UN Conference on Environment and Development

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro June 3–14, 1992, ushering in a new era of global environmental politics. The Earth Summit, held in part to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE), surpassed expectations in terms of both attendance and influence. With representatives from 178 governments, including 108 heads of state and over 2,400 representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the Earth Summit was the largest event of its kind to date. The Earth Summit was also novel in that over 17,000 people attended the parallel NGO Forum, something that made headlines around the world, as 8,000 journalists provided daily coverage of both the official ...