The paper, which was written by ICLEI and published by UNEP, contains proposals on how to involve local government organizations (LGOs) in a strengthened UNEP, including increasing their involvement in agenda setting, early warning and assessment; policy making; implementing global decisions; and monitoring.
18 January 2012: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have published a paper titled “Models for Local Government Organizations (LGOs) involvement in a strengthened UNEP.” The paper, which was written by ICLEI and published by UNEP, contains specific proposals on how to involve LGOs in UNEP’s activities.
The proposed models for increased governmental stakeholder participation are divided into four broad categories, as follows: agenda setting, early warning and assessment; policy making; implementing global decisions; and monitoring. Specific proposals to increase governmental participation in agenda setting, early warning and assessment include the creation of “urban observatories,” which can serve as UNEP’s “urban sensors,” reporting new issues and threats to UNEP, and the inclusion of LGOs in decisions about future Global Environmental Outlooks.
Regarding policy making, proposals relate to ensuring an increased status and role for governmental stakeholders at UN meetings, and improved participation of governmental stakeholders, such as by including them in decision making through “obligatory consultations.”
With regard to implementing global decisions, proposals include the development of a better framework for rapid multi-level implementation that provides the basis for an “implementation alliance” that uses the capacity and willingness of governmental stakeholders to act. Specific proposals to increase governmental participation in monitoring include involving governmental stakeholders in the structure of the proposed voluntary review mechanism for the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).
The paper concludes that local governments, united as LGOs, have some capacity and willingness to engage with global issues, and should therefore, on those issues where cities matter, be more formally and effectively included in the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD), including a strengthened UNEP. [Publication: Models for Local Government Organizations (LGOs) Involvement in a Strengthened UNEP]