MEASURING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The concept of sustainable development The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 (UNCED) was a global political effort to address the issue of sustainable development. Agenda 21, which is the report of the UNCED (United Nations, 1993a), is a globally agreed political document which gives recommendations for the integrated treatment of the environment and development aiming at sustainable development. However, Agenda 21 does not define the concept of sustainable development, the underlying assumption being that a successful implementation of Agenda 21 would in time lead to significant progress towards it.