Agenda 21

Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, was adopted by more than 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, June 3–14, 1992. Agenda 21, although not a legally binding program of action for sustainable development, is a document comprising 40 chapters intended to guide the actions of governments, aid agencies, local governments, and other actors on environment and development issues in achieving sustainable development. Agenda 21 covers four broad areas of governance. According to the preamble of Agenda 21, the document addresses the problems that exist today while taking into consideration future generations. The preamble indicates that Agenda 21 represents a political commitment at the highest level to development and environmental cooperation. There ...