Problem overview:
Awareness and visions:
The UN Conference on Environment and Development (The Rio Declaration) recommended each nation create an Agenda for the 21st Century. The process turned out to be a major undertaking, but vital to progress towards sustainable development. Here is how China formalized its sustainable vision into the China Agenda 21.
Background in summary:
Leading Group of China's Agenda 21:
After the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992, the Chinese Government began the process of formulating China's Agenda 21. The Chinese Government decided to establish a Leading Group and an affiliated office, under the direction of the State Planning Commission (SPC) and the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC), to engage in the formulation of China's Agenda 21 and the associated Priority Programme.
Completion:
In March of 1994, China's Agenda 21 was finally completed, based on China's specific national conditions and paying attention to population, environment, and development, sets up a strategic goal of sustainable development that can promote coordinated development of economy, society, resources, and environment.
China's Agenda 21 can be categorized into four parts:
- Comprehensive strategy and policy of sustainable development
- Sustainable social development
- Sustainable economic development
- Rational utilisation of resources and environmental protection
Implementation of China's Agenda 21 can be divided into four main sections:
- Consideration of economic structure adjustment and transformation of the economic development model;
- Gradual integration into national economy and social development plans;
- Strengthening of capacity building for sustainable development by enhancing people's understanding in this regard; and
- Promotion of international cooperation through various channels by formulation and implementation of the Priority Programme for China's Agenda 21.
See document in full
Good practice rating:
(1 for the best, 5 for the lowest score) |
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Sustainability
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Efficiency
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| 2 |
 Improvement in either the environment of economic condition with no harm to the other. |
2 |
Cost efficient. |
| 2 |
Sustainable over time (not one-off) |
Process |
| Adaptability |
3 |
Participation of the community |
| 2 |
Location adaptability (can the project be done in other places?) |
2 |
Participation of resource owners/users |
| 2 |
Socio-cultural adaptability. |
2 |
Partnerships between various actors (Governments, NGO, Academia, Private) |
| 2 |
Level of development adaptability. |
2 |
Degree of coordination and cooperation between government departments. |
| 1 |
Style of government adaptability. |
2 |
Ability to attract political interest/support |
| 2 |
Degree of decentralization adaptability. |
2 |
Procedures for feedback and review. |
Comments on this example:
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Sustainability of the project:
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Awareness and visions:
Integration of the Agenda 21 into economic development plans has focused on establishing and/or improving economic policies with the aim of bringing these policies in line with sustainable development. The government has been actively promoting shifts in the economic development model and reforming the economic structure so that it can utilise resources, reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency.
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Adaptability of the project to other situations:
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Any nation, any level of government, any business or individual will benefit from having a realistic vision of the future. This is not simply an aid to sustainable development, but a pathway to it.
Degree of decentralization adaptability:
Once completed, China's Agenda 21 was taken as a guiding document in the drafting of the Ninth Five-Year Plan and Long-Term Objectives for the year 2010. In the meantime, various sectoral Agenda 21s and action plans were formulated. Later on, at sub-national level, several provinces and municipalities were selected, on experimental basis, to integrate China's Agenda 21 into their economic and social development plans.
| Process of decision making and implementation: |
- The process adopted in its formulation is interesting and if more details were provided on how the people were involved it would be important.
- The mechanism for implementing Agenda 21 is equally important as preparing it. The success of implementation will mainly depend on the strategies taken for implementation and the commitment of all those concerned.
- Framework for coordination: The Government of China adopted the 'Top Down' system for the formulation of China's Agenda 21. As can be seen from context above, the process began when the Chinese government established a Leading Group under the direction of the State Planning Commission (SPC) and the State and Technology Commission (SSTC) to bring together specialists from commissions, ministries under the SPC and SSTC. Along with active participation by related ministries, agencies and people of all part of society.
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Documentation: |
Literature or other written project review references
Information on Agenda 21 (The full text and leads to related materials) can be found at http://www.igc.apc.org/habitat/agenda21
The People's Republic of China National Report on Sustainable Development. Beijing, China, 1997.
China's agenda 21 website http://www.iclei.org/la21/map/acca21.htm
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Source of Information: |
The Administrative Centre for China's Agenda 21
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Contacts: |
Mr. Chen Yuxiang
The Administrative Centre for China's Agenda 21
Tel: 0086-10-62625904
Fax: 0086-10- 62588127
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Submitted by: |
Mr. Chen Yuxiang
Deputy Director
The Administrative Centre for China's Agenda 21
Beijing, China
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