Israel Ministry of the Environment -

THE ROAD TO LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY

At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development Local Government Session, local government leaders from around the world, along with representatives of international organizations, joined the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in launching Local Action 21 as the next phase of Local Agenda 21.
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TOWARD LOCAL AGENDA 21

Recognition of the central role that local authorities play in ushering in a sustainable future has led the Ministry of the Environment, the Heschel Center for Environmental Leadership and the Center for Participatory Democracy of the Zippori Community Education Center (in cooperation with other governmental and non-governmental stakeholders) to launch a Local Agenda 21 initiative in 2002.
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FACTS TO REMEMBER

About 91% of the population of Israel lives in urban areas.

There are three types of local authorities in Israel: municipalities with populations of over 20,000; local councils which manage towns with populations of between 2,000 and 20,000 and regional councils which are responsible for several villages grouped within a certain radius.
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TEN PRINCIPLES FOR A SUSTAINABLE LOCAL AUTHORITY

To facilitate the move of local authorities in Israel toward sustainability, the Ministry of the Environment has formulated Ten Principles for a Sustainable Local Authority. The ten principles, accompanied by concrete suggestions for action, are meant to expedite the transition from vision to action.
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ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

How critical are environmental issues to election results? Do voters expect mayoral candidates to relate to environmental issues? Which issues are of most importance to the electorate in different cities in Israel?

To help respond to these and other questions, the Ministry of the Environment commissioned a survey on environmental considerations in local authorities.
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MUNICIPAL COMPETITION ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Sustainable transportation is a key issue in urban planning. In order to highlight and to promote sustainable transport projects in local authorities, the Israeli NGO, Transport Today and Tomorrow, launched a municipal competition on sustainable transport in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of the Interior and Union of Local Authorities in Israel.
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Ms. Valerie Brachya

Deputy Director General for Policy and Planning

A WORD FROM THE EXPERT:

How can we identify or measure local sustainability?

The ecological footprint of a local authority provides a measure of its sustainability. We can identify local sustainability by using such criteria as energy, water, car and land use per person and waste generation per person.

NEWS IN BRIEF:

	Government Approves Program for the Preparation of a Sustainable Development Strategy On May 14, 2003, the Israel government unanimously approved a proposal by Environment Minister Prof. Yehudith Naot to prepare a strategic plan for sustainable development in Israel....
	Mayoral Candidates Sign Environmental Covenant For the first time ever, candidates running for office in municipal elections signed a covenant declaring their commitment to the environment....
	Guide to Mayors on Sustainable Development In preparation for the October 2003 municipal elections, the Ministry of the Interior prepared a guidebook for newly elected municipal officials on the advancement of environmental quality and Local...
	Health and Sustainability The 2003 annual conference of Israel's Healthy Cities Network was dedicated to joint local action on behalf of health and sustainability....
	Green Camp Success Story For the fourth year running, the Ministry of the Environment has continued its green camp project in cooperation with the Association of Community Centers in Israel....

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