b. Design and operation of efficient tax systems, accounting systems and financial sectors;
(c) Promotion of entrepreneurship.
2.39. International financial and development institutions should further review their policies and programmes in the light of the o bjective of sustainable development.
2.40. Stronger economic cooperation among developing countries has long been accepted as an important component of efforts to promote economic growth and technological capabilities and to accelerate development in the deve loping world. Therefore, the efforts of the developing countries to promote economic cooperation among themselves should be enhanced and continue to be supported by the international community.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
2.41. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities in this programme area to be about $50 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and or der-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implement ation.
(b) Capacity-building
2.42. The above-mentioned policy changes in developing countries involve substantial national efforts for capacity-building in the areas of public administration, central banking, tax administration, savings institutions and fin ancial markets.
2.43. Particular efforts in the implementation of the four programme areas identified in this chapter are warranted in view of the especially acute environmental and developmental problems of the least developed countries.
Agenda 21 - Chapter 3
COMBATING POVERTY
PROGRAMME AREA
Enabling the poor to achieve sustainable livelihoods
Basis for action
3.1. Poverty is a complex multidimensional problem with origins in both the national and international domains. No uniform solution can be found for global application. Rather, country -specific programmes to tackle poverty and international efforts supporting national efforts, as well as the parallel process of creating a supportive international environment, are crucial for a solution to this problem. The eradication of poverty and hunger, greater equity in income distribution and human resource development remain major challenges everywhere. The struggle against poverty is the shared responsibility of all countries.
3.2. While managing reso urces sustainably, an environmental policy that focuses mainly on the conservation and protection of resources must take due account of those who depend on the resources for their livelihoods. Otherwise it could have an adverse impact both on poverty and o n chances for long-term success in resource and environmental conservation. Equally, a development policy that focuses mainly on increasing the production of goods without addressing the sustainability of the resources on which production is based will soo ner or later run into declining productivity, which could also have an adverse impact on poverty. A specific anti -poverty strategy is therefore one of the basic conditions for ensuring sustainable development. An effective strategy for tackling the problem s of poverty, development and environment simultaneously should begin by focusing on resources, production and people and should cover demographic issues, enhanced health care and education, the rights of women, the role of youth and of indigenous people a nd local communities and a democratic participation process in association with improved governance.
3.3. Integral to such action is, together with international support, the promotion of economic growth in developing countries that is both sustained and sust ainable and direct action in eradicating poverty by strengthening employment and income -generating programmes.
Objectives
3.4. The long-term objective of enabling all people to achieve sustainable livelihoods should provide an
integrating factor that allows policies to address issues of development, sustainable resource
management and poverty eradication simultaneously. The objectives of this programme area are:
a. To provide all persons urgently with the opportunity to earn a sustainable livelihood;
b. To imple ment policies and strategies that promote adequate levels of funding and focus on
integrated human development policies, including income generation, increased local control
of resources, local institution -strengthening and capacity -building and greater in volvement of
non-governmental organizations and local levels of government as delivery mechanisms;
c. To develop for all poverty -stricken areas integrated strategies and programmes of sound and
sustainable management of the environment, resource mobilization , poverty eradication and
alleviation, employment and income generation;
d. To create a focus in national development plans and budgets on investment in human capital,
with special policies and programmes directed at rural areas, the urban poor, women and
children. Activities
3.5. Activities that will contribute to the integrated promotion of sustainable livelihoods and environmental
protection cover a variety of sectoral interventions involving a range of actors, from local to global,
and are essential at every level, especially the community and local levels. Enabling actions will be
necessary at the national and international levels, taking full account of regional and subregional
conditions to support a locally driven and country -specific approach. In general design, the
programmes should:
a. Focus on the empowerment of local and community groups through the principle of
delegating authority, accountability and resources to the most appropriate level to ensure that
the programme will be geographically and ecologi cally specific;
b. Contain immediate measures to enable those groups to alleviate poverty and to develop
sustainability;
c. Contain a long-term strategy aimed at establishing the best possible conditions for sustainable
local, regional and national development that would eliminate poverty and reduce the
inequalities between various population groups. It should assist the most disadvantaged
groups - in particular, women, children and youth within those groups - and refugees. The
groups will include poor smallhol ders, pastoralists, artisans, fishing communities, landless
people, indigenous communities, migrants and the urban informal sector.
3.6. The focus here is on specific cross -cutting measures - in particular, in the areas of basic education,
primary/maternal hea lth care, and the advancement of women.
