis Bay, Namibia.
In line with Local Agenda 21 principles, the project aimed at achieving a workable balance between managing the environment and promoting economic and social development – the real challenge of sustainable development. The project attempted to make sure that the citizens of Walvis Bay continue to benefit from their environment for generations to come. The project was concerned about the environment and development – at the same time. The project was concerned with protecting the desert, the birds and the sea, with conserving water and energy, and with ensuring that people have decent livelihoods, services and sanitation and are living in a healthy fashion. The overall goal in the almost four years
was to develop policies and action plans and activities for the environmental
management of the Walvis Bay area in line with the Local Agenda 21 approach
for local people to work towards the sustainable development of their
areas. |
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| The project was made up of four inter-related components: | ||||||||
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After almost three and a half years,
the Walvis Bay Local Agenda 21 Project was widely regarded as an effective
intervention that managed to publicise and popularise the principles of
Local Agenda 21 in Walvis Bay. As a result, the need was expressed to
disseminate, with the assistance of Danida, information about the Walvis
Bay LA21 Project to other Local Authorities in Namibia. The Dissemination
of Information on Local Agenda 21 Experiences gained in the Walvis Bay
to Local Authorities in Namibia Project extension was launched in October
2004. |
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| Thinking globally, acting locally: What is Local Agenda 21? | ||||||||
Local Agenda 21 is a United Nations
initiative to involve local communities all over the world in changing
the way we live so that we can protect the planet’s environmental,
economic and social assets for future generations. It outlines the different
mechanisms that all nations can use to achieve sustainable development.
At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 nearly 200 nations signed
up to Agenda 21.
Local Agenda 21 is a complex process that involves many different partners. However throughout the world, thousands of Local Agenda 21 initiatives have already started work, one of which was in Walvis Bay. |
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| What does ‘work towards sustainable environmental management of a town or village’ mean? | ||||||||
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| Many valuable lessons were learned and documented during the Walvis Bay Local Agenda 21 Project, which can be of assistance to other Local Authorities. For more information contact the Habitat Research and Development Centre in Windhoek, Namibia at | ||||||||
| Tel: 09 264 61 26 8200 Fax: 09 264 61 26 8201 e-mail: jacqkorr@iafrica.com.na |
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