On Wednesday, December 20, 2000, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the long-awaited resolution on the ten-year review of the Rio Summit.

Called the World Summit on Sustainable Development and often referred to as Rio+10, this high-level meeting will be held in Johannesburg from 2 – 11 September 2002. Many heads of state and government have already declared their intention to attend.

Agenda 21 which was the major outcome of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) will not be renegotiated; but a serious review of progress, lessons learned, etc. will be carried out to permit the 2002 summit to endorse steps forward. The

meeting will set the stage for development and environmental policy in years to come.

The resolution states that the summit and preparatory meetings should ensure a balance between "economic development, social development and environmental protection as these are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development."

The tenth Commission on Sustainable Development will become a year-long preparation for the summit and has been given the following tasks, among others:

The General Assembly called for the summit to "reinvigorate, at the highest political level, the global commitment to a North/South partnership and a higher level of international solidarity to the promotion of sustainable development."

Despite the summit nature of the event, the UN is seeking a full and in-depth contribution from all "major groups" (unions, NGOs, farmers, industry, women, etc.) that will begin during an extensive series of preparatory events at national, regional and international level.

As many as 60,000 delegates are expected at the summit, Most of the 188 UN Member Governments should attend. More than 15,000 NGOs were present in Rio.