Participatory Development of Municipal Environmental Policy (GTAGA0002)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Action plan – Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, 2025 – 2027
Inception Report Summary: Inception Report – Action plan – Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, 2025 – 2027
Commitment Start: Oct 2025
Commitment End: Aug 2026
Institutions involved:
- Open Government Directorate
- Directorate of Environment and Climate Change Adaptation.
- Communication and Protocol Secretariat
Primary Policy Area:
Primary Sector:
OGP Value:
- Civic Participation
Inception Report Summary
Verifiable: Yes
Relevance to OGP Values: Yes
The commitment is a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
The commitment activities will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Description
Commitment ID
GTAGA0002
Commitment Title
Participatory Development of the Municipal Environmental Policy on Water, Waste Management, Forests, and Protected Green Areas.
Problem
Although there are some internal regulations related to the management of certain environmental resources, the Municipality lacks a comprehensive regulation or policy that consolidates a clear institutional stance on the sustainable management of natural resources and climate change adaptation. This absence of strategic guidelines limits the institution’s capacity to adequately regulate the use of these resources, which can result in a fragmented, reactive, and ineffective response to current environmental challenges.
Status quo
Currently, the Municipality of Antigua Guatemala does not have a comprehensive environmental policy that establishes clear and coordinated guidelines for the sustainable management of water, solid waste, forests, and protected green areas. Although there are internal regulations and specific actions related to these issues, they remain scattered, lacking a unified institutional framework to guide their implementation, monitoring, or evaluation. This fragmentation hinders long-term strategic planning and complicates inter-institutional coordination, as well as citizen participation in environmental decision-making. Furthermore, there are no systematic mechanisms in place to integrate climate change considerations into natural resource management, which limits the local government’s ability to respond effectively to growing environmental challenges.
Action
The commitment consists of promoting the participatory development of the first Municipal Environmental Policy of Antigua Guatemala, which will establish clear guidelines for the sustainable management of water, solid waste, forests, and protected green areas, as well as guidelines for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
This process will be led through mechanisms of dialogue, consultation, and co-creation with key actors from the municipality and other institutional levels, including central government entities, civil society organizations, communities from both the urban center and the villages, the academic sector, and the private sector. It is an innovative approach, as it will be the first environmental policy formulated in Antigua Guatemala and will have citizen participation as its central axis, thus ensuring legitimacy and addressing the primary needs of the municipality.
(see commitment 1)
The objective is to establish an institutional and strategic framework to guide municipal environmental management with principles of sustainability, equity, climate resilience, and citizen participation.
How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?
The commitment aims to address the current fragmentation in environmental management within the municipality, caused by the absence of a comprehensive policy to guide the management of natural resources and the response to climate change. By developing the first Municipal Environmental Policy of Antigua Guatemala through a participatory process, a clear institutional framework will be established to coordinate existing efforts, promote sustainability, and strengthen long-term environmental planning.
This process will incorporate the voices of the citizens, ensuring that the policy responds to the real needs of the municipality and fosters citizen participation. As a result, there will be a validated and legitimized policy with concrete lines of action and monitoring indicators, which will strengthen the Municipality’s capacity to manage its resources efficiently.
Expected results:
A municipal environmental policy formulated participatively and validated by key stakeholders.
Greater institutional coordination in the management of natural resources and environmental protection.
Incorporation of environmental and climate criteria into municipal planning.
Strengthening of local environmental governance through effective citizen participation.
Primary Policy Area
Civic Space, Inclusion, Regulatory Governance
Primary Sector
Cross-sectoral, Environment & Climate, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?
| Civic Participation | Gracias a que la co-creación constituye el eje central de esta política, se garantiza la participación de la ciudadanía en las decisiones y acciones municipales. Además, el acceso continuo a la información sobre el desarrollo de la política permitirá un flujo constante de datos relevantes, lo que fortalecerá y hará más eficiente el ejercicio de la rendición de cuentas. |