Agenda 21
Encyclopedia
Agenda 21 is an action plan of the United Nations
(UN) related to sustainable development
and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans directly affect the environment
.
), held in Rio de Janeiro
on June 13, 1992, where 178 governments voted to adopt the program. The final text was the result of drafting, consultation and negotiation, beginning in 1989 and culminating at the two-week conference.
The number 21 refers to an agenda for the 21st century.
of the UN held a special session to appraise five years of progress on the implementation of Agenda 21 (Rio +5). The Assembly recognized progress as 'uneven' and identified key trends including increasing globalization
, widening inequalities in income and a continued deterioration of the global environment. A new General Assembly Resolution
(S-19/2) promised further action.
) affirmed UN commitment to 'full implementation' of Agenda 21, alongside achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
and other international agreements.
acts as a high level forum on sustainable development and has acted as preparatory committee for summits and sessions on the implementation of Agenda 21. The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development acts as the secretariat to the Commission and works 'within the context of' Agenda 21.
Implementation by member states remains essentially voluntary.
, changing consumption patterns, promoting health, change population and sustainable settlement in decision making
.
, protecting fragile environments, conservation of biological diversity (biodiversity
), control of pollution and management of biotechnology
and radioactive waste
s.
ren and youth, women, NGOs, local authorities, business and workers and strengthening the role of indigenous peoples
, their community and farmer
s.
includes science, technology transfer
, education
, international institutions
and financial mechanisms.
The Agenda 21 for culture
is the first document with worldwide mission that advocates establishing the groundwork of an undertaking by cities and local governments for cultural development.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(UN) related to sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is a comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans directly affect the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
.
Development of Agenda 21
The full text of Agenda 21 was revealed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth SummitEarth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992.-Overview:...
), held in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on June 13, 1992, where 178 governments voted to adopt the program. The final text was the result of drafting, consultation and negotiation, beginning in 1989 and culminating at the two-week conference.
The number 21 refers to an agenda for the 21st century.
Rio+5
In 1997, the General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
of the UN held a special session to appraise five years of progress on the implementation of Agenda 21 (Rio +5). The Assembly recognized progress as 'uneven' and identified key trends including increasing globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, widening inequalities in income and a continued deterioration of the global environment. A new General Assembly Resolution
Resolution (law)
A resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
(S-19/2) promised further action.
The Johannesburg Summit
The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002Earth Summit 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from business and non-governmental...
) affirmed UN commitment to 'full implementation' of Agenda 21, alongside achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
and other international agreements.
Implementation
The Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentCommission on Sustainable Development
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development was established in December 1992 by General Assembly Resolution as a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council, implementing a recommendation in of Agenda 21, the landmark global agreement reached at the June 1992 United...
acts as a high level forum on sustainable development and has acted as preparatory committee for summits and sessions on the implementation of Agenda 21. The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development acts as the secretariat to the Commission and works 'within the context of' Agenda 21.
Implementation by member states remains essentially voluntary.
Structure and contents
There are 40 chapters in the Agenda 21, divided into four main sections.Section I: Social and Economic Dimensions
which deals with combating poverty, especially for developing countryDeveloping country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
, changing consumption patterns, promoting health, change population and sustainable settlement in decision making
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
.
Section II: Conservation and Management of Resources for Development
Includes atmospheric protection, combating deforestationDeforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, protecting fragile environments, conservation of biological diversity (biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
), control of pollution and management of biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
s.
Section III: Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
Includes the roles of childChild
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren and youth, women, NGOs, local authorities, business and workers and strengthening the role of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, their community and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s.
Section IV: Means of Implementation
ImplementationImplementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.-Computer Science:...
includes science, technology transfer
Technology transfer
Technology Transfer, also called Transfer of Technology and Technology Commercialisation, is the process of skill transferring, knowledge, technologies, methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among governments or universities and other institutions to ensure that...
, education
Education for Sustainable Development
Sustainability education , Education for Sustainability , and Education for Sustainable Development are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations...
, international institutions
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
and financial mechanisms.
Local Agenda 21
The implementation of Agenda 21 was intended to involve action at international, national, regional and local levels. Some national and state governments have legislated or advised that local authorities take steps to implement the plan locally, as recommended in Chapter 28 of the document. Such programmes are often known as 'Local Agenda 21' or 'LA21'.Agenda 21 for culture
During the first World Public Meeting on Culture, held in Porto Alegre in 2002, it came up with the idea to draw up document guidelines for local cultural policies, a document comparable to what Agenda 21 meant in 1992 for the environment.The Agenda 21 for culture
Agenda 21 for culture
The Agenda 21 for culture is the reference document of the local governments to draw up their cultural policies. It’s based on the principles of cultural diversity, human rights, intercultural dialogue, participatory democracy, sustainability and peace....
is the first document with worldwide mission that advocates establishing the groundwork of an undertaking by cities and local governments for cultural development.
See also
- Ecologically sustainable developmentEcologically sustainable developmentEcologically sustainable development is the environmental component of sustainable development. It can be achieved partially through the use of the precautionary principle, namely that if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not...
- EarthCheck
- Earth SummitEarth SummitThe United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992.-Overview:...
- Education for sustainable developmentEducation for Sustainable DevelopmentSustainability education , Education for Sustainability , and Education for Sustainable Development are interchangeable terms describing the practice of teaching for sustainability. ESD is the term most used internationally level and by the United Nations...
- Green Standard
- National Strategy for a Sustainable AmericaNational Strategy for a Sustainable AmericaThe United States agreed, along with all of the other UN Member States, to develop and implement a National Strategy for Sustainability first during the Earth Summit Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and then again during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002...
- PolytelyPolytelyPolytely can be described as frequently, complex problem-solving situations characterized by the presence of not one, but several goals, endings.Modern societies face an increasing incidence of various complex problems...
- Global MapGlobal MapGlobal Map is a set of digital maps which accurately cover the whole globe to express the status of global environment. It is developed through the cooperation of National Mapping Organizations in the world...