Rionewal: taking stock.

In a world in which life so perfectly responds to life, where flowers mingle with flowers in the wind's eye, where the swan is the familiar of all swans, man alone builds his isolation.

- Antoine de Saint Exupery "Wind, Sand and Stars"

The environment became an international issue in 1972, with the UN Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm. In the following years, only limited results were achieved in making the environment part of national development plans and decision-making. While some progress was made on scientific and technical issues, politically, the environment continued to be neglected with ozone depletion, global warming, forest degradation and other environmental problems becoming more serious.

When the United Nations set up the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1983, environmental preservation was clearly becoming a matter of survival for everyone. Led by Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway, the Commission concluded that to meet "the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", environmental protection and economic growth would have to be tackled as one issue.

As a result of the Brundtland report, the UN General Assembly convened the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The Conference - known as the Earth Summit - took place in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. It was a turning-point in international negotiations on issues of environment and development.

The primary goal of the Summit was to find an equitable balance between the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations and to lay the foundation for a global partnership between developed and developing countries, as well as between Governments and sectors of civil society, based on common understanding of shared needs and interests.

The Earth Summit agreements

In Rio, 172 Governments, including 108 Heads of State or Government, adopted three major agreements to guide future work: Agenda 21 - a global plan of action to promote sustainable development; the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development - a set of principles defining the rights and obligations of States; and a Statement of Forest Principles - to guide more sustainable management of the world's forests.

In addition, two legally binding Conventions, one on Climate Change and the other on Biological Diversity, were opened for signature at the Earth Summit. At the same time, negotiations got underway for a Convention to Combat Desertification, which was opened for signature in October 1994 and entered into force in December 1996.

Agenda 21 addresses today's pressing problems with over 2,500 recommendations for action. It aims to prepare the world for the challenges of the next century and contains detailed proposals in social and economic areas, such as combating poverty, changing patterns of production and consumption, demographic dynamics, conserving and managing our natural resources, protecting the atmosphere, oceans and biodiversity, preventing deforestation, and promoting sustainable agriculture, among others.

Agenda 21 recommends ways to strengthen the role of major groups - women, trade unions, farmers, children and young people, indigenous peoples, the scientific community, local authorities, business, industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) - in action for sustainable development.

In adopting Agenda 21, the Conference called for several major initiatives in key areas of sustainable development. These included a global conference on small island developing States (SIDS), resulting in the SIDS Programme of Action - a legally binding UN Convention to Combat Desertification - and talks on preventing the depletion of stocks of highly migratory and straddling fish stocks.

The Rio Declaration

The Rio Declaration defines the rights and obligations of States with respect to basic principles of environment and development. It includes the ideas that: scientific uncertainty should not delay measures to protect the environment; States have a "sovereign right to exploit their own resources", but should not cause damage to the environment of other States; eradicating poverty and reducing disparities in worldwide standards of living are "indispensable" for sustainable development; and the full participation of women is essential for achieving sustainable development.

Forest Principles

The non-legally binding statement of principles for the sustainable management of forests was the "first global consensus" reached on forests. Its key provisions include that "all countries, notably developed countries, should make an effort to 'green the world' through reforestation and forest conservation; States have a right to develop forests according to their socio-economic needs", and that specific financial resources should be provided to developing countries to establish forest conservation programmes to encourage economic and social substitution policies.

The Forest Principles were followed in 1995 by the establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel On Forests (IPF), as a subsidiary body of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The Commission on Sustainable Development

The Commission was set up following the Earth Summit to support, encourage and monitor action by Governments, United Nations agencies and major groups, such as business and industry, NGOs and other sectors of civil society, to implement the agreements reached at the Earth Summit.

The Commission is made up of representatives of 53 Governments elected from United Nations Member States, based on equitable geographical balance. Each member serves a three-year term. Elections are held annually to fill the seats vacated on a rotational basis. Intergovernmental organizations and NGOs accredited to the Commission can attend sessions as observers.

The Commission reports to the Economic and Social Council and makes recommendations to the General Assembly. It meets annually in New York. The first session was held one year after Rio, from 14 to 26 June 1993; the second session took place from 16 to 27 May 1994; the third, from 11 to 28 April 1995; and the fourth session, from 18 April to 3 May 1996.

The Commission's mandate is to review implementation of the Earth Summit accords, provide policy guidance to Governments and major groups involved in sustainable development, and strengthen Agenda 21 by devising new strategies where necessary. It seeks to promote dialogue and build partnerships between Governments, UN agencies and major groups which are key to achieving sustainable development worldwide.

