Next month at this time, the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will be in full swing (June 20-22, 2012). I will be posting blog (and/or facebook) updates “from the field” as we learn more about what governments, NGOs, and the religious community will commit to doing around eco-justice and sustainability. I will be part of the World Council of Churches’ delegation to this global gathering and look forward to sharing with you from Rio.
In advance of that, I wanted to share with you how the preparations are proceeding in advance of the actual conference. I’m pasting some text below; the full article is linked before and after.
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To read the full article, click here.
Representatives from governments who were negotiating the Rio+20 outcome document agreed to add five additional days to their deliberations in order to bridge differences that have hampered progress to date. The move came on 4 May as the latest round of negotiations concluded with some progress made, but much work left outstanding. The five added negotiating days are set for 29 May to 2 June. The additional negotiations will take place in New York before moving to Rio de Janeiro on 13 June for the third and final preparatory meeting for the Conference. The Rio+20 Conference will take place from 20 to 22 June.
Rio+20 Secretary-General Sha Zukang emphasized the need to proceeding with a sense of genuine urgency. “The present negotiation approach has run its course,” he stated. “Our objective should be to arrive in Rio with at least 90% of the text ready. The most difficult 10% should then be negotiated in Rio with the highest political support.”
Mr. Sha specified his expectations as follows: “We can have an outcome document:
• that renews political commitment, reaffirms Rio principles and builds upon earlier agreements;
• that is action-oriented in spelling out the Future We Want;
• that contains inspiring agreements for future generations on a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and on the institutional framework for sustainable development;
• that contains ambitious universal goals – the Sustainable Development Goals;
• that contains concrete deliverables in priority areas; and
• that creates or strengthens the institutions and body we need for the post-Rio+20 period.””
To read the full article, click here.