Understanding the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

The aim was to examine progress on the outcomes of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) - sometimes referred to as the Rio Earth Summit - and to 'reinvigorate' global commitment to sustainable development. The result was a 54-page agreement called the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation which sets out new commitments and priorities for action on sustainable development in areas as diverse as poverty eradication, health, trade, education, science and technology, regional concerns, natural resources, and the institutional arrangements.

The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation is divided in to eleven chapters, each with its own specific focus. This means that while themes such as health, poverty and globalisation have a chapter of their own, the themes are also echoed in other parts of the agreement. This 'cross-cutting' or web-like structure of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation reflects the fact that sustainable development requires a holistic view of development and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in its implementation.

The 11 Chapters of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation are as follows: 

1. Introduction, outlining the principles of sustainable development;
2. Poverty eradication;
3. Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production;
4. Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development (water; oceans; vulnerability; disaster management; climate change; agriculture; desertification; biodiversity; mountains; tourism; forests; mining);
5. Sustainable development in a globalizing world. Characteristics; opportunities and challenges of globalization;
6. Health and sustainable development. HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other epidemics; health services; environmental health;
7. Sustainable development in Small Island Developing States;
8. Sustainable development for Africa;
9. Other Regional Initiatives ( Latin America and the Caribbean ; Asia and the Pacific; West Asia ; Economic Commission for Europe);
10. Means of implementation (trade; finance; debt; technology transfer; role of the scientific community; education; capacity building; and information for decision making); and
11. Institutional framework for sustainable development (United Nations, regional and national level arrangements; and participation of major groups or stakeholders).