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| The Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development was intended to further mobilize action to promote sustainable development.
The Rio Declaration is best viewed as a broad and general introduction to Agenda 21, the
Conference’s three-volume analysis of the global environment and development
situation. UNFPA’s mandate, which focuses directly on people and their welfare, is well reflected in the first principle of the Rio Declaration, which states: "Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature." This principle is reinforced by the fifth principle, which urges all States and all people to: "cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world." To be able to do this and to achieve sustainable development and a higher quality of life for all, Principle 8 declares that: "States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and promote appropriate demographic policies." |
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