Earth Summit 1992 (UNCED)
1. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as
the 'Earth Summit', was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3-14 June 1992. This global
conference, held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first Human Environment
Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, brought together political leaders, diplomats,
scientists, representatives of the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 179
countries for a massive effort to focus on the impact of human socio-economic activities on the
environment.
A 'Global Forum' of NGOs was also held in Rio de Janeiro at the same time, bringing together
an unprecedented number of NGO representatives, who presented their own vision of the
world's future in relation to the environment and socio-economic development.
2. The Rio de Janeiro conference highlighted how different social, economic and environmental
factors are interdependent and evolve together, and how success in one sector requires action
in other sectors to be sustained over time. The primary objective of the Rio 'Earth Summit' was
to produce a broad agenda and a new blueprint for international action on environmental and
development issues that would help guide international cooperation and development policy in
the twenty-first century.
3. The 'Earth Summit' concluded that the concept of sustainable development was an attainable
goal for all the people of the world, regardless of whether they were at the local, national,
regional or international level. It also recognized that integrating and balancing economic, social
and environmental concerns in meeting our needs is vital for sustaining human life on the planet
and that such an integrated approach is possible.
The conference also recognized that integrating and balancing economic, social and
environmental dimensions required new perceptions of the way we produce and consume, the
way we live and work, and the way we make decisions. This concept was revolutionary for its
time, and it sparked a lively debate within governments and between governments and their
citizens on how to ensure sustainability for development.
4. One of the major results of the UNCED Conference was Agenda 21, a daring program of
action calling for new strategies to invest in the future to achieve overall sustainable
development in the 21st century. Its recommendations ranged from new methods of education,
to new ways of preserving natural resources and new ways of participating in a sustainable
economy.
5. The 'Earth Summit' had many great achievements:
(i) the Rio Declaration and its 27 universal principles,
(ii) the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
(iii) the Convention on Biological Diversity; and
(iv) the Declaration on the principles of forest management
(v) The 'Earth Summit' also led to the creation of the Commission on Sustainable Development
Rio Summit 1992 – Important Outcomes
This summit led to the development of the following documents:
1. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
2. Agenda 21
3. Forest Principles
The first document called the Rio Declaration, in short, contained 27 principles that were
supposed to guide countries in future sustainable development.
Agenda 21 is an action plan concerning sustainable development, but it is non-binding.
The Forest Principles is formally called ‘Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of
Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable
Development of All Types of Forests’. It makes many recommendations for conservation and
sustainable development forestry and is non-binding.
1. Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by
organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in
which there is human impact on the environment.
● The Brundtland Commission resulted in the creation of Agenda 21, a non-binding action
plan.
● It was an important outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, commonly known as the Rio Summit, 1992.
● The number ‘21′ represented the goal of attaining long-term progress in the twenty-first
century. It emphasised the importance of local governments in accomplishing long-term
goals.
● ‘No nation alone can, Together We Can’- These words from the Preamble of Agenda 21
underline the entire spirit of the Earth Summit.
The following four categories are included in the Agenda 21:
1. Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
2. Conservation and Management of resources for Development
3. Social and Economic Dimensions
4. Means of Implementation
Committee on Sustainable Development
● It was established during the Earth summit to ensure proper followup and continuation to
Agenda 21 of UNCED 1992.
● CSD was replaced by High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2013.
The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established by the UN
General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit.
CSD Responsibilities
The Commission was responsible for reviewing progress in the implementation of Agenda 21
and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; as well as providing policy guidance
to follow up the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) at the local, national, regional and
international levels.
2. Forest principles
The forest concept is the summit’s other significant consequence. Rio Forest principles is
another name for them. The UN’s forest principles are a non-binding legal framework built on
forestry development and preservation. After discussions with industrialized nations, this
document was the outcome of compromise.
Environmental Treaties of Rio Summit
The Rio summit is also known for the successful production of two following treaties highly
praised by various nations. Two environmental treaties of the Rio Summit are-
(i) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Rio summit 1992 was impactful in various aspects, and the impact on Biodiversity is one of
them. The Convention on Biological Diversity was directed toward the preservation of
biodiversity. For this impactful treaty, 180 nations signed the convention. The goals of the
convention on Biological diversity regarding the biological reserves were:
1. Biodiversity conservation
2. Resources’ sustainable use
3. Resources’ fair and equitable sharing.
(ii) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Signed in 1992, UNFCCC is the foundational treaty that has provided a basis for international
climate negotiations since it was established, including landmark agreements such as the Kyoto
Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015). It was an important treaty proposed to focus
on the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. It is officially accepted by more than 190 nations.
3. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
The rights and obligations of states in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable
development are outlined in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, a set of 27
guiding principles. This was an important document and guideline released by the UN for future
generations.
● It reaffirmed the Stockholm Convention of 1972 and vowed to build upon it.
● More than 175 countries were signatories to the Rio Declaration.
● The stated goal was to establish new and equitable international partnerships to reach
global agreements on the issues of development and environment.
According to the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, countries can utilize natural
resources inside their borders as long as it doesn’t harm other countries’ environments. It also
requests that local, state, and federal governments create policies to safeguard the natural
world and its resources for coming generations.
Importance of the Earth Summit
The Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit proved to be a pivotal moment in international cooperation on
environmental issues.
1. This is because the Summit laid the foundation for many subsequent international
agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, 1997 and the Paris Agreement, 2015 on climate
change. But that’s not all.
2. The Summit also highlighted the need for global action to address challenges like
poverty, environmental degradation, and social inequality, which are interconnected.
