Editing Agenda 21 (section)

==Regional levels==
{{Expand section|date=June 2012}}
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Division for Sustainable Development monitors and evaluates progress, nation by nation, towards the adoption of Agenda&nbsp;21, and makes these reports available to the public on its website.<ref>{{cite web|last=UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs|title=Areas of Work – National Information by Country or Organization|url=https://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_index.shtml|publisher=United Nations|access-date=15 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804031335/http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_index.shtml|archive-date=4 August 2012}}</ref>

The Rio+10 report<ref name="20 years of Local Agenda 21">{{Cite web | url=https://www.citego.org/bdf_fiche-document-1299_en.html | title=20 years of Local Agenda 21 }}</ref> identified over 6400 local governments in 113 countries worldwide that were engaged in Local Agenda 21 (LA21) activities, a more than three-fold increase over less than five years. 80% = 5120 of these local governments, were located in Europe.  A significant increase has been noted in the number of countries in which one or more LA21 processes were underway.

===Australia===
Australia is a signatory to Agenda&nbsp;21 and 88 of its municipalities subscribe to [[ICLEI]], an organization that promotes Agenda&nbsp;21 globally. Australia's membership is second only to that of the United States.<ref name=ICLEI>{{cite web|last=ICLEI |title=ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability: Global Members |url=http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=11454 |access-date=15 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725211037/http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=11454 |archive-date=25 July 2012 }}</ref>

===Africa===
In Africa, national support for Agenda&nbsp;21 is strong and most countries are signatories. But support is often closely tied to environmental challenges specific to each country; for example, in 2002 [[Sam Nujoma]], who was then President of Namibia, spoke about the importance of adhering to Agenda&nbsp;21 at the 2002 Earth Summit, noting that as a [[semi-arid]] country, Namibia sets a lot of store in the [[United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification]] (UNCCD).<ref>{{cite news|title=Namibian president calls for implementation of Agenda 21|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-09/02/content_547409.htm|access-date=15 August 2012|newspaper=Xinhua News Agency|date=2 September 2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115234421/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2002-09/02/content_547409.htm|archive-date=15 January 2013}}</ref> Furthermore, there is little mention of Agenda&nbsp;21 at the local level in indigenous media. Only major municipalities in [[sub-Saharan Africa]]n countries are members of ICLEI. Agenda&nbsp;21 participation in North African countries mirrors that of Middle Eastern countries, with most countries being signatories but little to no adoption on the local-government level. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa generally have poorly documented Agenda&nbsp;21 status reports.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} By contrast, South Africa's participation in Agenda&nbsp;21 mirrors that of modern Europe, with 21&nbsp;city members of ICLEI and support of Agenda&nbsp;21 by national-level government.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

===North America===
====United States====

The national focal point in the United States is the Division Chief for Sustainable Development and Multilateral Affairs, Office of Environmental Policy, [[Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs]], U.S. Department of State.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=6&nr=52&menu=139|title=United States of America|work=Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform|publisher=United Nations|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022032755/http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=6&nr=52&menu=139|archive-date=22 October 2013}}</ref> A June 2012 poll of 1,300 United States voters by the [[American Planning Association]] found that 9% supported Agenda 21, 6% opposed it, and 85% thought they didn't have enough information to form an opinion.<ref name=HuffPost/>

