Just To Know: Agenda 21

Agenda 21, a voluntarily executed action plan of the United Nations with favor to sustainable development, this is an economic development conserved and contained by acceptable levels of global resource depletion and environmental pollution.

 Agenda 21 is a product of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). In 1992 this was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An action agenda for the UN, other many-sided organizations, and individual governments around the world that can be implemented at local, national, and global levels.

The "21" in Agenda 21 refers to the 21st century.

Agenda 21 has been confirmed and modified at succeeding UN conferences.

Agenda 21 is a 300-page document separated into 40 chapters that have been collected into 4 sections: 

Section I: Social and Economic Dimensions

  Combating poverty, particularly in developing countries, altering eating patterns, promoting health, triumphing a more sustainable population, and maintainable settlement in decision making.

Section II: Conservation and Management of Resources for Development

·  Atmospheric protection, battling deforestation, protecting fragile environments, protection of biological diversity (biodiversity), control of pollution, controlling of biotechnology and radioactive wastes.

Section III: Strengthening the Role of Major Groups

·   Children and youth, women, NGOs (Non-governmental organization), local authorities, business 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 tool

On June 13, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, 178 governments voted to adopt Agenda 21.

In 2002 The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, agreed 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.

In the year 2002, the first World Public Meeting on Culture was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil; it 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, this is the group of the eight most industrialized nations in the world:

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The representatives from these countries meet regularly to discuss and draw up global economic policies.

In 2012, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development the attending members reaffirmed their commitment to Agenda 21 called "The Future We Want"

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LA21 (Local 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. 

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. The United States is a signatory country to Agenda 21, Agenda 21 is not a treaty, so the Senate is unable to hold a formal debate or vote on it, nor ratified by the Executive branc.h In Congress support of Agenda 21 are (to name a few)  representatives: Nancy Pelosi, Senator John Kerry, and Senator Harry Reid.

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.