3. Furthermore, the Earth Summit contributed to the global efforts that were made in the
direction of sustainable development and environmental protection. Hence, the adoption
of comprehensive plans like Agenda 21 was made possible.
Conclusion
Rio summit did occur at a big level with great after-effects, but most of the objectives were left
unachieved. The ideas and intentions with which various agendas and treaties were launched
were not fully converted, and left underachieved.
The main focus of the Rio summit was on temperature control, but the temperature has
increased drastically over the past few decades. At Rio Summit in 1992, it was believed that
sustainable development could be achieved irrespective of where anyone is. The economic,
social, and environmental considerations shall be balanced to reach a sustainable environment.
RIO DECLARATION (Separate 10m)
The Rio Declaration on environment and development was approved by the United Nations
during the Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro on June 1992.
It was aimed at reaffirming the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment, adopted at Stockholm on June 1972. The Declaration adopted a set of principles
to guide the future development. These principles define the right of people to development, and
their responsibilities to safeguard the common environment.
The Rio Declaration states that the only way to have long term economic progress is to link it
with environmental protection. This will only happen if nations establish a new and equitable
global partnership involving governments, their people and key sectors of societies. They must
build international agreements that protect the integrity of the global environmental and the
developmental system.
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development is a collection of principles that
establishes states' rights and obligations in the fields of environmental preservation and
development. According to the Rio Declaration, countries have the freedom to use natural
resources inside their borders as long as their actions do not harm the environment of
neighbouring countries.
Quick summary of principles - Rio Summit 1992(Earth Summit): Summary, Declarations &
Agenda 21
PRINCIPLES
PRINCIPLE 1 - Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They
are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
PRINCIPLE 2 - States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the
principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their
own environmental and developmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities
within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of
areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
PRINCIPLE 3 The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental
and environmental needs of present and future generations.
PRINCIPLE 4 In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall
constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation
from it.
PRINCIPLE 5 All States and all people shall co-operate in the essential task of eradicating
poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the
disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the
world.
PRINCIPLE 6 The special situation and needs of developing countries, particularly the least
developed and those most environmentally vulnerable, shall be given special priority.
International actions in the field of environment and development should also address the
interests and needs of all countries.
PRINCIPLE 7 States shall co-operate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and
restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. In view of the different contributions to
global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The
developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit of
sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global
environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.
PRINCIPLE 8 To achieve sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all people,
States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and
promote appropriate demographic policies.
PRINCIPLE 9 States should co-operate to strengthen endogenous capacity-building for
sustainable development by improving scientific understanding through exchanges of scientific
and technological knowledge, and by enhancing the development, adaptation, diffusion and
transfer of technologies, including new and innovative technologies.
PRINCIPLE 10 Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned
citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access
to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including
information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to
participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public
awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial
and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided.
PRINCIPLE 11 States shall enact effective environmental legislation. Environmental standards,
management objectives and priorities should reflect the environmental and developmental
context to which they apply. Standards applied by some countries may be inappropriate and of
unwarranted economic and social cost to other countries, in particular developing countries.
PRINCIPLE 12 States should co-operate to promote a supportive and open international
economic system that would lead to economic growth and sustainable development in all
countries, to better address the problems of environmental degradation. Trade policy measures
for environmental purposes should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable
discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade. Unilateral actions to deal with
environmental challenges outside the jurisdiction of the importing country should be avoided.
Environmental measures addressing transboundary or global environmental problems should,
as far as possible, be based on an international consensus.
PRINCIPLE 13 States shall develop national law regarding liability and compensation for the
victims of pollution and other environmental damage. States shall also co-operate in an
expeditious and more determined manner to develop further international law regarding liability
and compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within their
jurisdiction or control to areas beyond their jurisdiction.
PRINCIPLE 14 States should effectively co-operate to discourage or prevent the relocation and
transfer to other States of any activities and substances that cause severe environmental
degradation or are found to be harmful to human health.
PRINCIPLE 15 In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely
applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or
irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing
cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
PRINCIPLE 16 National authorities should endeavour to promote the internalization of
environmental costs and the use of economic instruments, taking into account the approach that
the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest
and without distorting international trade and investment.
PRINCIPLE 17 Environmental impact assessment, as a national instrument, shall be
undertaken for proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the
environment and are subject to a decision of a competent national authority.
PRINCIPLE 18 States shall immediately notify other States of any natural disasters or other
emergencies that are likely to produce sudden harmful effects on the environment of those
States. Every effort shall be made by the international community to help States so afflicted.
PRINCIPLE 19 States shall provide prior and timely notification and relevant information to
potentially affected States on activities that may have a significant adverse transboundary
environmental effect and shall consult with those States at an early stage and in good faith.
PRINCIPLE 20 Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their
full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development.
PRINCIPLE 21 The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth of the world should be mobilized
to forge a global partnership in order to achieve sustainable development and ensure a better
future for all.
PRINCIPLE 22 Indigenous people and their communities, and other local communities, have a
vital role in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and
traditional practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and
interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development.
PRINCIPLE 23 The environment and natural resources of people under oppression, domination
and occupation shall be protected.
PRINCIPLE 24 Warfare is inherently destructive of sustainable development. States shall
therefore respect international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed
conflict and co-operate in its further development, as necessary.
PRINCIPLE 25 Peace, development and environmental protection are interdependent and
indivisible.
PRINCIPLE 26 States shall resolve all their environmental disputes peacefully and by
appropriate means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
PRINCIPLE 27 States and people shall co-operate in good faith and in a spirit of partnership in
the fulfilment of the principles embodied in this Declaration and in the further development of
international law in the field of sustainable development.