===== Support =====
The United States is a signatory country to Agenda&nbsp;21, but because Agenda&nbsp;21 is a legally non-binding statement of intent and not a treaty, the [[United States Senate]] did not hold a formal debate or vote on it. It is therefore not considered to be law under [[Article Six of the United States Constitution]]. President [[George H. W. Bush]] was one of the 178 heads of government who signed the final text of the agreement at the Earth Summit in 1992,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.courier-journal.com/watchdogearth/2013/02/20/senators-attack-sustainable-development-and-agenda-21/|title=Senators attack sustainable development, Agenda 21|work=[[The Courier-Journal]]|date=20 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131012081628/http://blogs.courier-journal.com/watchdogearth/2013/02/20/senators-attack-sustainable-development-and-agenda-21/|archive-date=12 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2012/11/04/news/01top_11-04-12.txt|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131012081546/http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2012/11/04/news/01top_11-04-12.txt|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 October 2013|title=Secret agenda at city hall?|date=4 November 2012|work=Wyoming Tribune Eagle}}</ref> and in the same year Representatives [[Nancy Pelosi]], [[Eliot Engel]] and [[William Broomfield]] spoke in support of [[United States House of Representatives]] Concurrent Resolution 353, supporting implementation of Agenda&nbsp;21 in the United States.<ref name=HuffPost /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MxMif1tBVk|title=Agenda 21 Nancy Pelosi .mp4|last=Arnie Rosner|date=3 March 2012|access-date=27 April 2018|via=YouTube|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323204956/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MxMif1tBVk|archive-date=23 March 2018}}</ref> Created by Executive Order 12852 in 1993, the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) is explicitly charged with recommending a national action plan for sustainable development to the President.<ref>{{Cite book|last=States|first=President of the United|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Executive_Order_12852|title=Executive Order 12852}}</ref> The PCSD is composed of leaders from government and industry, as well as from environmental, labor and civil rights organizations. The PCSD submitted its report, "Sustainable America: A New Consensus", to the President in early 1996.  In the absence of a multi-sectoral consensus on how to achieve sustainable development in the United States, the PCSD was conceived to formulate recommendations for the implementation of Agenda 21.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Agenda 21, Op. Cit., Chapter 20.21(c), p. 201.|url=https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf|url-status=live|website=United Nations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124175252/http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf |archive-date=24 November 2012 }}</ref> Executive Order 12852 was revoked by Executive Order 13138 in 1999.<ref>{{Cite book|last=States|first=President of the United|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13138|title=Executive Order 13138}}</ref> The PCSD set 10 common goals to support the Agenda 21 movement:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chapter 1|url=https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/PCSD/Publications/TF_Reports/amer-chap1.html|access-date=2021-11-23|website=clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov}}</ref>

# Health and the environment 
# Economic Prosperity 
# Equity 
# Conservation of nature 
# Stewardship 
# Sustainable communities 
# Civic engagement 
# Population 
# International responsibility 
# Education.

In the United States, over 528&nbsp;cities are members of [[ICLEI]], an international sustainability organization that helps to implement the Agenda&nbsp;21 and Local Agenda&nbsp;21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI's global membership of 1,200&nbsp;cities promoting sustainable development at a local level.<ref name=ICLEI /> The United States also has one of the most comprehensively documented Agenda&nbsp;21 status reports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/usa/natur.htm|title=Agenda 21 – United States|website=www.un.org|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008053420/http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/usa/natur.htm|archive-date=8 October 2017}}</ref> In response to the opposition, Don Knapp, U.S. spokesman for the ICLEI, has said "Sustainable development is not a top-down conspiracy from the U.N., but a bottom-up push from local governments".<ref name=HuffPost/>

===== Opposition =====
Agenda 21 fears have played a role in opposition to local government's efforts to promote resource and land conservation, build [[bike lane]]s, and construct hubs for [[public transportation]].<ref name="Kaufman_20120204"/> The non-profit group [[ICLEI]] – Local Governments for Sustainability USA – was targeted by anti-Agenda 21 activists.<ref name="Kaufman_20120204"/> In 2012, fears of Agenda 21 "went mainstream" when the [[Republican National Committee]] adopted a platform resolution stated that "We strongly reject the U.N. Agenda 21 as erosive of American sovereignty."<ref>{{cite news|last=Jamison|first=Peter|title=Fears of Agenda 21 go mainstream in the Republican Party platform|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article1248666.ece|access-date=23 October 2012|newspaper=Tampa Bay Times|date=30 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103000416/http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/article1248666.ece|archive-date=3 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="Harman"/>

