UPSC Prelims 2002 Q126: Environment & Ecology – International Environmental Treaties & Summits
A World Summit with representation from all the countries will be held in Johannesburg in
September 2002 on the subject of
- (a) AIDS control
- (b) Global terrorism
- (c) Human rights
- (d) Sustainable development
Answer: (d) Sustainable development
Explanation
Subject of the World Summit at Johannesburg in September 2002
| Summit | Subject |
|---|---|
| World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002) | Sustainable development, ten years after the Rio Earth Summit |
| Earth Summit, Rio 1992 | Environment and development; Agenda 21 |
| Kyoto 1997 | Climate change protocol |
| UN Special Session on AIDS 2001 | AIDS control |
The World Summit held at Johannesburg in September 2002, also called Rio+10, reviewed the progress made since the 1992 Rio Summit and dealt with sustainable development.
Answer: (d) Sustainable development.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. AIDS was the subject of a separate UN session in 2001.
- (b) Incorrect. Global terrorism was not the subject of the Johannesburg summit.
- (c) Incorrect. Human rights were not the theme of the Johannesburg summit.
- (d) CORRECT. The Johannesburg Summit was on sustainable development.
Key point
Rio 1992 (Earth Summit), Kyoto 1997, Johannesburg 2002 (Rio+10), Rio+20 in 2012.
Remember
Johannesburg 2002 = World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Common mistakes
- Choosing global terrorism because of the 2001 attacks.
- Mixing it with the UN AIDS session.
- Confusing the 2002 summit with the Kyoto meeting.
Exam tip
'World Summit' in 2002 and Rio+10 mean sustainable development.
Sources
- United Nations — WSSD Plan of Implementation
- United Nations — Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development (2002)