What Agenda 21 Is

Here is the description of Agenda 21: At: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf, it states United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992 AGENDA 21 CONTENTS Chapter Paragraphs 1. Preamble 1.1 - 1.6 SECTION I . SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS 2. International cooperation to accelerate susta inable development in developing countries and related domestic policies 2.1 - 2.43 3. Combating poverty 3.1 - 3.12 4. Changing consumption patterns 4.1 - 4.27 5. Demographic dynamics and sustainability 5.1 - 5.66 6. Protecting and promoting human he alth conditions 6.1 - 6.46 7. Promoting sustainable human settlement development 7.1 - 7.80 8. Integrating environment and development in decision - making 8.1 - 8.54 SECTION II . CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT 9. Protection o f the atmosphere 9.1 - 9.35 10. Integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources 10.1 - 10.18 11. Combating deforestation 11.1 - 11.40 12. Managing fragile ecosystems: combating desertification and drought 12.1 - 12.63 13. Managing fragile ecosystems: sustainable mountain development 13.1 - 13.24 14. Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development 14.1 - 14.104 15. Conservation of biological diversity 15.1 - 15.11 16. Environmentally sound management of biotechnology 16.1 - 16.46 17. Protection of the oceans, all kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi - enclosed seas, and coastal areas and the protection, rational use and development of their living resources 17.1 - 17.136 18. Protection of the quality and supply of fre shwater resources: application of integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources 18.1 - 18.90 19. Environmentally sound management of toxic chemicals, including prevention of illegal international traffic in toxic and dang erous products 19.1 - 19.76 20. Environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, in hazardous wastes 20.1 - 20.46 21. Environmentally sound management of solid wastes and sewage - related issues 21.1 - 21.49 22. Safe and environmentally sound managem ent of radioactive wastes 22.1 - 22.9 SECTION III . STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF MAJOR GROUPS 23. Preamble 23.1 - 23.4 24. Global action for women towards sustainable and equitable development 24.1 - 24.12 25. Children and youth in sustainable development 25.1 - 25.17 26. Recognizing and strengthening the role of indigenous people and their communities 26.1 - 26.9 27. Strengthening the role of non - governmental organizations: partners for sustainable development 27.1 - 27.13 28. Local authorities' initia tives in support of Agenda 21 28.1 - 28.7 29. Strengthening the role of workers and their trade unions 29.1 - 29.14 30. Strengthening the role of business and industry 30.1 - 30.30 31. Scientific and technological community 31.1 - 31.12 32. Strengthen ing the role of farmers 32.1 - 32.14 SECTION IV . MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION 33. Financial resources and mechanisms 33.1 - 33.21 34. Transfer of environmentally sound technology, cooperation and capacity - building 34.1 - 34.29 35. Science for sustainable d evelopment 35.1 - 35.25 36. Promoting education, public awareness and training 36.1 - 36.27 37. National mechanisms and international cooperation for capacity - building in developing countries 37.1 - 37.13 38. International institutional arrangements 38. 1 - 38.45 39. International legal instruments and mechanisms 39.1 - 39.10 40. Information for decision - making 40.1 - 40.30 * * * * * * Copyright © United Nations Division for Sustainable Development * For section I (Social and economic dimensions), see A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I); for section III (Strengthening the role of major groups) and section IV (Means of implementation), see A.CONF/151/26 (Vol. III). * For section II (Conservation and management of resources for development), see A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. II); for section III (Strengthening the role of major groups) and section IV (Means of implementation), see A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. III). * For section I (Social and economic dimensions), see A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I); for section II (Conservation and management of resources for development), see A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. II). Small Island Developing States Network ( SIDSnet ) has formatted this document for MS - Word from the original version available for downloading from the U nited Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) at: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21.htm . Reproduction and dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available. Agenda 21 - Chapter 1 PREAMBLE 1.1. Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are confronted with a perpetuation of disparities betwe en and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well - being. However, integration of environment and development concerns and greater attention t o them will lead to the fulfilment of basic needs, improved living standards for all, better protected and managed ecosystems and a safer, more prosperous future. No nation can achieve this on its own; but together we can - in a global partnership for sust ainable development. 1.2. This global partnership must build on the premises of General Assembly resolution 44/228 of 22 December 1989, which was adopted when the nations of the world called for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, an d on the acceptance of the need to take a balanced and integrated approach to environment and development questions. 1.3. Agenda 21 addresses the pressing problems of today and also aims at preparing the world for the challenges of the next century. It refle cts a global consensus and political commitment at the highest level on development and environment cooperation. Its successful implementation is first and foremost the responsibility of Governments. National strategies, plans, policies and processes are c rucial in achieving this. International cooperation should support and supplement such national efforts. In this context, the United Nations system has a key role to play. Other international, regional and subregional organizations are also called upon to contribute to this effort. The broadest public participation and the active involvement of the non - governmental organizations and other groups should also be encouraged. 