August 25, 2025

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992) | Summary & Quotes

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992) | Summary & Quotes

By Bhante Sumitta

The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development is a landmark international environmental document adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992.

Background and Context

The Rio Declaration builds upon the basic ideas concerning the attitudes of individuals and nations towards the environment and development, first identified at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972). It brought together representatives from 172 countries, 108 heads of state, 2,400 delegates from various NGOs, and over 10,000 journalists in an unprecedented gathering. Sustainable-environmentEBSCO

Core Philosophy

Referring to the "integral and interdependent nature of the Earth, our home," the Rio Declaration proclaims 27 principles. The first principle states that sustainable development primarily concerns human beings, who are entitled to live healthy and productive lives in harmony with nature. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development - Wikipedia

The Rio Declaration states that long term economic progress is only ensured if it is linked with the protection of the environment. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development | Sustainable Environment Online

Key Principles

The declaration contains 27 fundamental principles that include:

Human-Centered Approach:

Development and Environment Integration:

Poverty Eradication:

Key Environmental Principles:

Special Groups Recognition:

State Responsibilities:

  • States have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental and developmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
  • Environmental impact assessments for significant projects
  • International cooperation on environmental disasters

Significance and Impact

The Declaration has unique value for environmental law in terms of content and provides a synthesis of the positions of industrialized and developing states on how to integrate environmental and developmental considerations. Some principles reflect legal rules now generally accepted as customary law, while others introduce emerging rules, and still others have programmatic value and proclaim policy goals and ideals to be pursued in the future. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development | SpringerLink

The Rio Declaration established the foundation for sustainable development as a global framework, emphasizing that environmental protection and economic development are not opposing forces but must be integrated for long-term prosperity. It remains one of the most influential documents in international environmental law and continues to guide global environmental governance today.

From a Buddhist perspective, many of these principles align well with the Dhamma's teachings on interdependence (paṭiccasamuppāda), mindful consumption, and our responsibility to care for all sentient beings and their environment—themes that would be quite relevant to your Buddhist Studies curriculum on environmental perspectives.

Important Quotes from the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 

Core Philosophy and Human-Centered Approach:

Principle 1:

"Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature."¹

Preamble:

"Recognizing the integral and interdependent nature of the Earth, our home"²

Intergenerational Justice and Development:

Principle 3:

"The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations."³

Principle 4:

"In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it."⁴

Poverty Eradication and Social Justice:

Principle 5:

"All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world."⁵

Global Responsibility and Differentiated Duties:

Principle 7:

"States shall cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. In view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command."⁶

Public Participation and Environmental Democracy:

Principle 10:

"Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes."⁷

The Precautionary Principle:

Principle 15:

"In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."⁸

The Polluter Pays Principle:

Principle 16:

"National authorities should endeavour to promote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments, taking into account the approach that the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest and without distorting international trade and investment."⁹

Role of Women, Youth, and Indigenous Peoples:

Principle 20:

"Women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development."¹⁰

Principle 21:

"The creativity, ideals and courage of the youth of the world should be mobilized to forge a global partnership in order to achieve sustainable development and ensure a better future for all."¹¹

Principle 22:

"Indigenous people and their communities and other local communities have a vital role in environmental management and development because of their knowledge and traditional practices. States should recognize and duly support their identity, culture and interests and enable their effective participation in the achievement of sustainable development."¹²

Peace and Environment Interconnection:

Principle 24:

"Warfare is inherently destructive of sustainable development. States shall therefore respect international law providing protection for the environment in times of armed conflict and cooperate in its further development, as necessary."¹³

Principle 25:

"Peace, development and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible."¹⁴

Cooperative Implementation:

Principle 27:

"States and people shall cooperate in good faith and in a spirit of partnership in the fulfilment of the principles embodied in this Declaration and in the further development of international law in the field of sustainable development."¹⁵

References:

  1. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, "Rio Declaration on Environment and Development," A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I), Principle 1 (Rio de Janeiro, June 3-14, 1992).

  2. Ibid., Preamble.

  3. Ibid., Principle 3.

  4. Ibid., Principle 4.

  5. Ibid., Principle 5.

  6. Ibid., Principle 7.

  7. Ibid., Principle 10.

  8. Ibid., Principle 15.

  9. Ibid., Principle 16.

  10. Ibid., Principle 20.

  11. Ibid., Principle 21.

  12. Ibid., Principle 22.

  13. Ibid., Principle 24.

  14. Ibid., Principle 25.

  15. Ibid., Principle 27.

These quotes capture the essential spirit of the Rio Declaration and would be particularly relevant for our Buddhist Studies course on environmental perspectives, as they emphasize interconnectedness, compassion for future generations, and the moral responsibility to care for our common home—themes that resonate deeply with Buddhist teachings.

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