Manual on the Development of Cleaner Production Policies ... - Unido

DEVELOPMENT OF CP POLICY
MODULE 1: INTRODUCING CP
SLIDE: Key dates
1972—United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm
1987—Brundtland’s Report “Our Common Future” and the concept of
sustainable development
1989—CP programme at UNEP
1992—United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and
the adoption of Agenda 21
1994—UNIDO/UNEP NCPC Programme
1998—UNEP’s International Declaration on CP
Show that global initiatives related to environmental protection started in
earnest somewhere in the eighties, while operational CP activities began in the
nineties. The key point is to demonstrate to the audience the growing
momentum.
Background
1972: The first large international conference on the environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden, to
highlight the issue of environmental degradation as a global concern. The United Nations Conference
on the Human Environment, held in 1972, was one of the first attempts to move away from a sectoral
towards a more comprehensive approach that would include all aspects of environmental protection.
This shift was reflected in the Declaration of the Conference as well as the Action Plan for the Human
Environment, which was adopted by the Conference. Recognition of the environment as an important
new political issue was reflected in the establishment of Ministries of Environment in different
countries following the Conference.
1987: In 1987, Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway, chaired a committee whose
goal was to produce a report on the state of the environment for the United Nations World
Commission on Environment and Development. The product of the Committee’s work, “Our Common
Future”, otherwise referred to as the Brundtland Report, introduced the concept of sustainable
development and provided one of the first and most commonly used definitions:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
1989: In 1989, UNEP began its initiative on Cleaner Production, coining and conceptualizing the
actual term ‘Cleaner Production’. Rather than focusing simply on ‘clean technology,’ UNEP’s
Division of Technology, Industry and the Environment stressed the importance of effective
management and organization, and the need for constant improvement in performance. UNEP’s
Cleaner Production activities have strived to provide leadership and encourage partnerships to promote
the concept of Cleaner Production on a worldwide scale. Specifically, they have involved the
provision and exchange of information; capacity-building and technical assistance; and promotion of
cleaner production strategies.
1992: In 1992, as a follow-up to recommendations of the Brundtland Report, the United Nations
convened the Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (alternatively known as
the Rio Conference, the Earth Summit or Cumbre de la Tierra). The Rio Conference produced a more
detailed document titled Agenda 21, designed as an agenda for action for the twenty-first century.
Agenda 21 offered a set of goals for the achievement of sustainable development that could be tailored
to a country’s specific needs.
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