(a) Empowering communities
3.7. Sustainable development must be achieved at every level of society. Peoples' organizations, women's
groups and non -governmental organizations are important sources of innovation and act ion at the local
level and have a strong interest and proven ability to promote sustainable livelihoods. Governments, in
cooperation with appropriate international and non -governmental organizations, should support a
community-driven approach to sustainabi lity, which would include, inter alia:
a. Empowering women through full participation in decision -making;
b. Respecting the cultural integrity and the rights of indigenous people and their communities;
c. Promoting or establishing grass -roots mechanisms to allow for the sharing of experience and
knowledge between communities;
d. Giving communities a large measure of participation in the sustainable management and
protection of the local natural resources in order to enhance their productive capacity;
e. Establishing a network of community -based learning centres for capacity -building and
sustainable development.
(b) Management -related activities
3.8. Governments, with the assistance of and in cooperation with appropriate international, non -
governmental and local community organizations, should establish measures that will directly or
indirectly:
a. Generate remunerative employment and productive occupational opportunities compatible
with country-specific factor endowments, on a scale sufficient to take care of prospective
increases in the labour force and to cover backlogs;
b. With international support, where necessary, develop adequate infrastructure, marketing
systems, technology systems, credit systems and the like and the human resources needed to
support the above actions and to achieve a widening of options for resource -poor people. High
priority should be given to basic education and professional training;
c. Provide substantial increases in economically efficient resource productivity and measures to
ensure that the local population benefits in adequate measure from resource use;
d.
Empower community organizations and people to enable them to achieve sustainable
livelihoods;
e.
Set up an effective primary health care and maternal health care system accessible to all;
f.
Consider strengthening/developing legal frameworks for land management, access to land
resources and land ownership - in particular, for women - and for the protection of tenants;
g.
Rehabilitate degraded resources, to the extent practicable, and introduce policy measures to
promote sustainable use of resources for basic human needs;
h.
Establish new community-based mechanisms and strengthen existing mechanisms to enable
communities to gain sustained access to resources needed by the poor to overcome their
poverty;
i.
Implement mechanisms for popular participation - particularly by poor people, especially
women - in local community groups, to promote sustainable development;
j.
Implement, as a matter of urgency, in accordance with country-specific conditions and legal
systems, measures to ensure that women and men have the same right to decide freely and
responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and have access to the information,
education and means, as appropriate, to enable them to exercise this right in keep ing with
their freedom, dignity and personally held values, taking into account ethical and cultural
considerations. Governments should take active steps to implement programmes to establish
and strengthen preventive and curative health facilities, which include women-centred,
women-managed, safe and effective reproductive health care and affordable, accessible
services, as appropriate, for the responsible planning of family size, in keeping with freedom,
dignity and personally held values, taking into account ethical and cultural considerations.
Programmes should focus on providing comprehensive health care, including pre-natal care,
education and information on health and responsible parenthood and should provide the
opportunity for all women to breast-feed fully, at least during the first four months post-
partum. Programmes should fully support women's productive and reproductive roles and
well-being, with special attention to the need for providing equal and improved health care for
all children and the need to reduce the risk of maternal and child mortality and sickness;
k.
Adopt integrated policies aiming at sustainability in the management of urban centres;
l.
Undertake activities aimed at the promotion of food security and, where appropriate, food
self-sufficiency within the context of sustainable agriculture;
m. Support research on and integration of traditional methods of production that have been
shown to be environmentally sustainable;
n.
Actively seek to recognize and integrate informal-sector activities into the economy by
removing regulations and hindrances that discriminate against activities in those sectors;
o.
Consider making available lines of credit and other facilities for the informal sector and
improved access to land for the landless poor so that they can acquire the means of production
and reliable access to natural resources. In many instances special considerations for women
are required. Strict feasibility appraisals are needed for borrowers to avoid debt crises;
p.
Provide the poor with access to fresh water and sanitation;
q.
Provide the poor with access to primary education.
(c) Data, information and evaluation
3.9. Governments should improve the collection of information on target groups and target areas in order to facilitate the design of focuse d programmes and activities, consistent with the target -group needs and aspirations. Evaluation of such programmes should be gender -specific, since women are a particularly disadvantaged group.
(d) International and regional cooperation and coordination
3.10. The United Nations system, through its relevant organs, organizations and bodies, in cooperation
with Member States and with appropriate international and non -governmental organizations, should
make poverty alleviation a major priority and should:
a. Assist Governments, when requested, in the formulation and implementation of national
action programmes on poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Action -oriented
activities of relevance to the above objectives, such as poverty eradication, projects and
programmes supplemented where relevant by food aid, and support and special emphasis on
employment and income generation, should be given particular attention in this regard;
b. Promote technical cooperation among developing countries for poverty eradicatio n activities;
c. Strengthen existing structures in the United Nations system for coordination of action relating
to poverty eradication, including the establishment of a focal point for information exchange
and the formulation and implementation of replicabl e pilot projects to combat poverty;
d. In the follow-up of the implementation of Agenda 21, give high priority to the review of the
progress made in eradicating poverty;
e. Examine the international economic framework, including resource flows and structural
adjustment programmes, to ensure that social and environmental concerns are addressed, and
in this connection, conduct a review of the policies of international organizations, bodies and
agencies, including financial institutions, to ensure the continued pr ovision of basic services
to the poor and needy;
f. Promote international cooperation to address the root causes of poverty. The development
process will not gather momentum if developing countries are weighted down by external
indebtedness, if development f inance is inadequate, if barriers restrict access to markets and if
commodity prices and the terms of trade in developing countries remain depressed.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
3.11. The secretariat of the Conference has estim ated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $30 billion, including about $15 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. This estimate overlaps estimates in other parts of Agenda 21. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non - concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and p rogrammes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Capacity-building
3.12. National capacity -building for implementation of the above activities is crucial and should be given high priority. It is particularly important to focus capacity -building at the local community level in order to support a community -driven approach to sustainability and to establish and strengthen mechanisms to allow sharing of experience and knowledge between community groups at national and international levels. Requirements f or such activities are considerable and are related to the various relevant sectors of Agenda 21 calling for requisite international, financial and technological support.
