Agenda 21 in South Africa - Essay
Agenda 21 in South Africa
The authority of all national Agenda 21 strategies is the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs even though the Agenda incorporates a wider variety of fields and sectors than those associated with this department.
The Agenda 21 areas that enjoy attention in South Africa include trade, financing, technology, industry, transport and sustainable tourism, with an additional area that focuses on changing consumption patterns.
Trade
The Departments of Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry, together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) authorities, coordinate any Agenda 21 strategies relating to trade in South Africa. Some of the key points that either have been addressed (in the last decade), or are still being addressed, include the introduction of management practice standards (relating to pollution and waste management), the introduction of ISO 14001 and ISO 9000 series of international standards (which pertain not only to environmental management standards, but also to the monitoring and compliance thereof), and the introduction of new health and safety codes that will bring along with them a form of accountability.
Apart from encouraging and promoting economic growth in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, the impact on the environment is monitored and means to reduce these impacts are introduced where possible.
The major challenges faced by this sector in implementing sound Agenda 21 strategies include labour disputes (surrounding job security, job creation and pay increases as decided by trade unions, employees and employers), the role of NGOs, particularly in rural communities, the HIV/Aids factor, global economic trends, corruption and fraud, and the relative lack of skilled labour in the country, to mention a few.
Finance
The South African Department of Finance is the authority in this regard, and since the national budget is controlled by this ministry, available funds for all other
The authority of all national Agenda 21 strategies is the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs even though the Agenda incorporates a wider variety of fields and sectors than those associated with this department.
The Agenda 21 areas that enjoy attention in South Africa include trade, financing, technology, industry, transport and sustainable tourism, with an additional area that focuses on changing consumption patterns.
Trade
The Departments of Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry, together with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) authorities, coordinate any Agenda 21 strategies relating to trade in South Africa. Some of the key points that either have been addressed (in the last decade), or are still being addressed, include the introduction of management practice standards (relating to pollution and waste management), the introduction of ISO 14001 and ISO 9000 series of international standards (which pertain not only to environmental management standards, but also to the monitoring and compliance thereof), and the introduction of new health and safety codes that will bring along with them a form of accountability.
Apart from encouraging and promoting economic growth in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, the impact on the environment is monitored and means to reduce these impacts are introduced where possible.
The major challenges faced by this sector in implementing sound Agenda 21 strategies include labour disputes (surrounding job security, job creation and pay increases as decided by trade unions, employees and employers), the role of NGOs, particularly in rural communities, the HIV/Aids factor, global economic trends, corruption and fraud, and the relative lack of skilled labour in the country, to mention a few.
Finance
The South African Department of Finance is the authority in this regard, and since the national budget is controlled by this ministry, available funds for all other