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Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
Second Intersessional Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20)

15-16 December 2011 | UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Rio+20

Highlights for Friday, 16 December

On Friday, delegates at the Second Intersessional Meeting of the UNCSD discussed the structure and format of the zero draft of the outcome document.

In the afternoon, UNCSD Secretary-General Sha summarized views, pointing to support for: a single, focused and action-oriented political document focusing on the objectives and two themes set by UNGA Resolution 64/236; a vision for the future and a declaration of renewed political commitment, accompanied, as an annex, by a set of agreed actions specifying actors, timeframes and means of implementation; and accountability for delivering on commitments, whether negotiated or voluntary, noting some references to a compendium or registry of voluntary commitments to accompany the negotiated outcome. On the green economy, he underlined broad agreement that: the concept be a means to sustainable development; and national action be guided by agreed principles and a menu of policy options, and supported by capacity building for developing national green economy strategies. He also emphasized broad support for sustainable development goals (SDGs), noting that the zero draft will need to reflect this proposal. On the institutional framework for sustainable development, he pointed to the: proposals to “strengthen UNEP/elevate it to a specialized agency” and “growing interest” in creating a sustainable development council to replace the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Co-Chair Ashe expressed hope that the zero draft, to be tabled by the Co-Chairs in consultation with Bureau, will be circulated in mid-January 2012, and gavelled the meeting to a close at 4:52 pm.

Download the IISD RS summary of the meeting in HTML or PDF format.

Click here for highlights and photos from Thursday, 15 December

Nikhil Seth, Director, Division for Sustainable Development, and Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, at the close of the session
 
A view of the dais during the closing plenary
Timothy Wirth, President, UN Foundation, and Sha Zukang
At the close of the meeting, Co-Chair Ashe thanked Vivian Pliner, Secretary, for her contributions to UN sustainable development negotiations over the past 20 years and delegates wished her well on her retirement at the end of December.
 
Co-Chair of the Preparatory Process Kim Sook (left)
David O'Connor, Division for Sustainable Development, and Nikhil Seth, Director, Division for Sustainable Development
 
Brice Lalonde, Executive Coordinator for Rio+20, and Patricia Chaves, Secretariat
 
Bidding farewell to Vivian Pliner, Secretariat, who is retiring
 
Keith Christie, Canada and UNCSD Bureau Member
Delegates from Botswana, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bolivia
 
The Inter-Parliamentary Union intervening in plenary
Timo Makela, European Commission
Nurgali Ashim, Kazakhstan, notes that his country is celebrating the 20th anniversary as an independent country on 16 December 2011
 
Nikhil Seth and Sha Zukang
Nikhil Seth, Director, Division for Sustainable Development, with ENB writers James Van Alstine, and Lynn Wagner
 
Daniel Ziegerer, Switzerland
Jack Moss, International Federation of Private Water Operators, speaking for Business and Industry
 
PaperSmart posters were posted throughout the conference room, offering a paperless way to view information related to the conference and to access it quickly on handheld computer devices.
 
 
Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia, and Adnan Amin, Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Farmers intervening in the plenary
 
Chile speaking on the format and structure of the zero draft of the outcome document
A representative of Indigenous Peoples intervenes in the plenary
 
Lawrence Gumbiner, US
Ukraine during the plenary
 
Delegates from Cambodia and Burundi
The delegation of Brazil
Kazakhstan consulting with Indonesia
 
Special Event: Briefing on Rio+20 by the Government of Brazil
A view of the dais during the briefing
 
Side Event: Solutions for Rio+20 Outcomes: Sustainable Developement Goals and Principles
A view of the room during the side event on the SDGs
Paula Caballero, Colombia
Moderator Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Stakeholder Forum, and Ambassador Gyan Chandra Acharya, Nepal
 
Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (right), speaking during the side event
Side Event: Achieving Implementation: accountability, engagement and multi-stakeholder cooperation
Robert Laubacher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, speaking during the event
Aron Belinky, Vitae Civilis
 
Panelists during the event
Related Links
Meeting resources
*Meeting website
*Meeting organization of work
*Compilation Document
*Remarks by Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and UNCSD Secretary-General

IISD RS resources
*IISD RS summary report of the Economic Commission for Europe’s Regional Preparatory Meeting for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), 1-2 December 2011, Geneva, Switzerland (HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) African Regional Preparatory Process, 20-25 October 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Asia Pacific Region, 19-20 October 2011, Seoul, Republic of Korea (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Arab Region, 16-17 October 2011, Cairo, Egypt (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Arabic: PDF)
IISD RS coverage of the Seventh "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference, 21-23 September 2011, Astana, Kazakhstan
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Regional Preparatory Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), 7-9 September 2011, Santiago, Chile (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Subregional Preparatory Committee for the Pacific Countries, 21-22 July 2011, Apia, Samoa (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Subregional Preparatory Committee for the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and South China Sea Countries, 7-8 July 2011, Mahé, Seychelles (HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) Subregional Preparatory Meeting for the Caribbean, 20 June 2011, Georgetown, Guyana (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary report of the Keeping the Green Economy Blue: A Workshop in Preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), 29 April 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary and analysis of the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), 7-8 March 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary and analysis of the First Intersessional Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), 10-11 January 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
*IISD RS summary and analysis of the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), 17-19 May 2010, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF) (Spanish: HTML - PDF)
IISD RS coverage of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), 26 August - 4 September 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa
*IISD RS coverage of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, 3-14 June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
*IISD RS archive of sustainable development meetings
*SDG - A mailing list for news on sustainable development policy
*Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Preparing for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
*SIDS Policy and Practice - A Knowledgebase on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
*Biodiversity Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing International Biodiversity Policy
*Climate Change Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Activities Addressing Global Climate Change Policy
*Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
*African Regional Coverage
*Latin America and Caribbean Regional Coverage
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