The WSSD What is the WSSD?

The WSSD provided an opportunity to re-energize the global commitment towards the achievement of sustainable development. It brought together thousands of participants, including Heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations, media, businesses and other major groups.

Ten years ago, at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the international community adopted Agenda 21, an unprecedented global plan of action for sustainable development.

This ambitious agenda led to progress on many important sustainable development issues for Canada including sustainable forest management and action to address over fishing in international waters. The world also achieved progress on many other commitments made in Rio, such as the Climate Change and Biodiversity Conventions.

While Canada has made significant progress on many sustainable development issues, we recognize that challenges remain to be addressed. The Johannesburg Summit was an opportunity for the international community to adopt concrete steps to further implement sustainable development. WSSD brought representatives together to focus on the implementation of existing agreements and commitments - with full attention to poverty reduction.

The Summit took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002. Visit the official WSSD website for more information.