The Earth Summit

The UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) took place in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. This report covers the main areas of international agreement and also discusses what was not achieved, from the point of view of development NGOs in attendance. There was evidence, among the 107 heads of State and Government present, of increased concern and awareness of the links between the environment and development. Failures to agree on certain issues were treated optimistically by participants since it was felt the `road from Rio' - what happens next - is what is important.