Problem overview:

     Awareness and visions: The UN Conference on Environment and Development (The Rio Declaration) recommended each nation create an Agenda for the 21st Century. The process turned out to be a major undertaking, but vital to progress towards sustainable development. Here is how China formalized its sustainable vision into the China Agenda 21.

Background:

      Forming and implementing a national vision for the environment

      The UN Conference on Environment and Development (The Rio Declaration) recommended each nation create an Agenda for the 21st Century. The process turned out to be a major undertaking, but vital to progress towards sustainable development. Here is how China formed and implemented its Agenda 21.

     After the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992, the Chinese Government began the process of formulating China's Agenda 21.

Leading Group of China's Agenda 21

      The Chinese Government decided to establish a Leading Group and an affiliated office, under the direction of the State Planning Commission (SPC) and the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC), to engage in the formulation of China's Agenda 21 and the associated Priority Programme. At the same time, the Administrative Centre for China's Agenda 21(ACCA21), under the direction of the Leading Group and its office, was established to be responsible for the daily management work concerning China's Agenda 21.

Completion

      In March of 1994, after many concrete discussions, amendments, and active participation by related state ministries, agencies, and people from all parts of society, China's Agenda 21 was finally completed.

      On March 25, 1994, the 16th Executive Meeting of the State Council passed "China's Agenda 21 - White Paper on China's Population, Environment, and Development in the 21st Century". China's Agenda 21, based on China's specific national conditions and paying attention to population, environment, and development, sets up a strategic goal of sustainable development that can promote coordinated development of economy, society, resources, and environment.

      China's Agenda 21 consists of 20 chapters and 78 programme areas. These can be categorised into four parts:

      1. Comprehensive strategy and policy of sustainable development.

      China's Agenda 21 provides background information and expounds China's urgent need to draft and implement the strategy of sustainable development. It also puts forward the strategic goals, priority programmes, and major actions that China should use in drafting its sustainable development strategy, law-making concerns, and related implementation.

      It also emphasizes the significance of, and principles for, drafting economic policies that can promote sustainable development and promote international cooperation on environment and development. Emphasis is placed on enhancing the capacity building of sustainable development through establishment of relevant management and information systems, improving funding mechanisms, intensifying education, and advancing science and technology. Special efforts should be made to encourage women, children, minority nationalities, workers, and scientific staff to participate in sustainable development activities.

      2. Sustainable social development.

      This part is composed of population, individual consumption, social service, poverty eradication, hygiene and health care, sustainable development of human settlement, disaster preparedness and mitigation, etc. The most important elements of this part are family planning, population control, and improving competence levels. The above mentioned requirements can be achieved by guiding people towards moderate life patterns and healthy consumption, promoting poverty eradication, enhancing the level of people's hygiene and health care, strengthening the management of urban utilisation of land so as to guide infrastructure construction, promoting the development of building sectors, and improving people's living environment by supplying adequate housing to all people.

      3. Sustainable economic development.

      In China's Agenda 21, rapid economic development is regarded as indispensable for poverty eradication, enhancement of people's livelihood, and strengthening of overall national strength. This part contains economic policies on the sustainable development of agriculture, industry, transportation, telecommunications, and sustainable energy production and consumption.

      4. Rational utilisation of resources and environmental protection.

      This includes sustainable utilisation and protection of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, prevention of desertification, disaster mitigation and prevention, protection of the atmosphere, such as control of air pollution and acid rain, and sound treatment of solid wastes.

      China's Agenda 21, which is based on China's specific national conditions and takes the global Agenda 21 into consideration, embodies the characteristics of China's sustainable development strategy:

      Implementation of China's Agenda 21

      The implementation of China's Agenda 21 will greatly drive China towards sustainable development and adequately solve problems concerning environment and development. However, this implementation requires efforts from the whole of society and should be carried out by means of planning, regulations, policies, publicity, public participation, etc.

      The implementation of China's Agenda 21 can be divided into four main sections:

1. Consideration of economic structure adjustment and transformation of the economic development model;
   
   
2. Gradual integration into national economy and social development plans;
   
   
3. Strengthening of capacity building for sustainable development by enhancing people's understanding in this regard; and
   
   
4. Promotion of international cooperation through various channels by formulation and implementation of the Priority Programme for China's Agenda 21.