1.4. The developmental and environmental objectives of Agenda 21 will require a substanti al flow of new and additional financial resources to developing countries, in order to cover the incremental costs for the actions they have to undertake to deal with global environmental problems and to accelerate sustainable development. Financial resour ces are also required for strengthening the capacity of international institutions for the implementation of Agenda 21. An indicative order - of - magnitude assessment of costs is included in each of the programme areas. This assessment will need to be examine d and refined by the relevant implementing agencies and organizations. 1.5. In the implementation of the relevant programme areas identified in Agenda 21, special attention should be given to the particular circumstances facing the economies in transition. I t must also be recognized that these countries are facing unprecedented challenges in transforming their economies, in some cases in the midst of considerable social and political tension. 1.6. The programme areas that constitute Agenda 21 are described in te rms of the basis for action, objectives, activities and means of implementation. Agenda 21 is a dynamic programme. It will be carried out by the various actors according to the different situations, capacities and priorities of countries and regions in ful l respect of all the principles contained in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. It could evolve over time in the light of changing needs and circumstances. This process marks the beginning of a new global partnership for sustainable develo pment. * * * * * * When the term "Governments" is used, it will be deemed to include the European Economic Community within its areas of competence. Throughout Agenda 21 the term "environmentally sound" means "environmentally safe and sound", in partic ular when applied to the terms "energy sources", "energy supplies", "energy systems" and "technology" or "technologies". Agenda 21 - Chapter 2 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO ACCELERATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND RELATED DOMESTIC POL ICIES 2.1. In order to meet the challenges of environment and development, States have decided to establish a new global partnership. This partnership commits all States to engage in a continuous and constructive dialogue, inspired by the need to achieve a mor e efficient and equitable world economy, keeping in view the increasing interdependence of the community of nations and that sustainable development should become a priority item on the agenda of the international community. It is recognized that, for the success of this new partnership, it is important to overcome confrontation and to foster a climate of genuine cooperation and solidarity. It is equally important to strengthen national and international policies and multinational cooperation to adapt to th e new realities. 2.2. Economic policies of individual countries and international economic relations both have great relevance to sustainable development. The reactivation and acceleration of development requires both a dynamic and a supportive international economic environment and determined policies at the national level. It will be frustrated in the absence of either of these requirements. A supportive external economic environment is crucial. The development process will not gather momentum if the global economy lacks dynamism and stability and is beset with uncertainties. Neither will it gather momentum if the developing countries are weighted down by external indebtedness, if development finance is inadequate, if barriers restrict access to markets and i f commodity prices and the terms of trade of developing countries remain depressed. The record of the 1980s was essentially negative on each of these counts and needs to be reversed. The policies and measures needed to create an international environment t hat is strongly supportive of national development efforts are thus vital. International cooperation in this area should be designed to complement and support - not to diminish or subsume - sound domestic economic policies, in both developed and developing countries, if global progress towards sustainable development is to be achieved. 2.3. The international economy should provide a supportive international climate for achieving environment and development goals by: PROGRAMME AREAS A. Promoting sustainable development through trade Basis for action 2.5. An open, equitable, secure, non - discriminatory and predictable multilateral trading system that is consistent with the goals of sustainable development and leads to the optimal distribution of global productio n in accordance with comparative advantage is of benefit to all trading partners. Moreover, improved market access for developing countries' exports in conjunction with sound macroeconomic and environmental policies would have a positive environmental impa ct and therefore make an important contribution towards sustainable development. 2.6. Experience has shown that sustainable development requires a commitment to sound economic policies and management, an effective and predictable public administration, the int egration of environmental concerns into decision - making and progress towards democratic government, in the light of country - specific conditions, which allows for full participation of all parties concerned. These attributes are essential for the fulfilment of the policy directions and objectives listed below. 2.7. The commodity sector dominates the economies of many developing countries in terms of production, employment and export earnings. An important feature of the world commodity economy in the 1980s was the prevalence of very low and declining real prices for most commodities in international markets and a resulting substantial contraction in commodity export earnings for many producing countries. The ability of those countries to mobilize, through intern ational trade, the resources needed to finance investments required for sustainable development may be impaired by this development and by tariff and non - tariff impediments, including tariff escalation, limiting their access to export markets. The removal of existing distortions in international trade is essential. In particular, the achievement of this objective requires that there be substantial and progressive reduction in the support and protection of agriculture - covering internal regimes, market acce ss and export subsidies - as well as of industry and other sectors, in order to avoid inflicting large losses on the more efficient producers, especially