WHO CAN DELIVER SUSTAINABILITY - MUNICIPAL REFORM AND THE SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT MANDATE

In spite of the international policy and financial shortcomings of the 1992 Earth Summit, it did establish a cross-sectoral consensus on the concept of sustainable development. This consensus must now be operat ionalised, if not through treaties and new international assistance pr ogrammes, then though a period of decentralised experimentation. Such experimentation must be guided by specific operational concepts that a re practicable within the distinct operating environments of different sectors and institutions. This paper forwards one such concept, and p resents a hypothesis, based on the research and field experience of st aff of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives a nd the conclusions of three discussions about the need for intermediar y institutions to facilitate reforms in local governments and local se rvice strategies that will be required to implement the proposed conce pt. These discussions, involving representatives of 35 local governmen ts and local development organisations from 26 countries, included str ategy sessions to review the general planning framework to be used in the ICLEI Programme, called the Local Agenda 21 Model Communities Prog ramme. This hypothesis is to be tested in an ICLEI programme to establ ish a sustainable development planning process that includes involveme nt of a locally appropriate intermediary institution.