ABSTRACT
Chapter 28 of Agenda 21 defines the local level as one of the major stakeholders for the implementation of this legally non-binding document which was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. As almost five years have gone by since UNCED, the cut-off date (end of 1996) recommended in Agenda 21 for initiating ‘Local Agenda 21 (LA21)’ processes by the municipalities in the signatory countries has passed. A first international evaluation of LA21 processes will be undertaken on the occasion of the UN Special Assembly in June 1997. 1 Keeping this in mind, the aim of this study is to provide an account of the current status of the development and implementation of LA21 in Germany.
