As of 31 March 1998, one hundred and six countries have submitted national information. This document includes ratification of major international agreements of relevance to sustainable development, national decision-making structures, national instruments and programmes, and sectoral policies, programmes and legislation. Information is given by country, grouped by regions. At the end of each section there is a summary table on implementation by all reporting countries by subject area. This provides an opportunity to compare progress across sectors and issues.
Information is updated as it is received from Governments.
Nonetheless, it should be kept in mind that some ambiguities in the texts were inevitable, and this might have resulted in errors in interpretation and analysis. Information has been taken from the 1997 Country Profiles submitted to the fifth session of the CSD, as well as information received from Governments in response to the 1998 Guidelines. Information from a total of 106 countries has been analyzed. As more information becomes available, these graphs will be updated. Many developing countries and countries with economies in transition have recognized and even emphasized the importance of formulating integrative policies and programmes in various areas, but note that action has been prevented because of a lack of resources.