GEO Brasil - UNEP

2. International Agreements
Resulting
esultingfrom Geo-political
Interaction Processes
2.1 Precedents: Rio 92 and Agenda 21
The fact that Brazil hosted the Rio 92 Conference
contributed to reinforcing and spreading environmental
awareness in the country. Ten years after the event a set of
actions taken by governmental, entrepreneurial and civil
society sectors with the aim to focus on sustainable
development management are still emphasised.
The old environmental preservation concept is based on
the premises that natural resources are untouchable. This
idea has been replaced by another notion that adapts
preservation to a new model of development founded on
the rwise use of natural resources, so that they may
continue to be available to future generations.
Development which does not deplete but preserves and
constantly nourishes its source of natural resources and
is not moved just by immediate interests but is in fact
ruled by planned actions is essential. This is called
sustainable development.
This new concept has been consolidated as a guideline
for changes in the global development directions and was
defined by the 170 countries present at the Rio 92
Conference. This Conference approved the Agenda 21
document that contained a series of commitments agreed
on by the signatory countries. Among such commitments
were the incorporation of sustainability principles in
countries’ public policies, placing them directly on track
for sustainable development.
Building sustainability in Brazil is an enormous challenge -
as vast as the Brazilian possibilities themselves. These
possibilities are founded on a continental territory that has
still abundant natural resources. They are also founded on
the greatest biological diversity in the planet, on relatively
abundant water resources, year round solar energy and a
complex society of almost 174 million people (IBGE 2002).
2.2 Environmental Multilateral Agreements
and Non-Binding Instruments
The return to the democratic process, the opening of the
discussion of environmental issues to civil society, the
increase of external pressure and, moreover, the magnitude
taken by post 1985 environmental degradation confer great
visibility on environmental matters.
The Rio 92 Conference signatory countries, which have also
signed the documents and declarations resulting from world
conferences which followed Rio 92 in the 1990s, have
committed themselves to the adoption of sustainability and
sustainable development notions in a global framework of
deep transformations.
The first point to be considered in this process is knowing
what is and what should be the country’s place in the current
stage of internationalisation of the economy, knowledge and
communications.
According to recent Human Development Reports (1998 and
1999) published by the United Nations Development
programme – UNDP the outlook is reason for concern.
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