Report (Part 2): Sustainable Development Convention 2002

Implementing Agenda 21 in Geneva

Time: 30 October 2002, 16:00 Location: A Chair: Cheryll Gerelle, CEO IBEX Presenters/ Participants: Alexandre Epalle, Etat de Genève Reporter: Danielle Dalsoren (ICVolunteers) Languages: French Key words: Sustainable development, Agenda 21, Canton of Geneva

For the implementation of Agenda 21, the Canton of Geneva is taking the attitude that, before all, it must put its own house in order. This has meant raising the use of recycled paper within the cantonal administration to 99%, limiting parking spaces to 15 per 100 employees and even buying bicycles for employees to ride to work.

Alexandre Epalle, representative of the Canton of Geneva, shed light on the activities that the Canton is implementing in order to fulfil Agenda 21, the sustainable development agenda that arose out of Rio conference (??). He began by highlighting several revisions that were made to the Canton of Geneva's Constitution. After elaboration by the Geneva parliament and consultation by representatives of civil society, researchers, journalists and syndicates, a law was passed regarding public action for the implementation strategy of Agenda 21.

This law established that the cantonal Agenda 21 will act on two different dimensions: first, sustainable development will be integrated into the whole of public policy and administration and second, a specific, cross-cutting program for sustainable development will also be created. Within this first dimension, sustainable development will be integrated into all parts of cantonal government with the three pillar ideals of economic efficiency, social solidarity and ecological responsibility. The cross-cutting program will focus on interdepartmental actions, which often demand a separate entity for administration.

Mr. Epalle emphasized that Geneva has made Agenda 21 a law, and a rather detailed one at that. He emphasized that the civil society has an extremely important role to play for implementing Agenda 21 at a local level. The Canton of Geneva is providing grants and prizes for individuals or firms (non-public) for particularly beneficial projects at the cantonal and local levels. Mr. Epalle gave brief descriptions of some of the articles, including the following:

Article 9: Limits the impact of the Cantonal government on the environment (e.g., requiring the use of recycled paper, limiting parking spaces for employees to 15%)

Article 10: Provides indicators of sustainable development at the level of towns, regions and abroad.

Article 11: Addresses training and information: emphasizes that teachers must include sustainable development in school curriculum, urges for informing the general population and particularly firms about sustainable development issues.

In order to provide something even more concrete, the canton developed a legislative calendar as a directing plan for specific actions. A couple examples of such actions that were accomplished in 2002 were the development of guides for towns, as well as small and medium sized enterprises, to implement sustainable development and the awarding of prizes and grants for outstanding sustainable development projects.

Interesting Questions
A member of the audience asked who received the prize and grant this year. Mr. Epalle replied that the prize went to the lenders/owners of the Forest of Verrier, who devised an exchange to provide wood for heating the town's primary school while managing the forest. The grant went to a project that came up a recycle-mobile a bicycle with bins for glass, plastic, and other recyclable wastes, which would patrol its neighborhood. He emphasized that the jury is made up of members of civil society, giving awards to members of civil society.

When asked if there were other cantons in Switzerland that are implementing Agenda 21, Mr. Epalle replied that the canton of Vaud is actually much more advanced than Geneva.

Conclusions
The Canton of Geneva is taking Agenda 21 to heart it has changed its constitution, creating laws and implementing direct actions to make the canton more sustainable.