The methodology used by several countries for putting together their national Agenda 21 emphasizes partnership between the different levels of government, the productive sector, and organized civil society. In more than 70 countries, for the guidance, implementation and follow-up of Agenda 21, National Councils or Committees for Sustainable Development were created, linked directly to the Presidency of the Republic, generally with the participation of civil society.

Thus, by means of the Decree of February 26, 1997, which revoked the Decree no. 1,160 of June 21, 1994, the Sustainable Development and National Agenda XXI Policies Commission (CPDS) was created, within the Chamber of Natural Resource Policies. The purpose of the Commission is to propose strategies for sustainable development, and for the coordination, development and implementation of Agenda 21.

The CPDS is chaired by a representative of the Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Legal Amazonia, and consists of a representative of each of the bodies given responsibility for the various sectoral activities of the government: the Ministry of Planning and Budget, Ministry of External Relations, Ministry of Science and Technology, the Secretary of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic, as well as the Coordination Secretary of the Sectoral Policies Chamber.

Along with the government bodies related to development and environmental issues, it was intended that the CPDS would be balanced, and therefore five members of organized civil society are also included.

According to Article 2 of the Decree which created it, the CPDS has the following responsibilities:

The Decree of February 26, 1997, as stated above, revoked the decree creating CIDES, but without affecting the three coordinating bodies that had been constituted. The implementation of the commitments resulting from the Conventions, which were the object of two of the coordinating bodies, continue to be carried out within the Ministries as previously set out in CIDES.