Steps are accelerating as part of preparations for the 10-year review of global progress since the 1992 Earth Summit. Officially known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro.
In December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly selected Johannesburg, South Africa as the site of the 2002 Summit, and officially named it the "World Summit on Sustainable Development".
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was designated as the Summit's Preparatory Committee. The first preparatory meeting is being held 30 April to 1 May 2001 and will be followed by three additional PrepComs over the coming year. These meetings will comprehensively review progress in the implementation of Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit. A document reporting on the review's results and presenting recommendations for action will be prepared by the last PrepCom, which is being convened in Indonesia at the Ministerial level in May 2002. This document will be submitted for consideration and adoption at the World Summit in South Africa.
The UN has set up a series of Web pages under the "Rio + 10" heading to update governments and participants. Information includes a briefing paper by the UN Secretariat that addresses the main areas of work and UN initiatives for the Summit.
The Summit is expected to attract more than 60,000 national and international delegates, including heads of State and leaders of major organizations and institutes. The last UN General Assembly review of Agenda 21 was in June 1997 at a Special Session convened in New York.
Energy & Transport
For the first time, two important Agenda 21 issues -- energy and transport -- are on the agenda of the 9th session of the CSD, being held in New York 16-27 April. In its various chapters, Agenda 21 states that all energy sources need to be used in ways that protect the atmosphere, human health, and the environment as a whole.