Agenda 21 is a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard
to sustainable development. It is a product of the 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. It has been affirmed
and modified at subsequent UN conferences.
Structure and contents Agenda 21 is a 300-page document divided
into 40 chapters that have been grouped into 4 sections:
Section I: Social and Economic Dimensions is directed toward combating poverty, especially
in developing countries, changing consumption patterns, promoting health, achieving a more
sustainable population, and sustainable settlement in decision making.
Section II: Conservation and Management of Resources for Development Includes atmospheric
protection, combating deforestation, protecting fragile environments, conservation of biological
diversity, control of pollution and the management of biotechnology, and radioactive wastes.
Section III: Strengthening the Role of Major Groups includes the roles of children and
youth, women, NGOs, local authorities, business and industry, and workers; and strengthening
the role of indigenous peoples, their communities, and farmers.
Section IV: Means of Implementation: implementation includes science, technology transfer, education,
international institutions and financial mechanisms. Development and evolution
The full text of Agenda 21 was made public at the UN Conference on Environment and Development,
held in Rio de Janeiro on June 13, 1992, where 178 governments voted to adopt the program.
The final text was the result of drafting, consultation, and negotiation, beginning in
1989 and culminating at the two-week conference. Rio+5
In 1997, the UN General Assembly held a special session to appraise the status of Agenda 21.
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 promised further action.
Rio+10
The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development
affirmed UN commitment to "full implementation" of Agenda 21, alongside achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals and other international agreements.
Agenda 21 for culture
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
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 leaders from nations participated. Implementation
The Commission on Sustainable Development acts as a high-level forum on sustainable
development and has acted as preparatory committee for summits and sessions on the implementation
of Agenda 21. The UN Division for Sustainable Development acts as the secretariat to the
Commission and works "within the context of" Agenda 21.
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, as recommended in Chapter 28
of the document. These programs are often known as "Local Agenda 21" or "LA21". For
example, in the Philippines, the plan is "Philippines Agenda 21". The group, ICLEI-Local Governments
for Sustainability, formed in 1990; today its members come from 1,200 cities, towns,
and counties in 70 countries and is widely regarded as a paragon of Agenda 21 implementation.
In other countries, opposition to Agenda 21's ideas has surfaced to varied extents. In some
cases, opposition has been legislated into several States limiting or forbidding the
participation and/or funding of local government activities that support Agenda 21.
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.
National level The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs'
Division for Sustainable Development monitors and evaluates progress, nation by nation,
towards the adoption of Agenda 21, and makes these reports available to the public on its
website. Australia, for example, is a signatory to
Agenda 21 and 88 of its municipalities subscribe to ICLEI, an organization that promotes Agenda 21
globally. Australia's membership is second only to that of the United States. European
countries generally possess well documented Agenda 21 statuses. France, whose national
government, along with 14 cities, is a signatory, boasts nationwide programs supporting Agenda 21.
The French activist group Nouvelle Force announced in March 2012 that they viewed Agenda 21
as a "sham". In Africa, national support for Agenda 21
is strong and most countries are signatories. But support is often closely tied to environmental
challenges specific to each country; for example, in 2002 Sam Nujoma, who was then President
of Namibia, spoke about the importance of adhering to Agenda 21 at the 2002 Earth Summit,
noting that as a semi-arid country, Namibia sets a lot of store in the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification. Furthermore, there is little mention of Agenda 21 at the
local level in indigenous media. Only major municipalities in sub-Saharan African countries
are members of ICLEI. Agenda 21 participation in North African countries mirrors that of
Middle Eastern countries, with most countries being signatories but little to no adoption
on the local-government level. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa generally
have poorly documented Agenda 21 status reports. By contrast, South Africa's participation
in Agenda 21 mirrors that of modern Europe, with 21 city members of ICLEI and support
of Agenda 21 by national-level government. Specific countries
United States The national focal point in the United States
is the Division Chief for Sustainable Development and Multilateral Affairs, Office of Environmental
Policy, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S.
Department of State. A June 2012 poll of 1,300 United States voters by the American Planning
Association found that 9% supported Agenda 21, 6% opposed it, and 85% thought they didn't
have enough information to form an opinion. Support
The United States is a signatory country to Agenda 21, but because Agenda 21 is a legally
non-binding statement of intent and not a treaty, the United States Senate was not required
to hold a formal debate or vote on it. It is therefore not considered to be law under
Article Six of the United States Constitution. President George Bush was one of the 178 heads
of government who signed the final text of the agreement at the Earth Summit in 1992,
and in the same year Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Eliot Engel and William Broomfield
spoke in support of United States House of Representatives Concurrent Resolution 353,
supporting implementation of Agenda 21 in the United States.
In the United States, over 528 cities are members of ICLEI, an international sustainability
organization that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world.
The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI's global membership of 1,200 cities promoting
sustainable development at a local level. The United States also has one of the most
comprehensively documented Agenda 21 status reports. In response to the opposition, Don
Knapp, U.S. spokesman for the ICLEI, has said "Sustainable development is not a top-down
conspiracy from the U.N., but a bottom-up push from local governments".
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry successfully lobbied against an anti-sustainable
development bill in 2012, arguing "It would be bad for business" as it could drive away
corporations that have embraced sustainable development.
Opposition During the last decade, opposition to Agenda 21
has increased within the United States at the local, state, and federal levels. The
Republican National Committee has adopted a resolution opposing Agenda 21, and the Republican
Party platform stated that "We strongly reject the U.N. Agenda 21 as erosive of American
sovereignty." Several state and local governments have considered or passed motions and legislation
opposing Agenda 21. Alabama became the first state to prohibit government participation
in Agenda 21. Many other states, including Arizona, are drafting, and close to passing
legislation to ban Agenda 21. Activists, some of whom have been associated
with the Tea Party movement by The New York Times and The Huffington Post, have said that
Agenda 21 is a conspiracy by the United Nations to deprive individuals of property rights.
Columnists in The Atlantic have linked opposition to Agenda 21 to the property rights movement
in the United States. Glenn Beck co-wrote a dystopian novel entitled Agenda 21.
See also Ecologically sustainable development
EarthCheck Earth Summit
Education for sustainable development Global Map
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
Man and the Biosphere Programme Millennium Development Goals
National Strategy for a Sustainable America References
Further reading Lenz, Ryan. "Antigovernment Conspiracy Theorists
Rail Against UN's Agenda 21 Program". Intelligence Report.
Strzelczyk, Scott; Rothschild, Richard. "UN Agenda 21 - Coming to a Neighborhood near
You". American Thinker. Earth Summit 2012
External links Agenda 21 text
United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform