Adriatic Action Plan 2020 (Aap2020)
[last updated February 14, 2007 10:10 AM]

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General Information
Partnership website(s)
Expected Timeframe
April 2003 - December 2006
Partners
Governments:
  • Government of Austria - Region of Lower Austria
  • Government of Italy - Marche Region
Major Groups:
  • City of Ancona (Italy)
  • City of Shkoder (Albania)
  • Lower Austria (Austria)
  • City of Rijeka (Croatia)
  • City of Split (Croatia)
  • Union of Baltic Cities (UBC) (Finland)
  • City of Patras (Greece)
  • City of Alessano (Italy)
  • City of Brindisi (Italy)
  • City of Casarano (Italy)
  • City of Molfetta (Italy)
  • City of Pesaro (Italy)
  • City of Pescara (Italy)
  • City of Ravenna (Italy)
  • City of San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy)
  • City of Senigallia (Italy)
  • City of Tricase (Italy)
  • City of Venice (Italy)
  • Province of Bari (Italy)
  • Province of Ravenna (Italy)
  • City of Bar (Montenegro)
  • City of Koper (Slovenia)
  • Cities of Xativa (Spain)
  • City of Lloret de Mar (Spain)
  • Instituto Tecnologico de Canarias (Spain)
  • City of Bristol (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
UN System:
    		Other intergovernmental organizations:
      Other:
        		 
        Thematic Focus
        Primary Themes:
        • Institutional framework for sustainable development
        • Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production
        • Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development
        		 Secondary Themes:
        • Human settlements
        • Sanitation
        • Marine resources
        • Poverty eradication
        • Health and sustainable development
        • Water
        • Tourism
        • Energy for sustainable development
        • Industrial development
        • Oceans and seas
        • Education
        • Climate change
        • Gender equality
        • Biodiversity
        • Air pollution / Atmosphere
        • Transport
        • Waste management
        Geographic Coverage
        Geographic Scope: Regional
        Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented:
        Albania, Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
        National Focal Points
        This partnership has made contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the countries involved
        Goals and Objectives
        Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
        The Aap2020 project will support and manage the implementation of Agenda 21, involving all local governments of the two sides of the Adriatic region, through a participative process meant to encourage:
        * urban and coastal development in all sustainability fields;
        * sustainable approach to environmental resources and ecosystems, i.e. rational energy and water supply consumption, promotion of renewable energy and so on;
        * improvement in the transport, information and communication fields;
        * cooperation in the juridical and administrative field;
        * cooperation among citizens and institutions;
        * contribution to the fulfilment of European integration of all countries involved, to support human rights defence and to encourage same opportunities for men and women.
        All these themes have been approached involving all regional and local stakeholders in a "shared process" oriented to define scenarios, objectives, indicators and actions for the Adriatic Region. The final step of the process will be given by the implementation of the Adriatic Action Plan 2020.
        The Adriatic Action Plan 2020 will pursue the following results:
        * Dissemination of sustainable development practices through methods of "shared governance";
        * Improvement of integration and exchange among communities, searching for a conscious and sustainable life style, efficacious in satisfying necessity of collective and individual development;
        * Intensification of economic and business exchange to increase commercial potential of sustainable products;
        * Development of local markets and autochthonous productions with valorisation of typical products and local cultures;
        * Improvement of standards of environmental quality for all concerned communities;
        * Increase of global efficiency in using resources, particularly in the production of consumer goods, services and commodities,
        * Closing of material production and consumption cycles with matter recycling and recovery of energy incorporated in products no more used.
        Targets and Progress
        Partnership targets
        Local Administrative Bodies and Institutions
        Exchange of knowledge and best practices (2003 - 2006)
        Environmental Reporting (31 Dec. 2004)
        Integrated Sustainability Accounting (31 Dec. 2006)
        Activation on local scale of management system
        for sustainable development (Beginning 2006)

