rio+20 the role of major groups and stakeholders by alexander juras chief, major groups and...
TRANSCRIPT
Rio+20The Role of Major Groups
and Stakeholders
byAlexander Juras
Chief, Major Groups and Stakeholders BranchUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Regional Consultation Meeting EuropeGeneva
27 October 2010
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“We know what we need to do. We know what works. The time for delay is over. The time for delivery is now.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in view of the Rio+20 Conference, May 2010
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Content
• Areas for Cooperation
• Useful Links
• From 1992 to 2012
• Rio+20: An Important Turning Point?
• UNEP’s role
• The Role of Civil Society
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From 1992 to 2012• 1992: UN Conference on Environment and Development – Earth
Summit, in Rio de Janeiro
– Rio Declaration on Environment and Development – Agenda 21 – Convention on Biological Diversity – Forest Principles – Framework Convention on Climate Change
• 2002: World Summit on Sustainable Development – Johannesburg (Rio+10)
– Johannesburg Declaration
• 2012, May 14-16, UN Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20)
– UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/64/236 - 24 December 2009: to hold the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in 2012 - also referred to as 'Rio+20' or 'Rio 20'
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Three objectives: • securing renewed political
commitment to sustainable development
• assessing the progress and implementation gaps in meeting already agreed commitments
• addressing new and emerging challenges
The Rio+20 Conference
Two themes: • green economy within
the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication
• institutional framework for sustainable development
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Rio+20: An Important Turning Point?
Less progress than expected since 1992Environmental challenges have increased and Environment has further deterioratedMillennium Development Goals will most likely not be met
Sustainable Development has not been achieved but there is a wide consensus that there is a need for action now.
Many Governments have realized that sustainable development can only be achieved based on partnerships between governments, UN and other international organizations and Major Groups and Stakeholders.
The Earth Summit offers the opportunity to develop a collective vision for sustainable development, to foster cooperation around how this can be globally governed and pave the way for the transformation of our economies and societies to support the environment in which we live.
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UNEP’s Role• Focus on:
– Green Economy– International Environmental Governance (contributing to
International Governance for Sustainable Development)– Emerging issues
• International Waters?• Access to Information, Public Participation, Access to Justice?
• Contributing to the process by:– Keeping the Environment high on the agenda– Presenting the outcomes of the Geo 5 Assessment, thus
delivering sound information base for decision making– Close cooperation with UN DESA and other UN Agencies– Assisting Major Group and Stakeholder involvement– Provision of information and guidance
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The Role of Civil Society• Civil Society / Major Groups and Stakeholders support to the conference
objectives key to the success of the conference
• Major Groups and Stakeholders opportunities to contribute and participate in the preparatory process:
– Prepcoms
– Regional Consultations organized by UN DESA
– Consultations organized by UNEP and other UN Agencies
– UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministers of Environment Forum and the Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum, February 2011
– Written input into the process
– Lobbying with national and regional governments
– Other national actions – role for National Committees (partnering with MGS)?
– Raising Awareness among the general public
– Presenting best practices and success stories
– Getting into partnerships with Governments and UN institutions as well as among major groups
– Participating in ongoing initiatives or development of new initiatives:
– Participate in the event itself
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Areas for Cooperation with UNEP
• Providing Policy input into the ongoing IEG and Green Economy discussions:– International Consultations IEG, GE, October 2010, Geneva– Regional Consultation Meetings - Oct-Dec 2010– Governing Council– IEG Advisory Group– UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum
2011 and 2012– Topical Consultations in 2010– Giving input through Regional Offices and the Major Groups and
Stakeholders Branch– Using UNEP to channel information to other Major Groups and
Stakeholders
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Possible Activities in the Region
• Join one of the existing Major Groups and Stakeholder Initiatives for Rio+20 and become an active contributor
• Get organized on the regional and sub-regional level and provide input into the process
• Partner up with UNEP to achieve common objectives
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Important Links
• UNEP, Major Group and Stakeholder Branch
http://www.unep.org/civil-society/Default.aspx
• UNEP, Regional Office for Asia Pacific
http://www.roap.unep.org/program/civil_reg_meeting10.cfm
• UN DESA
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/rio20/
• Stakeholder Forum
http://www.earthsummit2012.org/
• Brazilian NGO Forum
http://www.fboms.org.br/capa.asp?idioma=eng
