AGENDA 21

Hella Lipper, BanaFair

1. Developments leading to Agenda 21

Environmental protection has only recently become the issue of international conferences and inter-governmental agreements. It is only 25 years ago that a series of environmental catastrophes and immense environmental problems in the industrialised countries led to the first environmental summit in Stockholm, "Man and the Environment". The Stockholm Declaration and the Programme of Action signed there were followed by a number of international global and regional agreements, and by the foundation of the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, with its seat in Nairobi.

The United Nations founded the Global Commission on Environment and Development in 1983. The Commission’s Brundtland Report helped to raise international awareness of environment and development as two issues of equal importance, and pointed out the political dimension of sustainable development.

As recommended in the report, a second conference was held in Rio in 1992. It was the first global conference on environment and development, the UNCED.

15 000 delegates from 178 countries, 115 heads of government, representatives of 1420 non-governmental organisations and 7000 journalists participated in the Rio conference, making it the largest international conference up to then.

The participation of such a large number of NGOs at an international conference was equally new. Nevertheless, the NGOs had only limited influence on the results of the conference because they only had observer status in public sessions, whereas the decisive negotiations took place informally and without NGO participation.

The Rio summit produced several documents:

• the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,
• the Climate Framework Convention,
• the Biodiversity Convention,
• the Forest Declaration,
• and Agenda 21.

Agenda 21, the central document, is not binding in terms of international law. It includes a programme of action, outlining a way to sustainable development in the 21st century. It is the first international document to emphasise the importance of women, young people, indigenous peoples, NGOs, communities, trade unions, science, and agriculture for the concept of sustainable development.

To monitor the implementation of the Rio agreements, a commission on sustainable development was established in New York in 1993.

2. Agenda 21

Agenda 21 is a programme of action dealing with the most urgent problems of the 21st century. It formulates detailed demands to international, regional, governmental and non-governmental organisations. It is often misunderstood as a programme for environmental protection only, but it also expresses how complex and interconnected our world is, and that only an overall approach will enable us to tackle the large variety of problems which we have created.

Agenda 21 consists of four parts, which are divided into 40 chapters:

1. Preamble (chapter 1)

2. Social and economic questions (chapters 2-8)

3. Preservation and use of development resources (chapters 9-22)

4. Strengthening of the partnership (chapters 23-32)

5. Implementation measures (chapters 33-40)

The first part, social and economic issues, deals with general preconditions, pointing out the direction which sustainable development could take. It also includes a chapter on changes in consumption patterns which states:

"If we want to achieve environmentally friendly development, we need efficient production and a change in consumption patterns. In many cases, this will mean a reorientation of current consumption patterns, which have been developed in the industrialised countries and now serve as a model all around the world.

All countries should try to achieve sustainable consumption patterns, but espacially the industrialised counties should try to set a good example [...]

In the foreseeable future, positive changes in consumption and production patterns can only be achieved if we set price and market signals to indicate the price the environment has to pay for the use of energy and material, the exploitation of natural ressources (including human ressources, note by the author) and for the production of waste. The use of market signals like eco-taxes should be supported." (Agenda 21, chapter 4)¹

Long before Agenda 21, alternative trade started to apply educational measures to make clear the situation of world trade and the consequences of our consumption patterns. The sale of alternative products shows that there are concrete alternatives to these patterns and can thus help change them.

The Fair Trade Quota, as demanded by EUROBAN, has just been described by Mrs Chambron. The quota could play an important role in the context of these market signals.

In reference to international economic policies and the global partnership, and thus about WTO policies, Agenda 21 states:

"In order to cope with the challenges of the environment and development, the countries have decided to launch a new global partnership. Since it is necessary to achieve a more efficient and more balanced global economy, and since the interdependence of the members of the international community must have priority, this partnership obliges all countries to participate in a continuous and constructive dialogue. We recognise that this new partnership can only be successful if we end the policy of confrontation and start creating a global climate of genuine cooperation and solidarity. Equally important is the strengthening of domestic and foreign policy efforts and of multinational cooperation in order to make an adjustment to new realities possible." (Agenda 21, chapter 2.1)

Nevertheless, the principles laid down in Agenda 21 have not had a great impact on WTO policies. A committee on trade and environment was established, but in December 1996 the Singapore Ministerial Meeting refused to deal with the implementation of the social clauses. The principles of liberal world trade are considered to be more important than the issue of sustainability - although all 115 signatory countries have committed themselves to implement Agenda 21. But since the Agenda is not binding in terms of international law, it is not possible to sue for implementation.

Five years after the Rio conference, there is similar disillusionment in all other fields covered by Agenda 21. The enthusiasm of 1992 has gone, and far too little has happened. When the Special General Assembly came together in New York in June of 1997 to take stock, the headline of the German Zeit newspaper read, "Forget New York". The New York negotiations did not bring any results, but only deepened the divisions between the north and the south. Nobody was willing to compromise, nobody wanted to make the first step. Yet after a disillusioning article, the Zeit came to the conclusion that we must try to establish a global domestic policy.

Despite all the disillusionment, it should not be forgotten that the Rio summit helped to initiate a discussion on sustainable development. Agenda 21 led to a large variety of activities by many different participants. It is important to remind our governments on a regular basis that they have signed Agenda 21, and that this will be the gauge with which their policies will be measured.

But Agenda 21 is not only about governments. It calls on us to develop new technologies and new industries. It describes how multinational corporations, private companies, financial institutions and private investors can establish new trade links.

It appeals to high-tech companies, indigenous peoples, employees and trade unions, farmers and consumers, pupils and teachers, scientists, women, children and individual citizens all around the globe to take action.

¹ Retranslated from the German version of: ”Agenda for a sustainable development - A universally understandable version of Agenda 21 and all other documents of the Rio conference”; Centre for our Common Future, Michael Keaton, Geneva, 1993