Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a program of the United Nations related to sustainable development. It was unveiled at the 1992 Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro. More than 178 governments voted to adopt Agenda 21. George H. W. Bush signed on behalf of the United States.
In 1997, five years after the Earth Summit, another conference was held to evaluate progress made in implementing Agenda 21.
The 19th chapter concerns the safety of chemicals, including High Production Volume Chemicals (HPV). It calls for using less dangerous chemical alternatives, better management of chemical use, increased testing of common chemical for risks and international cooperation in chemical safety. This knowledge is indispensable to the chemical risk assessment.