Several state and local governments have considered or passed motions and legislation opposing Agenda 21.<ref name=nyt /><ref name=HuffPost/><ref name="Harman"/><ref>{{cite web | last=Batheja | first=Aman | title=U.N.-Backed Agenda 21 Triggers Strong Reactions From Many in Texas | website=The Texas Tribune | date=August 28, 2012 | url=https://www.texastribune.org/2012/08/28/fears-un-backed-agenda-21-spark-anger-across-texas/ | access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref>  Most such bills failed, "either dying in committee, getting defeated on the statehouse floor or – in the case of [[Missouri]]'s 2013 bill – getting vetoed by the governor."<ref name="Harman"/> In [[Texas]], for example, broadly worded legislation that would prohibit any governmental entity from accepting from or granting money to any "nongovernmental or intergovernmental organization accredited by the United Nations to implement a policy that originated in the Agenda 21 plan" was defeated because it could have cut off funding for groups such as [[4-H]], the [[Boy Scouts of America]], and the Texas Wildlife Association.<ref name="Harman"/><ref>{{cite web | last1=Satija | first1=Neena | last2=McCrimmon | first2=Ryan | title=Conservative Lawmakers Target United Nations | website=The Texas Tribune | date=February 26, 2015 | url=https://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/26/conservative-lawmakers-continue-assault-un/ | access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref> In Arizona, a similarly sweeping bill was introduced in the [[Arizona State Legislature]] seeking to mandate that the state could not "adopt or implement the creed, doctrine, or principles or any tenet" of Agenda 21 and to prohibit the state "implementing programs of, expending any sum of money for, being a member of, receiving funding from, contracting services from, or giving financial or other forms of aid to" an array of sustainability organizations.<ref name="Harman"/> The bill, which was opposed by the state chamber of commerce and the mayor of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], was defeated in 2012.<ref name="Harman"/> [[Alabama]] was one state that did adopt an anti-Agenda 21 law, unanimously passing in 2012 a measure to block "any future effort to 'deliberately or inadvertently infringe or restrict private property rights without due process, as may be required by policy recommendations originating in, or traceable to 'Agenda 21.'"<ref name="Harman"/>

In 2023, [[Tennessee]] enacted legislation to block the implementation of Agenda 21 and other programs “originating in, or traceable to, the United Nations or a subsidiary entity of the United Nations.”<ref>{{cite web | title=State of Tennessee Public Chapter No. 479 | url=https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/113/pub/pc0479.pdf | website=Tennessee Secretary of State | access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Sullivan | first=Kevin | title=Inside the Tennessee legislature, where a GOP supermajority reigns | newspaper=Washington Post | date=May 15, 2023 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/15/inside-tennessee-legislature-where-gop-supermajority-reigns/ | access-date=January 17, 2024}}</ref>

===== Conspiracy theories =====
The right-wing [[John Birch Society]] described Agenda 21 as a plot, disguised as an environmental movement, to end individual freedom and establish a one-world government.<ref name="SPLC_20120401">{{Cite web| title = Agenda 21: The UN, Sustainability and Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory| work = Southern Poverty Law Center| access-date = March 9, 2022 |date=April 1, 2014 | url = https://www.splcenter.org/20140331/agenda-21-un-sustainability-and-right-wing-conspiracy-theory}}</ref><ref name="Hinkes-Jones_20120829">{{cite web|last=Hinkes-Jones|first=Llewellyn|title=The Anti-Environmentalist Roots of the Agenda 21 Conspiracy Theory|url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/08/anti-environmentalist-roots-agenda-21-conspiracy-theory/3091/|access-date=16 October 2012|date=29 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001172642/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2012/08/anti-environmentalist-roots-agenda-21-conspiracy-theory/3091/|archive-date=1 October 2012}}</ref> Activists believed that the non-binding UN resolution was "the linchpin in a plot to subjugate humanity under an eco-totalitarian regime."<ref name="Harman"/> The conspiracy had its roots in [[anti-environmentalist]] ideology and opposition to land-use regulation.<ref name="Hinkes-Jones_20120829"/>

