On Thursday, 20 October 2011, the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for UNCSD convened for its second and final day on 20 October. In the morning, delegates discussed the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD). A range of views were expressed, with many speakers agreeing on the value of strengthening IFSD and international environmental governance (IEG). Some favored “strengthening” UNEP, but there was no consensus on whether this should be achieved under UNEP’s current status and structure, or should involve elevating UNEP’s status to that of a UN environment organization (UNEO) or world environment organization (WEO). There was also interest and some support for a proposal to establish a council on sustainable development.

Later in the morning, participants heard statements from the organizers of recent multi-stakeholder consultations designed to provide input for Rio+20. They also heard statements by major groups and international organizations on green economy and IFSD.

In the afternoon, the plenary reconvened following lengthy discussions among the meeting’s bureau members on the outcome of the meeting. Chair Yoon Jong-Soo introduced a new outcome document, which was considerably shorter than the original revised outcome document. The two-page document was entitled, “Seoul Outcome of the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for UNCSD (Rio+20).” The document contains general principles and has some observations on the green economy and IFSD, without going into great detail. After further discussion among participants, delegates agreed that this text would be the regional outcome and to ask the Secretariat to submit it to the UNCSD Secretariat as the outcome from Asia and the Pacific.

Chair Yoon Jong-Soo then asked delegates to turn their attention to a more detailed Chair’s summary of the meeting. He clarified that this document, which sought to capture more of the details of the discussions and various proposals, was not intended for adoption by the group, but was his summary of the discussions.

Delegates then adopted the report of the meeting and heard closing statements from Chair Yoon Jong-Soo and from Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of UNCSD Secretariat and UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. On the green economy, Sha Zukang noted comments on the value of a roadmap and toolkit, and on the Rio principles, particularly that of common but differentiated responsibilities. He acknowledged concerns that a green economy could be used as a pretext for non-tariff barriers and reiterated the need for clear guidelines. He also noted comments on the idea of developing sustainable development goals. On IFSD, he detected continued interest in simplifying the current governance structure, as well as support for strengthening UNEP and establishing a specialized agency on the environment. He noted strong support for a sustainable development council based on the model of the Human Rights Council. Arguing that failure at Rio+20 is not an option, he stated that we have an “arduous” road ahead and that, although we are still collecting input, negotiations will begin soon. 

The meeting closed at 4:55pm.