in developing countries. Thus, in agriculture, industry and other sectors, there is scope for initiati ves aimed at trade liberalization and at policies to make production more responsive to environment and development needs. Trade liberalization should therefore be pursued on a global basis across economic sectors so as to contribute to sustainable develop ment. 2.8. The international trading environment has been affected by a number of developments that have created new challenges and opportunities and have made multilateral economic cooperation of even greater importance. World trade has continued to grow fas ter than world output in recent years. However, the expansion of world trade has been unevenly spread, and only a limited number of developing countries have been capable of achieving appreciable growth in their exports. Protectionist pressures and unilate ral policy actions continue to endanger the functioning of an open multilateral trading system, affecting particularly the export interests of developing countries. Economic integration processes have intensified in recent years and should impart dynamism to global trade and enhance the trade and development possibilities for developing countries. In recent years, a growing number of these countries have adopted courageous policy reforms involving ambitious autonomous trade liberalization, while far - reachin g reforms and profound restructuring processes are taking place in Central and Eastern European countries, paving the way for their integration into the world economy and the international trading system. Increased attention is being devoted to enhancing t he role of enterprises and promoting competitive markets through adoption of competitive policies. The GSP has proved to be a useful trade policy instrument, although its objectives will have to be fulfilled, and trade facilitation strategies relating to e lectronic data interchange (EDI) have been effective in improving the trading efficiency of the public and private sectors. The interactions between environment policies and trade issues are manifold and have not yet been fully assessed. An early, balanced , comprehensive and successful outcome of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations would bring about further liberalization and expansion of world trade, enhance the trade and development possibilities of developing countries and provide greate r security and predictability to the international trading system. Objectives 2.9. In the years ahead, and taking into account the results of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, Governments should continue to strive to meet the following o bjectives: a. To promote an open, non - discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system that will enable all countries - in particular, the developing countries - to improve their economic structures and improve the standard of living of their popula tions through sustained economic development; b. To improve access to markets for exports of developing countries; c. To improve the functioning of commodity markets and achieve sound, compatible and consistent commodity policies at national and international levels with a view to optimizing the contribution of the commodity sector to sustainable development, taking into account environmental considerations; d. To promote and support policies, domestic and international, that make economic growth and environmenta l protection mutually supportive. Activities (a) International and regional cooperation and coordination Promoting an international trading system that takes account of the needs of developing countries 2.10. Accordingly, the international community should: a. Halt and reverse protectionism in order to bring about further liberalization and expansion of world trade, to the benefit of all countries, in particular the developing countries; b. Provide for an equitable, secure, non - discriminatory and predictable inter national trading system; c. Facilitate, in a timely way, the integration of all countries into the world economy and the international trading system; d. Ensure that environment and trade policies are mutually supportive, with a view to achieving sustainable d evelopment; e. Strengthen the international trade policies system through an early, balanced, comprehensive and successful outcome of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. 2.11. The international community should aim at finding ways and means of a chieving a better functioning and enhanced transparency of commodity markets, greater diversification of the commodity sector in developing economies within a macroeconomic framework that takes into consideration a country's economic structure, resource en dowments and market opportunities, and better management of natural resources that takes into account the necessities of sustainable development. 2.12. Therefore, all countries should implement previous commitments to halt and reverse protectionism and further expand market access, particularly in areas of interest to developing countries. This improvement of market access will be facilitated by appropriate structural adjustment in developed countries. Developing countries should continue the trade - policy reform s and structural adjustment they have undertaken. It is thus urgent to achieve an improvement in market access conditions for commodities, notably through the progressive removal of barriers that restrict imports, particularly from developing countries, of commodity products in primary and processed forms, as well as the substantial and progressive reduction of types of support that induce uncompetitive production, such as production and export subsidies. (b) Management related activities Developing domesti c policies that maximize the benefits of trade liberalization for sustainable development 2.13. For developing countries to benefit from the liberalization of trading systems, they should implement the following policies, as appropriate: a. Create a domestic env ironment supportive of an optimal balance between production for the domestic and export markets and remove biases against exports and discourage inefficient import - substitution; b. Promote the policy framework and the infrastructure required to improve the efficiency of export and import trade as well as the functioning of domestic markets. 