        Communities
        Local A21Forum of single members (31 dic. 2004)
        Forum for Adriatic Agenda 21 (2003 - 2006)
        Definition Adriatic Action Plan 2020 (june 2006)
        Fulfilment Adriatic Action Plan (after 2007)
        Progress against targets
        All targets of the project have been met, with exception of the targets referred to the private labor market, due to the lack of funding from Interreg program about such a kind of activitiy. The Adriatic Action Plan 2020 was defined last june 2006, and it's now transmitted to all Adriatic Local Governments for its implementation at local level.
        Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
        Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
        • Human resources development/training
        • Education/building awareness
        • Institutional strengthening, including local participation
        Through innovation and investment, Aap2020 will create local sustainability tools which will serve as instruments of governance and public administration. The main objectives are as follows: 1. Coordination and exchange between local authorities and subjects engaged in promotion and spread of a system of tools for the Local Sustainable Development (LSD set), composed by tools for evaluation, orientation, audit and benchmarking of sustainability policies. The LSD set includes 3 tools: a. Environmental and social Reporting b. Environmental audit and certification (Emas2) c. Sustainability Integrated Accountability Each local authority member of the network, starting from the set of tools already implemented, completes "in progress" its own set, using common methodologies in the whole Adriatic sea region. The implementation of LSD set requires: 1.1 the creation of an expert group, responsible for design and management of the system; 1.2 training activities for local administrators and technicians; 1.3 methods for exchanges and coordination of the network (secretariat office, common web platform, periodic newsletter, etc.); 1.4 integration "in progress" of Local Information Systems, towards an Adriatic Information System for Sustainability. 2. Creation of a sustainable innovation market to let grow and exchange good practices and procedures. The growth of sustainable innovation as market maker, other than local government maker, needs the spread of technical and commercial know-how about sustainable goods and services formerly implemented and experimented in single situations. The creation of a market of sustainable goods and services is the most important condition for the involvement of economic operators at any level and from any sector. The A21 Adriatic Forum includes: 2.1 a number of exchanges and surveys between the subjects taking part to the network, with the aim to favour the knowledge of experiences held in local implementation of practices and procedures; 2.2 the implementation of a Good Practices Data Bank for sustainability in the Adriatic sea region, useful to promote new exchanges and partnerships. 2.3 the periodic organization of public events (fairs, exhibitions and shows) for the diffusion and commercialisation of sustainable goods and services in Adriatic sea region. 3. Shared planning of medium and long term strategies for the settlement and implementation of the Plan of Action for Adriatic Sea 2020. The network seeks for the integration of different levels of action through the implementation of Local Agenda 21 for Adriatic sea region. The A21 Adriatic Sea Forum, composed of local stakeholders (economic operators, public administrators, NGO's, cultural organizations, etc.), has to define scenarios, targets, indicators and actions in a common way for the Plan of Action Adriatic 2020. The forum is supported by local forum/workshops and includes: 3.1 meetings between cities for the definition of commmon strategies which can produce issues for future cooperation, and break out into "cross border" good practices; 3.2 consultation and communication "within" local governments (temathic meetings, workshops, surveys, web forum, newsletters, etc.) 3.3 public events for a wide communication, expecially referred to specific targets (single categories of stakeholders, tourists, etc.).
        Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
        How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
        The Forum will encourage and manage the implementation of Agenda 21, involving all local governments of the two sides of the Adriatic region, through a participative process. Relevant Sections of the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21
        Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives; Means of implementation
        Relevant Sections of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
        Poverty eradication ; Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production ; Protection and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development ; Health and sustainable development
        Coordination and Implementation
        Coordination Mechanism of the Partnership
        - The Adriatic Sea Forum, composed by stakeholders from administrative, economic, social, cultural sectors of the cities and the communities on the two sides of the Adriatic sea. The forum is coordinated by an operative secretariat and a website platform, with its main office in Ancona. The constitution of thematic and/or sub-regional groups is expected, to examine and define targets and skills in all different sectors and activities of the local communities.
        - An Expert Group, composed by experts and technicians provided by single members of the network, which will design, implement and manage the LSD set of tools.
        Implementation Mechanism of the Partnership
        The Adriatic Sea Forum is collaborating with European Institutions and national, regional and local bodies in all countries involved, so that:
        a. The Mediterranean can be one of the main "development areas" of the European Union, and not only the farthest end. In this context, the Adriatic sea is the ideal political, economic and cultural junction between East ad West, North and South of the world;
        b. The interaction between citizens and cities from different sides of the same sea allows to develop relationships in order to share any kind of project or opportunity, not only from an economic point of view, but also from a social and cultural one.
        The Adriatic Sea Forum will involve lots of cities in its initiatives, and will establish active collaborations with the main existing networks in the field of local sustainability, at European and international level.
        The Action Plan for Adriatic sea 2020 will use indicators to monitor "work in progress" of policies and actions. The set of indicators, defined by an expert group and approved by the Adriatic Sea Forum, will be part of standard procedures conceived to help all the municipalities members in the evaluation processes. The Forum will use an "observatory", put into action after the definition of the Plan of Action, to manage the set of indicators and evaluate the results obtained trough the application of defined policies and actions.
        Resources
        Funding Currently Available
        Amount in US$:
        Source(s):
        No funding at the moment.
        Non-financial resources available
        Type(s): Computers - Office space - Staff
        Source(s): Government
        The Aap Agency opened its office in Ancona (ItalY) on August 2003. The office hosts a permanent staff, composed by a coordinator, a financial administrator, a secretary and a webmaster, and is provided by a server and three computers.
        Funding Sought
        Required Amount in US$: not specified
        Source(s) already approached: - annual contribution of members of the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities and Towns, calculated on the basis of the number of inhabitants resulting from the last census and of the national PIL;
        - contributions coming from public and private institutions;
        - sponsors
        Non-financial resources sought
        Requirement(s): Staff
        Technical supporting for the implementation of the LSD tools and the management of the Agenda 21 process, better if coming from other networks of Local Authorities already experienced about this field of activity
        Source(s) approached and details:
        Additional Information
        Additional Relevant Information
        The Mediterranean region is characterized by conflicting trends.
        On one hand, the awareness of environmental resources as basic development factors, particularly (but not exclusively) for tourist field. On the other side, sustainability policies are occasionally implemented, often without coordination, limited in time and space, without management tools, often concerned only about the environmental protection sphere, which is certainly important but not enough.
        The Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities & Towns (www.adriatic.ionian.net) was born on April 30, 1999 with the approval of the "Charter of Ancona", which provides criteria and values meant to establish and develop a committment of Local Administrations and their Associations for the sustainable development of the Adriatic region. The Forum is an instrument of decentralized and cross border cooperation, conceived after the experiences of cultural twinning and solidarity that followed the recent Balkan conflicts. It encourages and supports the administrative twinning between the cities on the two sides of the Adriatic, promoting the dissemination of best practices in governance and environmental protection, focusing on development of local authorities administrative organization.
        Promoting and implementing the Adriatic Action Plan 2020 (Aap2020), the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities & Towns aims to move into a common scenario in which sustainability is an administrative innovation and a market factor.