Anti-Agenda 21 theories have circulated in the U.S. Some [[Tea Party movement]] activists and others promoted the notion that Agenda 21 was part of a UN plot to deny property rights, undermine U.S. sovereignty, or force citizens to move to cities.<ref name="Kaufman_20120204">{{Cite news | first=Leslie | last=Kaufman | author2=Kate Zernike | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/activists-fight-green-projects-seeing-un-plot.html | title=Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot | newspaper=The New York Times | date=4 February 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530080353/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/us/activists-fight-green-projects-seeing-un-plot.html | archive-date=30 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Harman">{{cite news | first=Greg | last=Harman | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/24/agenda-21-conspiracy-theory-sustainability | title=Agenda 21: a conspiracy theory puts sustainability in the crosshairs | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626204243/https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/24/agenda-21-conspiracy-theory-sustainability |archive-date=26 June 2017 | newspaper=The Guardian | date=24 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=nyt/><ref name=HuffPost>{{cite news|title=Tea Party Activists Fight Agenda 21, Seeing Threatening U.N. Plot|url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/agenda-21-tea-party_n_1965893.html|access-date=16 October 2012|date=15 October 2012|work=Huffington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018011039/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/15/agenda-21-tea-party_n_1965893.html|archive-date=18 October 2012}}</ref>

[[Glenn Beck]] warned that Agenda 21 was a "seditious" conspiracy to cut the world population by 85%.<ref name="SPLC_20120401"/> He claimed it represents a move towards "government control on a global level" and the creation of a "police state" that would lead to "totalitarianism."<ref name="SPLC_20120401"/> Beck described the dystopia it would cause if the world followed the UN plan in a 2012 novel he co-authored called ''Agenda 21''.<ref>{{Cite web|website=USA Today|url=http://books.usatoday.com/book/glenn-beck-harriet-parke-agenda-21/l48539|title=Agenda 21 By Glenn Beck, Harriet Parke|year=2012|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120909085738/http://books.usatoday.com/book/glenn-beck-harriet-parke-agenda-21/l48539|archive-date=9 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|website=Salon.com|url=http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/i_got_duped_by_glenn_beck/|date=19 November 2012|title=I got duped by Glenn Beck!|first=Sarah|last=Cypher|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116103116/http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/i_got_duped_by_glenn_beck/|archive-date=16 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-12-09/overview.html|date=9 December 2012|title=Best Sellers|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306212114/http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2012-12-09/overview.html|archive-date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

===Europe===
The Rio+10 report<ref name="20 years of Local Agenda 21"/> identified 5120 of local governments in Europe having a "Local Agenda 21".  As most Europeans live in about 800 cities of +50.000 inhabitants, it is fair to say that just about all EU cities, communes and villages have a local Agenda 21.

For example:

By 1997, 70% of UK local authorities had committed to Agenda 21.<ref>{{Cite web|title=House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 May 1997 (pt 7)|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970520/text/70520w07.htm|access-date=2020-07-01|website=publications.parliament.uk}}</ref> Many, such as the [[London Borough of Enfield]], employed Agenda 21 officers to promote the programme.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Enfield Council agenda 24th January, 2007|url=https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/g4926/Public%20reports%20pack%2024th-Jan-2007%2019.00%20Council.pdf?T=10}}</ref>

Sweden reported that 100% of the municipalities had adopted LA21 by 2002.

France, whose national government, along with 14&nbsp;cities, is a signatory, promotes nationwide programs in support of the goals of Agenda&nbsp;21.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

Baltic nations formed the [[Baltic 21]] coalition as a regional expression of Agenda 21.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbss.org/sustainable-prosperous-region/egsd-baltic-2030-2/|title=Sustainable Development – Baltic 2030 |website=cbss.org|access-date=27 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115220914/http://www.cbss.org/sustainable-prosperous-region/egsd-baltic-2030-2/|archive-date=15 November 2017}}</ref>