Agenda 21- Earth Summit

WHAT IS AGENDA 21?

• Agenda 21 is an action plan of the United Nations (UN) related to sustainable development and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development(UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.

• A comprehensive blueprint of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups in every area in which humans directly affect the environment.

• It recognizes that sustainable development is primarily the responsibility of governments, and this will require national strategies, plans and policies. .

AGENDA 21

•  The objectives of Agenda 21 require substantial assistance for developing countries.  

• Money is also needed to allow international bodies to implement the recommendations of Agenda 21.

 

AGENDA 21

Earth Summit• Agenda 21 was established at the 1992

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

• Agenda 21 is a commitment to sustainable development, which was agreed by many of the world’s governments.

Agenda 21• Countries that have agreed to Agenda 21

are encouraged to conserve and preserve their environments and natural resources at local and national level.

Agenda 21 tackles social and environmental problems, including:• Air pollution• Deforestation• Biodiversity loss• Health• Overpopulation• Poverty• Energy consumption

• Waste Production• Transport

Sustainable development• Sustainable development encourages the

conservation and preservation of natural resources and of the environment.

• If sustainable development is to be successful we all have to change our attitudes to our current lifestyles and the impact they have on the environment.

Conservation and preservation

• Conservation is the sustainable use and management of natural resources, including wildlife, water, air and earth deposits. The conservation of trees involves making sure that they are not used faster than they can be replaced.

• Conservationists say that development is necessary for a better future, but only if the changes are not wasteful.

Conservation and preservation

• Preservation attempts to maintain in their present condition areas of the Earth that are so far untouched by humans.

• Many landscapes are being taken over by farming, industry, housing, tourism and other human developments, and we are losing many landscapes that are truly natural.

Energy• Energy is needed for heating, electricity,

manufacturing, construction and transportation.• Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are non-

renewable. The average person in the UK uses 35 times as much energy as someone in India.

• Renewable energy sources include solar power, wind power and hydroelectric power. Agenda 21 requires countries to increase the proportion of energy supplied by renewable schemes that do not produce greenhouse gases, which may cause global warming.

Transport • Transport is damaging our environment,

producing pollutants that lead to acid rain, poor air quality and global warming.

• Governments need to control the rate of traffic growth and improve the performance of vehicles.

• People need to be encouraged to become less dependent on cars and increase their use of public transport.

Waste• The more waste we produce the more we have

to dispose. Sustainable waste management encourages the generation of less waste, the re-use of consumables and the recycling of waste that is produced.

• Waste includes paper, plastics, glass, metals, foods, chemicals, oils, bricks and wood.

• The UK aims to reduce, re-use, recycle and recover waste.

AGENDA 21 IN THE PHILIPPINES

Background

• 1987 Constitution• Approved Adoption of the Philippine

Strategy for Sustainable Development (PSSD) in 1989

• Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (July 1992)

16

• Earth Summit Commitments• Creation of the Philippine Council for

Sustainable Development through Executive Order No. 15

• Formulation of the Philippine Agenda 21 in 1996 through Memorandum Order No. 288

17

The PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21 is part of the country’s response to fulfill its commitments in

the historic Earth Summit in 1992 where government and key sectors of society agreed to implement an action agenda for sustainable

development.

THE PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21 (PA21)

18

• The nation's blueprint for sustainable development. 

• In concreting the vision, it describes a path for individuals, families, households and communities; an action plan for each ecosystem (coastal/marine, freshwater, upland, lowland, and urban); and across ecosystems in consideration of the interaction of the various lifescapes and landscapes found therein. 

THE PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21 (PA21)

Philippine Agenda 21 (PA 21) is our own national agenda for sustainable development. It is basically

made up of:

– - The Principles of Unity – - The Action Agenda – - The Implementation Strategies

PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21

– A scale of intervention that is primarily area-based.  The national and global policy environment builds upon and supports area-based initiatives.

– Integrated island development approaches where applicable.  This recognizes the archipelagic character of the Philippines which includes many small island provinces.

