cop17day13

Over the last two days at the UNCSD 2nd Intersessional on Rio+20 at UN Headquarters here in New York negotiations began between member states on the Zero Draft compilation text, and attempts will begin to condense the rather extensive 6,000+ pages of submissions from governments, Major Groups and UN agencies into a coherent document that can deliver a strong outcome at Rio+20, writes Freya Seath, Bioregional… More

There is no doubt that the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 was a critical landmark in the history of global environmental governance,writes Chukwumerije Okereke, University of Reading. It continues to: (i) serve as an inspiration for humane international co-operation and multilateral environmental diplomacy;… More

If you have been lurking around UN corridors for the last few months you will have been aware of a rising clamour. The din is getting louder. It is coming from all quarters of the world. It is being voiced from a wide range of governments, communities and sectors. The message is clear: for too long our notions of progress have been dominated by economic success alone. The solution: we need different metrics. We need to measure what matters, writes Emily Benson, Green Economy Coalition… More

“It has never been more important to heed the evidence of science that time is running out on our ability to manage successfully our impacts on the Earth’s environmental, biodiversity, resource and life-support systems on which human life as we know it depends.” So said Maurice Strong in his Statement to the Special UN General Assembly Event on Rio+20 on 25th October 2011,writes Peter Rodderick, WWF UK. And he should know… More

Nationality: French

Country of residence: USA

How did you get to the role where you are today and what advice do you have for aspiring climate champions/or sustainable development champions?
I’ve been a climate change negotiator for thirty years, after having been an environmental specialist for the last 14 years. .. More

Population dynamics and particularly world population growth were identified at the 1992 Earth Summit as pivotal to environmental sustainability. Agenda 21 responded by setting out the urgent need to increase access to reproductive health programmes to enable women and men to plan the number and spacing of their children, writes Sarah Fisher, Population and Sustainability Network. These issues are now more critical than ever, yet since the first Rio conference they have commanded little attention as part of the sustainable development agenda… More

During World Water Day last year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon commented “water problems will figure prominently at the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, in 2012 – Rio+20”, writes David Hale, Progressio… More

The Global Transition 2012 is an international network of organisations and leading thinkers from the Global North and South that is catalysing a ‘Global Transition’ by building a community of civil society organisations across the globe to promote and deliver a rapid transition to the desirable and beneficial economy that we aspire to, write Kirsty Schneeberger, Stakeholder Forum and Victoria Johnson,nef… More

The UN Secretary General’s High-level Global Sustainability Panel (GSP) gave a briefing of its upcoming report in a special side event at the second Rio+20 intersessional yesterday, write Farooq Ullah, Stakeholder Forum and Oliver Greenfield, Green Economy Coalition. The panel is comprised of renowned world figures to formulate a new blueprint for a sustainable future on a planet under increasing stress resulting from human activities. It co-chaired by President Tarja Halonen of Finland and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. More

Nationality: Hungarian

Residence: USA

What prompted your early interest in the environment?

I think that my first real interest in the environment was when I read The Limits to Growth. … More

Nationality: British

Country of residence: UK

Current Position: Chairman, SustainAbility; and Research Fellow, Green Templeton College, Oxford… More

From the 2nd Intersessional on Rio+20, the ETC Group launched Who Will Control the Green Economy?, a report warning that the world’s largest companies are riding the coattails of the green economy while gearing up for the boldest coup to-date – not just by making strategic acquisitions and tapping new markets, but also by penetrating industrial sectors outside their traditional business… More

No guidance could be clearer than Elizabeth Thompson’s words at a recent youth briefing on Rio+20, writes Nicolo Wojewoda, Peace Child International. Mrs. Thompson, a Rio+20 Executive Coordinator, encouraged young people to discover their power and “determine how [they] are going to use it at Rio and beyond”, by starting a revolutionary “Global Spring” at next year’s Conference and learn from the experience of youth activists around the world in the tumultuous events of the past year… More

Quote of the day

The lessons that we are learning from the series of national dialogues is that the goal of a green economy is sustainabile development

Emily Benson, Green Economy Coalition

Outreach is a multi-stakeholder magazine which is published daily at Rio+20 Intersessional and Preparatory Meetings. The articles written are intended to reflect those of the authors alone or where indicated a coalition’s opinion. An individual’s article is the opinion of that author alone, and does not reflect the opinions of all stakeholders.

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