In its capacity as chair of the International NGO Task Group on Legal and Institutional Matters (INTGLIM), WFM was one of the leading NGOs calling for the creation of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Since its creation, WFM has advocated for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development to have greater capacity to monitor governments’ progress towards sustainable development commitments and to be able to address sustainable development issues neglected in other multilateral processes and institutions.

After the Johannesburg Summit of 2002, CSD established a new multi-year work programme through the year 2017. According to this programme, the entire spectrum of sustainable development issues has been divided into seven 2-year cycles, with each cycle focusing on 5-7 sustainable development themes. However, the panel of experts, UN agency representatives and Major Group representatives invited to address the CSD could raise different aspects of those issues which may not be addressed in other multilateral processes. To help CSD monitor governments’ progress in these thematic clusters, the CSD’s Secretariat, the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) provided guidelines to countries on how to report to CSD. Country reports, such as case studies submitted on a voluntary basis, reflect the progress made in the areas on which a given 2-year cycle focuses.

WFM also calls for the CSD to be expanded to include sub-commissions, working groups, task forces and other mechanisms for a more effective role in sustainable development. Its current functions are set out in General Assembly resolution 47/191 of 22 December 1992. The Commission is composed of 53 members elected for terms of office of three years. CSD reports to ECOSOC and, through it, to the Second Committee of the General Assembly. However, the review sessions of the CSD have provisions to be preceded by regional implementation meetings and the policy sessions by intercessional preparatory meetings in order to better prepare for the CSD sessions.

In this area:

Introduction to Global Environmental Governance | World Environment Organization | World Summit on Sustainable Development | Global Convention on Rio Principle 10 | UN Commission on Sustainable Development