Abstract
If we were to draw up a list of ingredients that a country would need to develop a sustainable future for itself, that list would begin with things like permanent peace, security, political will, technology and, of course, adequate financial resources. However, not very far down that list would be access to the information needed to plan and manage for sustainable development. In fact over 170 governments strongly voiced this need at the 1992 UNCED World Summit when they added to the action plan, the famous Agenda 21, Chapter 40 calling upon government and international organizations to improve the global availability of information needed for sustainable development planning. research and management.