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.

'The 1992 Earth Summit is universally recognized as a milestone in international environmental diplomacy. But as this highly instructive book points out, the follow-up event five years later in New York made less impact and delivered far fewer benefits. There's much to learn from such an authoritative account as this, not least in terms of getting our act together for any 'ten years on' event in 2002.' Jonathon Porritt'As we take up the Presidency of the European Union and the Chair of the G8, we will continue to build up our partnership with those outside government. We must create a consensus on the need for sustainable development. I am sure that this review of the Special Session will help develop that consensus.'From the Foreword by Tony Blair'The authors of this book played key roles in the process leading up to and concluding with the Special Session, and have had the opportunity to reflect on the most important lessons to be learnt from the exercise. They are thus well placed to propose a number of interesting ideas on how to ensure successful preparations for the ten-year review that will take place in the year 2002. It is my pleasure to recommend this book to all those who are interested in the issues of sustainable development and multilateral diplomacy.'From the Foreword by Nitin Desai

• 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