BY Sudarshan Gurjar

International Summits and Organizations 1

Convention on BioDiversity(CBD) 8
Objective and goal Error! Bookmark not defined.
Convention on BioDiversity→ Protocol Error! Bookmark not defined.

BioDiversity Organization 8
Convention on BioDiversity→ More Organization Error! Bookmark not defined.

International Summits and Organizations

United Nations ● It was an international conference convened under United Nations auspices.
Conference on The ● It was held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972.
Human ● It was the UN's first major conference on international environmental issues,
Environment and marked a turning point in the development of international environmental
politics.
● The meeting agreed upon a Declaration known as the Stockholm Declaration.
Principles of Stockholm Declaration
1. Human rights must be asserted, apartheid and colonialism condemned.
2. Natural resources must be safeguarded.
3. The Earth's capacity to produce renewable resources must be maintained.
4. Wildlife must be safeguarded.
5. Non-renewable resources must be shared and not exhausted.
6. Pollution must not exceed the environment's capacity to clean itself
7. Damaging oceanic pollution must be prevented.
8. Development is needed to improve the environment.

World Commission ● The UN General Assembly, through a resolution in 1983, welcomed the
on Environment establishment of a special commission.
and Development ● This commission was to make available a report on the environment and the
global problematique to the year 2000 and beyond, including proposed strategies
for sustainable development.
● The commission later adopted the name World Commission on Environment

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

 and Development.

⦁ United Nations • UNEP is an agency of the United Nations.

Environment • It coordinates the UN’s environmental activities.
Programme • It assists developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies
(UNEP) or UN and practices.
Environment • It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment 1972.
• It has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations
agencies.
• Addressing climate change or combating desertification, are overseen by other
UN organizations, like the UNFCCC and the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification.
• UNEP's activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere, marine
and terrestrial ecosystems, environmental governance and green economy.
• The World Meteorological Organization and UN Environment established the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988.
• UN Environment is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of
the Montreal Protocol.
• It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
• UNEP has registered several successes, such as the 1987 Montreal Protocol, and
the 2012 Minamata Convention, a treaty to limit toxic mercury.
• UNEP has sponsored the development of solar loan programmes. The solar loan
programme sponsored by UN Environment helped finance solar power systems in
India

Intergovernmental • IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United
Panel on Climate Nations.
Change (IPCC) • It was first established in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

 Programme (UNEP).
• Membership of the IPCC is open to all members of the WMO and UNEP. • The
IPCC produces reports that support the UNFCCC.
• IPCC reports cover all relevant information to understand the risk of human-
induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and
mitigation.
• The IPCC does not carry out its own original research.
• Thousands of scientists and other experts contribute on a voluntary basis.
• The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared, in two equal parts, between the IPCC
and an American Environmentalist.
⦁ The aims of the IPCC are to assess scientific information relevant to:
• Human-induced climate change,
• The impacts of human-induced climate change, Options for adaptation and
mitigation

Brundtland - after the Chairperson of the Commission, Gro Harlem Brundtland, appointed by
commission the United Nations Secretary-General in December 1983.
● The mission of the Brundtland Commission is to unite countries to pursue
sustainable development together.
● This commission was officially dissolved in 1987 after the release of the
Brundtland report, ‘Our Common Future’.
● The term ‘sustainable development’ was popularised from this report.
● The report highlighted three fundamental components to sustainable
development: environmental protection, economic growth and social equity.
● The commission was replaced with the centre for our common future in 1988.

United Nations ● UNCED is also known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the Rio Summit,
Conference On the Rio Conference, and the Earth Summit.
Environment And ● It was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14
Development(UNC June 1992.
ED) • 190 countries pledged their commitment to achieve by 2010, a significant

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and local levels.
• As a follow-up, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10)
was held in 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development was also
held in Rio and is also commonly called Rio+20 or Rio Earth Summit 2012.
Issues discussed and addressed in UNCED
● Systematic scrutiny of patterns of production— particularly the production of
toxic components, such as lead in gasoline, or poisonous waste including
radioactive chemicals.
● Alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels which are linked
to global climate change.
● New reliance on public transportation systems in order to reduce vehicle
emissions, congestion in cities and the health problems caused by polluted air and
smoke.
● The growing usage and limited supply of water.
Documents agreed upon at the UNCED:

Legally binding agreements Non-binding agreements

CBD: The Convention on Biological Rio declaration: It contains a set of 27

Diversity is a binding treaty requiring principles for sustainable development
nations to take inventories of their throughout the world.
plants and wild animals and protect
their endangered species.

