Agenda 21, an action plan and blueprint for sustainable development, was one of five documents adopted by more than 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Apart from Agenda 21, the following documents were also adopted at the Earth Summit:

• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Its 27 principles define the rights and responsibilities of nations as they pursue human development and well-being
• A statement of principles to guide the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests
• The United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change
• The Convention on Biological Diversity

The text of Agenda 21 carries a strong moral obligation to ensure the full implementation of these agreements. Agenda 21 stands as a blueprint for action in every area in which human activity impacts on the environment and the implementation thereof is first and foremost the responsibility of governments.

Underlying the UNCED agreements, is the idea that humanity has reached a turning point. The international world can either continue with present policies which increase poverty, hunger, sickness and illiteracy and cause the continuing deterioration of ecosystems on which life on earth depends, or it can change course towards sustainable development. Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration outline key policies for achieving sustainable development that meets the needs of the poor while recognising the limits of development to meet global needs. Needs are not interpreted solely in terms of economic interests, but also in terms of the interest of a fully functional, harmonious global system that incorporates people and ecosystems.

During the Nineteenth Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS), also popularly known as Earth Summit + 5 or RIO + 5, which was held in New York in June 1997, the implementation of Agenda 21 and other agreements reached at the UNCED were reviewed and appraised, while emphasis was also placed on actions to promote sustainable development worldwide.

The ten-year review summit of the UNCED, officially known as the World Summit on Sustainable Development and popularly referred to as Earth Summit 2002 or RIO + 10, will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in August and September 2002.
The aims of the World Summit on Sustainable Development are to:

• Focus on accomplishments and areas where further actions are needed to implement Agenda 21 and the other agreements reached at UNCED, and to address, within the framework of Agenda 21, new challenges and opportunities that have emerged since UNCED
• Ensure a balance between economic development, social development and environmental protection as dependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development.

There is general consensus among UN member states that the Agenda 21 principles agreed on at Rio in 1992 should not be renegotiated. The Earth Summit 2002 should review the successes and failures of countries in meeting their commitments made at Rio in a frank manner, and should furthermore reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable development.

The Earth Summit 2002 should deepen the global commitment to sustainable development through a new "global compact", and bring a new spirit into the environmental debate.

There is also wide consensus that the primary focus of the Summit should be on "poverty, development and the environment". Poverty and underdevelopment are seen as the fundamental threats to environmental security and sustainable development.

The Earth Summit 2002 will provide South Africa with a unique opportunity to influence the global debate on sustainable development, and to lead the developing world in efforts to reform the global system on the environment in favour of poorer countries.

For further information on the Earth Summit 2002:
http://www.joburgsummit2002.com
http://www.earthsummit2002.org