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4 Colo. J. Int'l Envtl. L. & Pol'y 119 (1993)
A Short Guide to the Rio Declaration

handle is hein.journals/colenvlp4 and id is 127 raw text is: A Short Guide to the Rio Declaration by Jeffrey D. Kovart I. INTRODUCTION The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development' is a typical product of a successful United Nations conference. Adopted by consensus by more than 175 countries at the United Nations Conference on Environ- ment and Development (UNCED), the Declaration is a statement of prin- ciples or goals. It is drafted in typically general-sometimes vague-lan- guage, andit touches on many of the political topics of the day in the United Nations. Above all, it balances conflicting policy positions sufficiently well to permit consensus with only a few unilateral clarifying statements for the record. Typical or not, the Rio Declaration has been greeted with some disappointment because it did not meet the expectations raised by the secretary-general of the Conference, Maurice Strong, who had called for UNCED to produce an Earth Charter. Although Strong never really spelled out the contents he envisioned for his proposed Earth Charter, the title alone evoked a passionate debate from people inside and outside government. Many argued that UNCED should produce an Earth Charter that would stir the hearts and minds of people all over the world, awaken them to the environmental perils and challenges before them, and inspire them to join together to achieve a healthy planet. The Charter would be taught in schools, hung in homes, memorized, and recited. Perhaps it is not surprising that the Rio Declaration did not meet these kinds of expectations. Nevertheless, during UNCED, Strong,2 Canadian t Office of the Legal Adviser, US Department of State. The views expressed by the author are his and do not represent the official views of the Office of the Legal Adviser or the US Department of State. 1. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, -U.N. Doc. A/CONF.151/5/Rev. 1(1992), reprinted in 31 I.L.M. 874 [hereinafter Rio Declaration]. 2. Report of the UnitedNations Conference on Environment and Development, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, at50, 73, U.N. Doc. A/CONF.151/26 (vol. IV) (1992) [hereinafter UNCED Report].

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