About Sustainable Development History of Sustainable Development: The Road to Johannesburg

Beginnings

The journey to the WSSD began with the emergence of the environmental movement in Europe and North America during the 1960s. In 1972, the international community met in Stockholm to focus for the first time specifically on global environmental and development issues. This was the historic United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.

Brundtland Commission

In 1986, a World Commission on Environment and Development was established by the United Nations to study the dynamics of global environmental degradation and make recommendations to ensure the long-term viability of human society. The Commission was chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Prime Minister of Norway at the time.

The Commission's report, "Our Common Future", became the benchmark for thinking about the global environment, and first popularized the term "sustainable development," defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Rio Summit

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also known as Earth Summit 1992, or the Rio Summit) brought environment and development issues to the forefront.

After two years of preparation, more than 35,000 people, including 106 Heads of State or Government and 9,000 journalists, arrived in Rio de Janeiro for what proved to be a milestone international event. The Conference led to a number of important conventions including those on biodiversity and climate change, as well as to Agenda 21, a comprehensive global plan of action for local, national and global sustainable development.

The success of the 1992 Summit was most evident in the high level of public awareness and broad engagement it fostered on issues of global environmental protection and the health and well-being of future generations. The Rio Summit gave unprecedented access to public interest groups and non-governmental organizations, as well as to private sector interests and business leaders. The Summit initiated a new climate of inclusiveness in global affairs.

Johannesburg Summit 2002

The year 2002 was marked by a similarly inclusive world gathering, the WSSD, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The WSSD provided an opportunity to re-energize the global commitment to the achievement of sustainable development - with full attention to poverty reduction.

Multilateral Agreements

The emergence of international efforts to achieve sustainable development since the early 1970s have had a number of benefits. One of these is a vast array of multilateral agreements among the countries of the world addressing primary issues concerning the environment and sustainable development.