Agenda 21 - Chapter 4
CHANGING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS
4.1. This chapter contains the follow ing programme areas:
a. Focusing on unsustainable patterns of production and consumption;
b. Developing national policies and strategies to encourage changes in unsustainable
consumption patterns.
4.2. Since the issue of changing consumption patterns is very broad , it is addressed in several parts of
Agenda 21, notably those dealing with energy, transportation and wastes, and in the chapters on
economic instruments and the transfer of technology. The present chapter should also be read in
conjunction with chapter 5 (Demographic dynamics and sustainability).
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Focusing on unsustainable patterns of production and consumption
Basis for action
4.3. Poverty and environmental degradation are closely interrelated. While poverty results in certain kinds of environmental stress, the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries, which is a matter of grave concern, aggravating poverty and imbalances.
4.4. Measures to be undertaken at the international level for the protection and enhancement of the environment must take fully into account the current imbalances in the global patterns of consumption and production.
4.5. Special attention shoul d be paid to the demand for natural resources generated by unsustainable consumption and to the efficient use of those resources consistent with the goal of minimizing depletion and reducing pollution. Although consumption patterns are very high in certain parts of the world, the basic consumer needs of a large section of humanity are not being met. This results in excessive demands and unsustainable lifestyles among the richer segments, which place immense stress on the environment. The poorer segments, me anwhile, are unable to meet food, health care, shelter and educational needs. Changing consumption patterns will require a multipronged strategy focusing on demand, meeting the basic needs of the poor, and reducing wastage and the use of finite resources in the production process.
4.6. Growing recognition of the importance of addressing consumption has also not yet been matched by an understanding of its implications. Some economists are questioning traditional concepts of economic growth and underlining the i mportance of pursuing economic objectives that take account of the full value of natural resource capital. More needs to be known about the role of consumption in relation to economic growth and population dynamics in order to formulate coherent internatio nal and national policies.
Objectives
4.7. Action is needed to meet the following broad objectives:
a.
To promote patterns of consumption and production that reduce environmental stress and will
meet the basic needs of humanity;
b.
To develop a better understanding of the role of consumption and how to bring about more
sustainable consumption patterns.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
Adopting an international approach to achieving sustainable consumption patterns
4.8. In principle, countries should be guided by the following basic objectives in their efforts to address
consumption and lifestyles in the context of environment and development:
a.
All countries should strive to promote sustainable consumption patterns;
b.
Developed countries should take the lead in achieving sustainable consumption patterns;
c.
Developing countries should seek to achieve sustainable consumption patterns in their
development process, guaranteeing the provision of basic needs for the poor, while
avoiding those unsustainable patterns, particularly in industrialized countries, generally
recognized as unduly hazardous to the environment, inefficient and wasteful, in their
development processes. This requires enhanced technological and other assistance from
industrialized countries.
4.9. In the follow-up of the implementation of Agenda 21 the review of progress made in achieving
sustainable consumption patterns should be given high priority.
(b) Data and information
Undertaking research on consumption
4.10.
In order to support this broad strategy, Governments, and/or private research and policy institutes,
with the assistance of regional and international economic and environmental organizations, should
make a concerted effort to:
a.
Expand or promote databases on production and consumption and develop methodologies
for analysing them;
b.
Assess the relationship between production and consumption, environment, technological
adaptation and innovation, economic growth and development, and demographic factors;
c.
Examine the impact of ongoing changes in the structure of modern industrial economies
away from material-intensive economic growth;
d.
Consider how economies can grow and prosper while reducing the use of energy and
materials and the production of harmful materials;
e.
Identify balanced patterns of consumption worldwide which the Earth can support in the
long term.
Developing new concepts of sustainable economic growth and prosperity
4.11. Consideration should also be given to the present concepts of economic growth and the need for new concepts of wealth and prosperity which allow higher standards of living through changed lifestyles and are less dependent on the Earth's finite resources and more in harmony with the Earth's