Philippine Agenda 21 advocates a fundamental shift in development thinking and approach.  It departs from traditional conceptual frameworks that emphasize sector-based and macro concerns.  Philippine Agenda 21 promotes harmony and achieves sustainability by emphasizing:

PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21

• People and integrity of nature at the center of development initiatives. This implies the strengthening of roles, relationships, and interactions between and among stakeholders in government, civil society, labor and business. Basic sectors have an important role to play in achieving equity and managing the ecosystems that sustain life.

PHILIPPINE AGENDA 21

Sustainable Development Principles

Primacy of Developing Full Human Potential This puts man at the center of all development efforts.

Holistic Science and Appropriate Technology. Implies development of appropriate technology to solve development problems with due consideration to its impact to society and ecology.

Cultural, Moral and Spiritual Sensitivity. Considers the inherent strengths of local and indigenous knowledge, practices and beliefs, while respecting cultural diversity, moral standards and the spiritual nature of the Filipino society.

Sustainable Development Principles

National Sovereignty. Self-determination at the national level to pursue social and ecological concerns in its governance to achieve human, environmental and food security.

Gender Sensitivity. Recognize the importance of complementary roles and empowerment of both women and men in development.

Peace, Order and National Unity. Makes sure that the right of everyone to a peaceful and secure existence is respected.

Sustainable Development Principles

Viable, Sound and Broad-based Economic Development. Requires working for development that is based on stable economy, where everyone equally shares the benefits of progress.

Sustainable Population. Needs to maintain a number of people that can be supported by the limited capacity of our natural resources.

Ecological Soundness. Requires that we recognize the earth as a common heritage that belongs to all of us, and everyone should care for its capacity to support us and the future generations.

Sustainable Development Principles

Bio-geographical Equity and Community-Based Resource Management. Means entrusting to the people residing near or within an ecosystem the primary right to manage its resources.

Global Cooperation. Requires international solidarity of every nation’s effort to build a better life and safer environment.

• PA 21 envisions a better quality of life for all Filipinos through the development of a just, moral and creative, spiritual, economically vibrant, caring, diverse yet cohesive society characterized by appropriate productivity, participatory and democratic processes, and living in harmony and within the limits of the carrying capacity of nature and the integrity of creation.

WHAT ARE THE VISIONS OF PA 21 ?

• Poverty Reduction: Poverty is a central concern of sustainable development. Consistent with this, the various consultations for the updating of PA 21 have yielded poverty reduction agenda that includes measures to create an enabling economic environment for sustained and broad-based growth; improve employment, productivity and income; and attain food security

WHAT ARE THE VISIONS OF PA 21 ?

• Social Equity: Social equity should mean allocation of resources on the bases of efficiency and equity to achieve balanced development. Efficiency and equity mean the channeling of resources to developing areas where greater economic benefits accumulate and where there is greater need, distribution being dependent on the practicality and urgency of needs.

WHAT ARE THE VISIONS OF PA 21 ?

• Empowerment and Good Governance: Empowerment is a precondition of informal choices. Good governance is a necessary precondition to empowerment, as empowerment is to good governance. These two are a defining element of each other.

WHAT ARE THE VISIONS OF PA 21 ?

• Peace and Solidarity: The cycle of poverty and conflict goes on as the costs of war escalate in terms of various kinds of destruction while withholding funds for basic services, resulting in more poverty and underdevelopment.

VISIONS OF PA 21

• Ecological Integrity: In general, the path towards enhancing the integrity of the country’s ecological domain will have to involve heightened and sustained implementation of environmental laws, as well as the continued pursuit of resource conservation, and environmental restoration/enhancement programs.

VISIONS OF PA 21

32

KEY FEATURES OF PA 21

33

KEY ACTORS IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

CIVIL SOCIETY

BUSINESS

GOVERNMENT

SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT

34

ESSENTIAL DIMENSIONS OF SOCIETY IN RELATION TO NATURE, HUMAN BEING &

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

CULTURE(Civil Society)

ECONOMY(Business)

POLICY(Government)

SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPM

ENTSO

CIET

Y

HUMAN BEING

NATURE

`