Start Date: 01/02/2006
End Date: 01/08/2006

Actions Involved:

Local authorities (i.e. municipal and rural councils) are the level of government closest to people on a day-to-day basis, which enables them to enter into dialogue with the diverse members of the communities and energize them to participate in making decisions concerning their communities future and developing local action strategies towards sustainability. However, national authorities must be involved in the process in order to secure their support for the implementation of the developed strategies with the required human and financial resources. These local and national authorities must be strong advocates of the sustainability initiative before reaching out to the communities members. Therefore, the following actions will be conducted to secure their support:

T1.1 Developing Decision Maker's Capacities

1. Producing concise background documents describing sustainable development concepts, Agenda 21 objectives and methods, the characteristics of sustainable communities and the international actions and commitment to sustainability.
2. Conducting brief meetings with decision makers from the targeted authorities to explain the project, distribute the background documents and invite them to participate in the awareness program.
3. Holding five half day awareness programs corresponding to five thematic areas; namely socio-economic development, sustainable land management, water resource management, sustainable wastewater and solid waste management and sustainable agriculture.
4. Organizing a two days international workshop in Bethlehem City that aims at gathering five international delegates from international municipalities that have a commitment to sustainability and developed Local Agendas 21 with the targeted decision makers.

T1.2 Issuing a Declaration of the Sustainability Planning Effort

1. Cooperating with the selected local councils in preparing and issuing a draft declaration.
2. Presenting and reviewing the draft declaration at the international workshop.
3. Issuing the final declaration and obtaining letters of support from the national authorities to endorse the declaration and mandate their involvement in the project.

T1.3 Electing a Steering Committee

1. Sending a request of nomination of two representatives from each authority.
2. Selecting nominees observed to be active in the awareness program.