Agenda 21 is an internationally agreed action plan for the worldwide implementation of sustainable development. Alongside the Forest Principles and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, it was among the most important outcomes of the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. Agenda 21 is a nonlegally binding international agreement, meaning that its signatories are not legally obliged to implement it. However, as an example of soft law, it establishes a set of international norms and expectations that can influence government policy.

Agenda 21 contains provisions relating to human development policy and numerous aspects of resource management, including deforestation, biodiversity, agriculture, and water; and it arguably represents the most comprehensive attempt by the UN to ensure ...