Under a multi-year thematic work programme, adopted at its first session, the CSD monitors Agenda 21 and receives annual reports from Governments and inputs from major group organizations. In 1997, the General Assembly will review overall progress since the Earth Summit and make recommendations for future action as we enter the twenty-first century.

Cross-sectoral issues that are considered in conjunction with sectoral issues include: trade and environment; patterns of production and consumption; combating poverty; demographic dynamics; financial resources and mechanisms; education, science, transfer of environmentally sound technologies, technical cooperation and capacity building; decision-making; and activities of major groups.

Reports submitted annually by Governments are the main basis for assessing progress and identifying problems faced by countries. By mid-1996, some 75 Governments reported having established national sustainable development commissions or other coordinating bodies. Many countries were seeking legislative approval for sustainable development plans and the level of NGO involvement remains high in most countries.

To help countries formulate policies for sustainability and regulate their impact, Agenda 21 recognizes the need for a set of internationally accepted indicators of sustainable development. It is planned that a set of indicators, from which Governments may select those most appropriate to local conditions, will be available to all countries by the year 2000. The Commission's work on changing patterns of production and consumption, particularly in developed countries, includes promoting changes towards more sustainable patterns and assessing the impact on developing countries of changing consumption and production in developed countries. Transfer of environmentally sound technologies is another area where the Commission approved a programme of work designed to further progress towards cleaner forms of industrial production.

The Commission is expanding the outreach of Agenda 21 in other areas by working with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Environment Programme to ensure that trade, environment and sustainable development issues are consistent and mutually supportive.

Work in various sectoral areas is also being strengthened. After identifying an emerging water crisis, the Commission called for a global assessment of all freshwater sources to be completed by 1997. It also called for more coordinated and focused work on energy issues. In 1994, it established the IPF as a subsidiary body to study in greater detail and report on the sustainable management of the world's forest resources.

UN agency cooperation

Recognizing that United Nations agencies and programmes are well placed to assist Governments in implementing Agenda 21, the Earth Summit called on the UN system to streamline its operations and to make better use of expertise in different parts of the system.

In response, the United Nations Secretary-General established in October 1992, the United Nations Inter-agency Committee on Sustainable Development to identify major policy issues and ensure effective system-wide cooperation and coordination in the follow-up to the Earth Summit.

UN agencies act as Task Managers for different chapters of Agenda 21, based on their areas of expertise. They are responsible for organizing UN system-wide activities in implementing Agenda 21 and reporting on progress. The Committee reports to the Administrative Committee on Coordination, which is chaired by the Secretary-General.

High-level Advisory Board

The Secretary-General also set up a High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development in July 1993, following a recommendation of the Earth Summit.

Made up of 21 eminent persons acting in their personal capacities, the Board advises the Secretary-General and the Commission on emerging issues related to sustainable development. It helps to formulate policy proposals, devise innovative ways for resolving problems and identify new issues which should be brought to the attention of United Nations committees, programmes and agencies.

In the four years of its operation, the Advisory Board has been an active proponent of measures to achieve sustainable development. Its influence is felt not only through the quality of its policy guidance, but also in the range of its contacts with community and professional groups.

Intergovernmental Panel on Forests

The Intergovernmental Panel on Forests was established with a two-year mandate at the Commission's third session in April 1995, reflecting the widespread concern for the world's forests and the critical goods and services - economic, social, cultural and environmental - that they provide. The purpose of the Panel is to give concentrated attention to sustainable forest management and implementation of the Earth Summit decisions related to forests. The Panel's mandate includes the need to formulate national forest programmes, the productive role of forests, trade in forest products and the environment, the conservation of biological diversity, the role of forests in mitigating global climate change, and respect for the rights of indigenous people and forest dwellers. It also covers issues of technical and financial cooperation between countries. The Panel is expected to deliver its final report to the 1997 session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

The Special Session

The Earth Summit agreed that a five-year review of progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly meeting in special session. The special session is to evaluate how well countries, international organizations and civil society have responded to the challenge of the Earth Summit. "Earth Summit+5" will involve Heads of State and Government and policy makers in broad-based consultations at all levels, from local to international, to undertake a comprehensive and honest assessment of where we stand in realizing the goals set out at the Earth Summit. Its purpose is to identify and recognize the positive achievements in implementing the Earth Summit agreements and promote their replication throughout the world. It will also seek to pinpoint shortcomings and failures, and suggest corrective action. The review will further the global partnership needed to achieve sustainable development and will strive to renew the commitment of Governments, non-governmental organizations, major group representatives and citizens-at-large to the challenges of the next century. An important aim is to identify the priorities and objectives and outline a work plan for the next phase of Earth Summit implementation leading into the twenty-first century.