Background and Objectives:
UN-HABITAT and UNEP began a collaborative activity in 2004 for the implementation of an urban environmental assessment project (GEO Cities) in Arequipa, Peru. Due to the positive outcome of this project, the two UN agencies and National Environmental Council (CONAM) agreed to follow up on the urban environmental assessment in Arequipa with the implementation of a Local Agenda 21 (LA21) process in the same city.

Thus, combining the methodological approaches of both UN agencies and ensuring their harmonization with national instruments applied for urban planning and environmental management. The project also expanded its activities to two other cities in the country, Lima-Callao and Chiclayo. This was done in order to gain a significant body of experience in the application of the GEO Cities and LA21 methodologies, and to develop tools for wider application in the country.

The objective of the programme is to strengthen the capacity of national and local authorities for the development of instruments and processes for urban environmental planning and management. This is done through the application of principles and tools developed by the GEO Cities and LA21/SCP programmes, and to develop a strategy for the scaling up at the national level.

Activities:
The main activities include:

• Establishing agreements with national partners for the implementation of an urban environmental strategy on Peru, including the elaboration of urban environmental assessments and LA21 Action plans in three cities.
• Designing and conducting consultative processes in the three cities for the formulation of urban environmental profiles and action plans.
• Establishing city working groups responsible for the preparation of urban environmental profiles and action plans, in harmony with municipal development plans and urban management plans applied by the national authorities.
• Training of local stakeholders on the GEO Cities and LA21 processes and on the application of urban planning and management instruments.
• Formulating LA21 action plans and pilot projects, and producing tools for local application.

Results:

• GEO cities studies conducted in Arequipa, Lima-Callao and Chiclayo.
• LA21 action plans formulated in the three cities and an Environmental Management System (EMS) for Arequipa.
• Guidelines for application of LA21 and GEO Cities developed.
• Guidelines for the incorporation of environmental planning criteria to national instruments developed.
•  “The Peruvian Experience on Urban Environmental Planning and Management” published.
• Proposal designed for scaling up the urban environmental strategy to other cities in the country.