UNFCCC: The United Nations Agenda 21: Agenda 21 is a

Framework Convention on Climate comprehensive plan of action to be
Change (UNFCCC), or Global taken globally, nationally and locally
Warming Convention, requires nations by organizations of the United Nations
to reduce their emission of carbon System, Governments, and Major
dioxide, methane, and other Groups in every area in which human

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

 “greenhouse” gases. impacts on the environment. It is
related to sustainable development.

The Statement of Principles on

Forests, aimed at preserving the
world’s rapidly vanishing tropical
rainforests, is a non-binding statement
recommending that nations monitor
and assess the impact of development
on their forest resources and take steps
to limit the damage done to them.

Agenda 21 ● Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to
sustainable development.
● It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and
Development).
● It is an action agenda for all the stakeholders that can be executed at local,
national, and global levels.
● The "21" in Agenda 21 refers to the 21st Century.
● Its aim is achieving global sustainable development.
● One major objective of agenda 21 is that every local government should draw
its own local agenda 21.
● It has a preamble, four sections and a total of 40 chapters. It also includes a
Statement on Forest Principles.

Barbados ● The Barbados Programme of Action, adopted during the Global Conference on
Programme of the Sustainable Development of SIDS held in Barbados in 1994, defines the
Action (BPOA) priorities, the cross-sectoral areas as well as the actions and strategies to be
undertaken at national, regional and global level to ensure the sustainable
development of Small Island Developing States.

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

United Nations • The Convention stemmed from a direct recommendation of the Rio
Convention to Conference's Agenda 21 in 1994.
Combat • UNCCD is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of
Desertification drought through national action programs (NAP).
(UNCCD) • National action programs (NAP) incorporate long-term strategies supported by
international cooperation.
• It is the only internationally legally binding framework set up to address
desertification.
• It was adopted in Paris, France in 1994 and entered into force in 1996.
• It has 196 parties, making it truly global in reach.
• 2006 was declared "International Year of Deserts and Desertification".
• The UN Convention to Combat Desertification has established a Committee on
Science and Technology (CST).
• CST is composed of government representatives competent in the fields of
expertise relevant to combating desertification and mitigating the effects of
drought.
• UNCCD collaborates closely with the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD).

Rio+5 (1997) • In 1997, the UN General Assembly held a special session to appraise the status
of Agenda 21 (Rio +5).
• The Assembly recognized progress as "uneven" and identified key trends,
including increasing globalization, widening inequalities in income, and
continued deterioration of the global environment

Rio+10 (2002) or • Rio+10 (2002) or Earth Summit 2002 or World Summit on Sustainable
Earth Summit 2002 Development.
• Took place in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.
• Rio+10 affirmed UN commitment to Agenda 21, alongside the Millennium
Development Goals.
• Johannesburg Declaration: committing the nations of the world to sustainable

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

 development.

Rio+20 (2012) • Rio+20 (2012) or United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

• Rio+20 was a 20-year follow-up to the Earth Summit 1992 and 10-year follow-
up to the Earth Summit 2002.
• It is also known as Rio 2012 or Earth Summit 2012.
• Hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.
• It reaffirmed the commitment to Agenda 21.
• It was the third international conference on sustainable development.

Partnership for • PAGE, launched in 2013, is a direct response to the Rio+20 Declaration, The
Action on Green Future We Want.
Economy (PAGE) • Rio+20 Declaration called upon the UN system and the international community
to aid interested countries in developing, adopting and implementing green
economy policies and strategies.
• PAGE supports nations in reframing economic policies and practices around
sustainability.
• PAGE seeks to assist countries in achieving SDG (2030 Agenda), especially
SDG 8: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment.”
• PAGE brings together the expertise of five UN agencies – UNEP, ILO, UNIDO,
UNDP and UNITAR.
ILO: International Labor Organization
UNIDO: UN Industrial Development Organization
UNITAR: UN Institute for Training and Research.

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout

 ⇒ Earth Summit 1992 (Rio de Janeiro) = UN Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED)
⇒ Earth Summit 2002 (Johannesburg) = World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
⇒ Earth Summit 2012 (Rio de Janeiro) = UN Conference on Sustainable Development
(UNCSD)

??? What is the Rio+20 Conference, often mentioned in the news?

(a) It is the United nations Conference on Sustainable Development
(b) It is a Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization
(c) It is a Conference of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(d) It is a Conference of the Member Countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity
🔠? With reference to ‘Agenda 21’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements :

1. It is a global action plan for sustainable development.

2. It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

🔠?

Sudarshan Gurjar’s Compiled Environment Handout