In June 1997, heads of government and senior representatives from over 130 countries met in New York to consider what progress had been made since the first Earth Summit in 1992, and la decide upon priorities for the future. Earth Summit II presents the principal official documents agreed al the Summit alongside an authoritative analysis of where progress is and is not being made, the reasons for this, and the priorities of the parties involved. Finally, the authors look forward to the ten-year follow-up in 2002, and propose methods for ensuring that that event is both effective and participatory. Insightful and comprehensive, this will be essential reading for policy makers, lobbyists and students on environment and development courses.

Derek Osborn is Chair of the United Nations Environment and Development UK Committee. He is also Chair of the European Environmental Agency and a member of the board of the UK Environmental Agency. He co-chaired the 1997 CSD Intersessional Meeting preparing for Earth Summit II. Tom Bigg has worked for UNED-UK since its creation in 1993, focussing particularly on the work of the CSD.

Foreword by Tony Blair Foreword by Nitin Desai 1. A Tale of Two Cities: From Rio to New York 2. Hard Times: Earth Summit II 3. Great Expectations: towards Earth Summit III in 2002 4. Our Mutual Friend: Agenda 21 Implementation of Agenda 21 Section A: Statement of Commitment Section B: Assessment of Progress Since Rb Section C: Implementation in Areas Requiring Urgent Action Section D: International Institutional Arrangements