At the World Summit on Sustainable Development Local Government Session in Johannesburg, local government leaders from around the world adopted the Johannesburg Call in which they committed themselves to the sustainable development of the planet and people and called for an evolution from Local Agenda 21 to Local Action 21. They stated that "We also commit ourselves to developing very practical, realistic Action Plans and to implement them through Local Action 21 programs to realize these goals."(1)

Accordingly, the local government leaders as well as representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-HABITAT and the World Health Organization (WHO), joined ICLEI in launching Local Action 21 as the next phase of Local Agenda 21. ICLEI continues to encourage all local authorities to engage in Local Agenda 21 processes and involve citizens and stakeholders in sustainable development planning to jointly agree on a vision, goals and a local action plan towards sustainability. Once a Local Agenda 21 has been agreed, local authorities should continue their efforts with citizens and stakeholders to engage in Local Action 21 strategies aimed at:

• Removing barriers to local sustainability;
• Generating global benefits from local action; and
• Ensuring unwavering implementation of sustainable development.

Local Action 21 has three main action areas, which are:

• Creating sustainable communities and cities
• Protecting global common goods
• Applying principles, polices and mechanisms for local Goverance and management.