International conventions/protocols/agreements

World Summit on Sustainable Development

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4, 2002 as a follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit), held in Rio ten years earlier. The goal of the WSSD was to hold a ten-year review of countries' progress with respect to Agenda 21, and to reinvigorate the international community's commitment to sustainable development. The two major outcomes from the WSSD were the Johannesburg Declaration and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). Through the JPOI, governments agreed on commitments in a number of priority areas, including: water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystem management, and finance, trade and globalization. These commitments were backed up by government announcements on programs and by a number of Implementation Partnerships. To learn more about Canada's contribution to the WSSD, visit Canada's WSSD website.

The Earth Summit

At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, Agenda 21, a blueprint for action in support of sustainable development for the 21st century was adopted by the international community.

Two conventions were also negotiated in parallel with preparations for the Earth Summit. Canada signed the Convention on Biological Diversity and ratified it in December 1992. Canada was also part of the agreement concluded on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit. The convention established a framework and a process for agreeing to specific actions later, and led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.

Two sets of principles were also agreed upon at Rio: the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Forest Principles, both nonbinding instruments. The Rio Declaration outlines the rights and responsibilities of nations as they pursue human development and well-being, recognizing the development and environment needs of present and future generations. The Forest Principles guide the management, conservation, and sustainable development of forests, also keeping in mind the needs of present and future generations.

Since the Earth Summit, there have been a number of conventions, protocols and agreements negotiated and adopted by the international community. Key examples are noted below.

Key SD Conventions/Protocols/Agreements Since The Earth Summit

Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was negotiated in 1987 as a follow-up to the 1985 Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The Montreal Protocol set out legally binding commitments that required industrialized countries to reduce their consumption of chemicals harming the ozone layer. Since the Montreal Protocol, a number of subsequent meetings have been held where additional requirements have been added to the Protocol through amendments adopted in London (1990), Copenhagen (1992), Montreal (1997) and Beijing (1999).

World Conference on Women

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing in 1995 to help move the global agenda for the advancement of women forward. 189 countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. Twelve critical areas for action were identified by the international community: poverty, education and training, health, violence against women, including domestic violence, armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, the media, the environment and the girl child. A follow-up meeting was held in New York in June 2000, known as Beijing +5. It adopted a Political Declaration and an outcome document entitled: Further Actions and Initiatives to Implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Kyoto Protocol

As follow-up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in December 1997, Canada and more than 160 other countries reached an agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, which sets out specific climate protection targets and the options available to achieve them. Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol on December 17, 2002. The Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity both arose out of the Earth Summit in 1992. Canada has participated in a series of international follow-up sessions for these Conventions, called Conferences of the Parties (CoPs).

Millennium Development Goals

In September of 2000, the international community adopted the Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight goals designed as a road map for development through social and economic progress while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability. The international community committed to achieving the Goals by the year 2015. Each Goal has a set of supporting targets and indicators and recognizes that the support and assistance of developed countries is essential to the success of the Goals. The eight Goals are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
Achieve universal primary education;
Promote gender equality and empower women;
Reduce child mortality;
Improve maternal health;
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases;
Ensure environmental sustainability; and,
Develop a global partnership for development.

International Conference on Financing for Development

The International Conference on Financing for Development was held from March 18-22, 2002 in Monterrey, Mexico. The final outcome of the Conference was the Monterrey Consensus, which outlines a new approach to financing development. The goal of the Consensus is to eradicate poverty, achieve sustained economic growth and promote sustainable development as we advance to a fully inclusive and equitable global economic system.

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