2.14. The following policies should be adopted by developing countries with respect to commodities consistent with market efficiency: a. Expand processing, distribution and imp rove marketing practices and the competitiveness of the commodity sector; b. Diversify in order to reduce dependence on commodity exports; c. Reflect efficient and sustainable use of factors of production in the formation of commodity prices, including the ref lection of environmental, social and resources costs. (c) Data and information Encouraging data collection and research 2.15. GATT, UNCTAD and other relevant institutions should continue to collect appropriate trade data and information. The Secretary - General of the United Nations is requested to strengthen the Trade Control Measures Information System managed by UNCTAD. Improving international cooperation in commodity trade and the diversification of the sector 2.16. With regard to commodity trade, Governments sh ould, directly or through appropriate international organizations, where appropriate: a. Seek optimal functioning of commodity markets, inter alia, through improved market transparency involving exchanges of views and information on investment plans, prospect s and markets for individual commodities. Substantive negotiations between producers and consumers should be pursued with a view to achieving viable and more efficient international agreements that take into account market trends, or arrangements, as well as study groups. In this regard, particular attention should be paid to the agreements on cocoa, coffee, sugar and tropical timber. The importance of international commodity agreements and arrangements is underlined. Occupational health and safety matters, technology transfer and services associated with the production, marketing and promotion of commodities, as well as environmental considerations, should be taken into account; b. Continue to apply compensation mechanisms for shortfalls in commodity export e arnings of developing countries in order to encourage diversification efforts; c. Provide assistance to developing countries upon request in the design and implementation of commodity policies and the gathering and utilization of information on commodity mar kets; d. Support the efforts of developing countries to promote the policy framework and infrastructure required to improve the efficiency of export and import trade; e. Support the diversification initiatives of the developing countries at the national, regio nal and international levels. Means of implementation a. Financing and cost evaluation 2.17. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 - 2000) of implementing the activities in this programme area to be about $8.8 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order - of - magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non - concessional, will depend upon, inte r alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation. b. Capacity - building 2.18. The above - mentioned technical cooperation activities aim at strengthening national capabilities for design and implementation of commodity p olicy, use and management of national resources and the gathering and utilization of information on commodity markets. B. Making trade and environment mutually supportive Basis for action 2.19. Environment and trade policies should be mutually supportive. A n open, multilateral trading system makes possible a more efficient allocation and use of resources and thereby contributes to an increase in production and incomes and to lessening demands on the environment. It thus provides additional resources needed f or economic growth and development and improved environmental protection. A sound environment, on the other hand, provides the ecological and other resources needed to sustain growth and underpin a continuing expansion of trade. An open, multilateral tradi ng system, supported by the adoption of sound environmental policies, would have a positive impact on the environment and contribute to sustainable development. 2.20. International cooperation in the environmental field is growing, and in a number of cases tra de provisions in multilateral environment agreements have played a role in tackling global environmental challenges. Trade measures have thus been used in certain specific instances, where considered necessary, to enhance the effectiveness of environmental regulations for the protection of the environment. Such regulations should address the root causes of environmental degradation so as not to result in unjustified restrictions on trade. The challenge is to ensure that trade and environment policies are co nsistent and reinforce the process of sustainable development. However, account should be taken of the fact that environmental standards valid for developed countries may have unwarranted social and economic costs in developing countries. Objectives 2.21. Go vernments should strive to meet the following objectives, through relevant multilateral forums, including GATT, UNCTAD and other international organizations: a. To make international trade and environment policies mutually supportive in favour of sustainable development; b. To clarify the role of GATT, UNCTAD and other international organizations in dealing with trade and environment - related issues, including, where relevant, conciliation procedure and dispute settlement; c. To encourage international productivit y and competitiveness and encourage a constructive role on the part of industry in dealing with environment and development issues. Activities Developing an environment/trade and development agenda 2.22. Governments should encourage GATT, UNCTAD and other re levant international and regional economic institutions to examine, in accordance with their respective mandates and competences, the following propositions and principles: a. Elaborate adequate studies for the better understanding of the relationship between trade and environment for the promotion of sustainable development; b. Promote a dialogue between trade, development and environment communities; c. In those cases when trade measures related to environment are used, ensure transparency and compatibility with international obligations; d. Deal with the root causes of environment and development problems in a manner that avoids the adoption of environmental measures resulting in unjustified restrictions on trade; e. Seek to avoid the use of trade restrictions or di stortions as a means to offset differences in cost arising from differences in environmental standards and regulations, since their application could lead to trade distortions and increase protectionist tendencies; f. Ensure that environment - related regulati ons or standards, including those related to health and safety standards, do not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade;