Earth Summit (Hansard, 22 June 1992)

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Prime Minister if he will arrange for the deposition in the Library of copies of the texts of(a) the Rio declaration on sustainable development, (b) the intergovernmental declaration on the management of forests, (c) the full text of agenda 21 blueprint for environmental action, (d) the biodiversity convention and (e) the climate convention as agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

§ The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment gave to the hon. Member for Roxborough and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 17 June 1992,Official Report, col. 562.

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out those issues that Her Majesty's Government pressed to be omitted from the final text of the agenda 21 document as a pre-condition of signing it at the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro.
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§ The Prime Minister
The Government fully supported the Agenda 21 action plan and did not press for any issues to be omitted before agreeing the final text.

§ Mr. Llew Smith
To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to consult non-governmental organisations in Her Majesty's Government's preparation of proposals for the Sustainable Development Commission agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, prior to their submission for consideration at the United Nations General Assembly in the autumn.

§ The Prime Minister
The Government consulted non-governmental organisations on a wide range of environment and development issues before the Earth summit and will continue to do so during the follow-up. As 1 announced in Rio, the United Kingdom will convene, next June, a major international forum of the non-governmental community to examine and clarify their role in the practical implementation of Agenda 21.