World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) – WSSD

The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) convened to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable development and review the implementation of Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Earth Summit) ten years earlier. The WSSD adopted two main documents: the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development. The Plan of Implementation set out a specific timetable to address some issues, including reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010 and halving the number of people without access to drinking water by 2015. It also strengthened the role of the Commission on Sustainable Development in continuing international oversight and monitoring progress on sustainability agreements. The Johannesburg Declaration outlines the path taken from UNCED to the WSSD, highlights challenges, expresses a commitment to sustainable development, underscores the importance of multilateralism, and emphasizes the need for implementation.