Behind the idea of sustainable development lies concern about the global conflict between general economic development and the need to conserve environmental resources. Since the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the aim of sustainable development has unanimously been understood as to adjust economic and social development to the framework of natural resources so that natural resources and the conditions for human development can be sustained into the future. Ecological, economic, and social aspects are seen as the three main components of sustainable development. The defining documents resulting from the conference are the Rio declaration, the Agenda 21 programme, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Forest Principles. The programme and the related agreements are the basis for international development processes and national environment policies.