ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the Commission on Sustainable Developments (CSD) contribution to sustainable development with respect to the functions, focusing particularly on monitoring. The idea for the CSD was conceived during the preparatory meetings for UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in particular the final meeting before Rio. The General Assembly decided to set up the CSD as a high-level functional commission of the Economic and Social Council to oversee effective follow-up of the agreements made at UNCED. To assist the CSD, and to provide a focal point within the UN for sustainable development, the Secretary-General established the Division for Sustainable Development within the new Department for Policy Co-ordination and Sustainable Development. Many writers have lamented the absence of a clear, obligatory reporting process in the CSD’s mandate and cited the lack as a major factor in limiting its ability to improve the ‘contractual environment’.
