REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF THE OUTCOMES OF THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - AN ASIA-PACIFIC PERSPECTIVE

In 1992, at the United Nations Conference of Environment and Development, the world community adopted Agenda 21 - a resolution to prevent further deterioration of the global environment, to achieve positive long-term economic growth, and to improve social conditions. The document sets out a comprehensive programme of action for achieving sustainable development, sector by sector. In 1997, the United Nations General Assembly at its nineteenth special session adopted the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, outlining strategies for accelerating progress towards sustainable development. In 2002, a comprehensive review of progress in implementation of Agenda 21 took place at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The World Summit adopted a Plan of Implementation (the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation) containing targets and timetables to spur action on a wide range of key challenges of sustainable development. This includes poverty eradication; the protection and management of natural resources; health and sustainable development; sustainable development in a globalizing world; and, changing patterns of consumption and production. To ensure effective follow-up, in 1992, the General Assembly established the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to review progress in the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI). Since 2003, the Commission has met annually in two-year cycles, with each cycle focusing on clusters of specific thematic and cross-sectoral issues outlined in its multi-year programme of work (2003-2017). In its second cycle (2006-2007), specific thematic clusters of issues to be addressed by the CSD are energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere, and climate change.1 This report aims at reviewing an overall performance of the Asia-Pacific countries on sustainable industrial development . It is prepared for the Regional Implementation Meeting for the Asia-Pacific region organized in preparation for the fourteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The specific objectives of the report are as follows: 1. To review of the progress achieved by the Asia-Pacific region2 in implementing the goals and targets contained in Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the CSD-6 on industrial development; 2. To assess sustainable industrial development issues that are of high priority and unique, or of urgency specific, to the region; 3. To outline key challenges and constraints facing the countries in the region in meeting the goals and targets, as well as key lessons learned; and, 4. To identify good practices and new opportunities for expediting implementation of the sustainable industrial development in the region.download