As an important aspect of overall planning, Agenda 21 recommends that each country should seek internal consensus at all levels of society on policies and programmes needed for short- and long-term capacity-building to implement its Agenda 21 programme. This consensus should result from a participatory dialogue of relevant interest groups and lead to an identification of skill gaps, institutional capacities and capabilities, technological and scientific requirements and resource needs to enhance environmental knowledge and administration to integrate environment and development. UNDP, in partnership with relevant specialized agencies and other international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations could assist, at a government's request, in identifying requirements for technical cooperation, including those related to technology transfer and know-how and development assistance for the implementation of Agenda 21. The national planning process, together with appropriate national sustainable development action plans or strategies, should provide the framework for such cooperation and assistance.
Agenda 21 recommends that that UNDP act as the lead agency in organizing United Nations system efforts towards capacity-building at the local, national and regional levels. UNDP should use and further improve its network of field offices and its broad mandate to provide assistance, using its experience in the field of technical cooperation for facilitating capacity-building at the country and regional levels and making full use of the expertise of other bodies, in particular UNEP, the World Bank and regional commissions and development banks, as well as relevant international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.