CIB's efforts to create an Agenda 21 for the construction sector are introduced here. CIB's unique position within the international construction community allowed it to initiate a specific sectorial response to the international agendas raised by Brundtland, Habitat II, Rio and Kyoto. CIB's recognition of the problems in establishing both a framework for sustainable development; how change within industry occurs, along with CIB's past, current and proposed activities meant that CIB was perfectly suited to respond to sustainable development. This CIB-led project resulted in global collaboration and co-ordination to specifically address sustainable development for the construction community. Situated between the broad international agendas and more local and subsectorial agendas, CIB's Agenda 21 is a conceptual framework that serves as an intermediary and provides for comparison and co-ordination. The three principal objectives are: to create a global framework and terminology that will add value to national, regional and sub-sectorial agendas; to create an agenda for CIB activities and for co-ordinating CIB with specialist partner organizations, and to provide a source document for definition of R&D activities.