A Grassroots Reflection on Agenda 21

THIS PAPER REPORTS on the findings from a survey of NGOs and community-based organizations to assess the usefulness of Agenda 21, the programme of action that 179 governments formally endorsed at the Earth Summit (the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The survey also sought to determine what action had been taken as a result of Agenda 21 and how Agenda 21 could be made more relevant and useful. The survey was undertaken by the Environmental Liaison Centre International, a global network of some 800 NGOs dedicated to "…facilitating the voice and collective action of the grassroots.” The report describes the information-gathering process for the survey, the findings, the NGOs and community organizations that took part in the process and ends with conclusions and recommendations and a five-page summary of Agenda 21. The findings map out the main work areas of the survey respondents, the main problems they face in getting needed changes, and how Agenda 21 is (or is not) being implemented by governments.