Strengthening environmental governance and environmental management at the local level

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Strengthening environmental governance and
environmental management at the local level

• Keti Samadashvili,
• Environmental Policy and LEAPs Programme manager,
• REC Caucasus

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Local Environmental Action Programmes (LEAPs)

• LEAPs are effective tool for
• addressing environmental problems by involving a
  broad range of community stakeholders in the
  process of developing and implementing local
  environmental action plans
• increasing public awareness, public access to
  information, and public involvement in local
  environmental issues.

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1. Strengthened Environmental Governance.

• LEAPs have strengthened environmental governance
  in communities throughout the EECCA region
• Increased public awareness of and access to
  information on environmental issues. LEAPs have
  increased public awareness of and access to
  information on environmental issues. For
  example, LEAP pilot communities have compiled
  information about local environmental conditions
  (Status report)
• Improved local decision-making. LEAPs have
  improved local decision-making by involving key
  stakeholders at the local level (stakeholders
  committee).

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1. Strengthened Environmental Governance (cont.)

• Improved accountability and transparency of local
  government. LEAPs have improved the
  accountability and transparency of local
  government by ensuring that local government
  adopts publicly-developed local action plans
  (Statements of Local governments, Final city
  conferences, memorandum of understanding and etc)
• Increased citizen involvement in addressing local
  environmental issues. LEAPs have resulted in
  increased citizen involvement in addressing local
  environmental issues. For example, citizens in
  LEAP pilot communities have implemented a broad
  range of environmental actions, including
  planting trees, repairing wells, and cleaning up
  illegal disposal sites.

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2. Improved Environmental Conditions.

• LEAPs have resulted in quantitative improvements
  in environmental conditions
• Increased environmental investments at the local
  level. LEAPs involve the preparation of local
  action plans that describe the most effective
  approaches for addressing priority environmental
  issues. Local governments in EECCA are
  increasing their contribution of local resources,
  as well as national and donor funding, to address
  environmental issues.
• Increased implementation of environmental
  projects LEAPs emphasize action implementation
  as an integral follow-up component of the
  planning process, with stakeholder oversight.

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3. Increased Long-Term Capacity

• The RECs in EECCA have increased the capacity to
  assist communities in the region to implement
  LEAPs
• Increased number of citizens and municipal staff
  trained in environmental management. Working as
  participants in community-based stakeholder
  groups, citizens and municipal staff have
  received training on how to develop local action
  plans and manage local environmental issues.
• Increased number of new communities that are
  implementing LEAPs. Several EECCA countries have
  started to initiate LEAPs in a second round of
  pilot projects.
• Prepared guidance materials and widely
  disseminated information about LEAPs. The EECCA
  RECs have prepared training materials,
  informational brochures, and guidance documents
  on how to implement LEAPs to municipalities
  throughout the region (Guideline for LEAPs
  implementation, Newsletter on LEAPs and etc).

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4. Encouraged regional cooperation

• Encouraged regional cooperation by
• Developing and implementing transboundary LEAPs
  projects. Transboundary LEAP for the
  neighbouring settlements of Otaci (Edinet county,
  Republic of Moldova) and Moghilev Podolskii
  (Vinnita Region, Ukraine).
• Organizing international conferences on LEAPs
• (July, 2003, Kishinev December, 2006, Tbilisi).

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Recommended actions for promoting LEAPs
throughout the EECCA region

• Encourage national government to develop LEAP
  requirements
• Promote wide spread implementation of LEAPs
  throughout the region
• Establish extensive cadre of professionals
  trained in LEAP methodology
• Provide funding for local governments to develop
  LEAPs and implement actions addressing
  environmental priorities
• Promote continued exchange of experience
• Encourage trans-boundary cooperation
• Disseminate LEAP information

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The Small Grants Programme for Sustainable
development of the Caspian Communities

• 1,2 mln Euro for grants for local communities in
  Caspian sea.
• 100 settlements were involved
• Supported more than 150 projects
• Creation of new work places in rural area,
  capacity building of local enterprises /
  authorities / NGOs

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For more information Please visit

• www.carec.kz
• www.rec-caucasus.org
• www.rec.md
• www.rusrec.ru