BALTIC 21 CITY COOPERATION

LEAD CITIES SOUGHT FOR UBC LA21!

UBC is initiating cities' cooperation towards the implementation of Baltic 21. City cooperation is invaluable because cities are responsible for so many decisions and practices that greatly affect sustainability. The factor of success is the integrated approach that cities can offer for joining the efforts on different sectors.
On the initiative of the UBC, Baltic 21 Secretariat and Baltic Local Agenda 21 Forum (BLA21F), 22 persons from different city networks, organisations and national ministries gathered to St. Petersburg on 5 October for the Baltic 21 Joint Action 4 Kick-off Meeting. Joint Action 4 is the integrated action of Baltic 21 concentrating on city cooperation and sustainable development at the local level. Together the participants decided to booster the implementation of Baltic 21 in cities. The meeting founded a working group for the implementation of this "City Joint Action", and the efforts of all actors were decided to be joined in a common action program.
All networks and organisations with relevant activities are now being invited to join the working group and to contribute by their activities to the JO 4 Frame Action Program. So far, several networks, organisations and country lead parties have committed to contribute. The first concrete JO 4 project, Best City Practices, has already received a positive funding decision from the Nordic Minister Council. This two-year project will be started in early 2000, and many other projects and activities will follow soon. All UBC cities are warmly invited to take part in the activities.
The working group is coordinated by the UBC and the BLA21F. The next meeting will be organised in March 2000. All those interested in the coming activities and the action program are warmly welcome to contact the UBC Environmental Coordinator.

Union of the Baltic Cities and its members have so far done really a lot for sustainable development in the cities and in the whole Baltic Sea Region. However, during the few next years, UBC's Local Agenda 21 activities will more than duplicate. In Stockholm, 25 September, the V General Conference approved unanimously the new Local Agenda 21 Action Program 2000-2002. During this three-year period, many new projects will be started and the member cities will have more changes to participate in the work than ever before.
The Local Agenda 21 Action Program creates visions and strategies, and sets guidelines for UBC's policy in this field, e. g., with regard to international cooperation with other organisations and our contribution in the Baltic 21 process. Visions and strategies are -of course important, and guidelines are needed as well. However, the real strength of our work are the very concrete activities and projects. These activities serve our members and offer wide possibilities for participation.
The action program contains fifteen projects: four ongoing ones, two far developed plans for which funding is already sought, and nine plans/ ideas which still need to be further elaborated before they will be feasible for realisation. Especially with regard to the planned projects and project ideas, there are good possibilities for more member cities to take leading responsibilities.
Special lead cities will be sought for all the planned projects. After the turn of the year, an official request will be sent to all member cities. All interested cities are welcome to contact the program's technical coordination body, the Commission on Environment. Decisions about the lead cities should be discussed at the next UBC Local Agenda 21 Working Group meeting in March.
For the convenience of cities interested in this possibility, a short listing of the projects included in the UBC Local Agenda 21 Action Program

follows in the next column.

Ongoing LA 21 Projects 
SAIL: the project facilitates Local Agenda 21 plans and processes in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia.
MEA: Municipal Environmental Auditing projects are currently going on in Estonia, Lithuania and Finland.
Best City Practices: this project spreads good practices among cities.
Gender Equality in Local Agenda 21: developing methods for mainstream women's experience.

Planned Projects 
Success Factors of Local Environmental Policy: activities concentrating on research, education, and information.
Sustainable Harbour Policy Project: solving problems of emissions from ships at the harbours, and to the sea together by respective harbour cities.
Translations of Pilot Agendas: an initiative from the City of Tartu to make the pilot Local Agenda 21 achievable by translating them into English.
Management Systems: an initiative from the City of Kalmar to facilitate the implementation of ISO environmental and quality management standards.
Cooperation with Universities: developing cooperation with universities in the field of LA 21 research.
Lifestyle Changes: there is a constant need to affect environmentally degrading lifestyles in cities.
LA 21 Youth Projects: young people through any medium they choose to describe their city, and how to bring Local Agenda 21 into schools? 
Democracy and Minorities: spreading themes and ideas of what democracy is.
Economic Agenda: the more the public buys environmentally less harmful products the more they will be produced.
Involvement of the Private Sector Exchange with Developing Countries More Ideas: projects against narcotics, sustainability activities for elderly people, green families, etc.