Agenda 21 UPSC

Agenda 21

Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development.

• It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. 

• It is an action agenda for the UN, other multilateral organizations, and individual governments around the world that can be executed at local, national, and global levels.

The "21" in Agenda 21 refers to the 21st Century. Although it is also the area code for Greater Rio de Janeiro, plus Teresópolis and Mangaratiba in the countryside. 

• It has been affirmed and had a few modifications at subsequent UN conferences. 

• Its aim is achieving global sustainable development. 

• One major objective of the agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its own local agenda 21.

RIO+5 (1997)

In 1997, the UN General Assembly held a special session to appraise the status of Agenda 21 (Rio +5). The Assembly recognized progress as "uneven" and identified key trends, including increasing globalization, widening inequalities in income, and continued deterioration of the global environment. A new General Assembly Resolution (S-19/2) promised further action.

RIO+10 (2002)

The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, agreed to at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002), affirmed UN commitment to "full implementation" of Agenda 21, alongside achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and other international agreements.

AGENDA 21 FOR CULTURE (2002)

The first World Public Meeting on Culture, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2002, came up with the idea to establish guidelines for local cultural policies, something comparable to what Agenda 21 was for the environment. 

They are to be included in various subsections of Agenda 21 and will be carried out through a wide range of sub-programs beginning with G8 countries.

RIO+20 (2012)

In 2012, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development the attending members reaffirmed their commitment to Agenda 21 in their outcome document called "The Future We Want". 180 nation leaders participated.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT (2015)

Agenda 2030, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, was a set of goals decided upon at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015.

It takes all of the goals set by Agenda 21 and re-asserts them as the basis for sustainable development, saying, “We reaffirm all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development…”

Adding onto those goals from the original Rio document, a total of 17 goals have been agreed on, revolving around the same concepts of Agenda 21; people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership.

Implementation by member states remains voluntary, and its adoption has varied.

LOCAL LEVEL

The implementation of Agenda 21 was intended to involve action at international, national, regional and local levels. 

Some national and state governments have legislated or advised that local authorities take steps to implement the plan locally, These programs are often known as "Local Agenda 21" or "LA21".

For example, in the Philippines, the plan is "Philippines Agenda 21" (PA21). 

Europe turned out to be the continent where LA21 was best accepted and most implemented. 

In Sweden, for example, all local governments have implemented a Local Agenda 21 initiative.