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Daily Web Coverage   Summary
 
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19 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
20 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
21 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
22 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
23 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
26 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
27 March 2012   HTML version PDF format
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Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
Coverage of Selected Side Events at the First Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Negotiations on the Zero Draft of the Outcome Document and Third Intersessional Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20)

19-23 and 26-27 March 2012 | UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
 
DAILY WEB COVERAGE

Rio+20
Coverage on Monday, 19 March 2012
Mural tapestries draping the walls in the North Lawn Building at UN Headquarters.
 
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Socio-Environmental Protection Floor

Presented by the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger
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Rômulo Paes de Sousa, Deputy Minister of Social Development, Brazil, supported the inclusion of the socio- environmental protection floor concept as part of an outcome in Rio.
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Radhika Lal, IPC-IG, highlighted the continuous process of innovation in the implementation of national experiences and pointed to challenges including mainstreaming the initiatives across sectors.
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Magdy Martinez, UNDP, underscored the relevance of aligning environmental policies with social protection as a means to contribute to sustainable development.
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This meeting addressed the concept of the ‘Socio-Environmental Protection Floor,’ including key aspects and lessons learned from programmes implemented at the country level.

Underscoring the need for a smoother transition to a greener economy and for providing a “safety net” to those whose livelihoods are under threat. Magdy Martinez, UN Development Programme (UNDP), introduced the debate explaining that the “Socio-Environmental Protection Floor” is a concept currently under development and highlighted examples of country-level programmes related to this concept.

Christine Bockstal, International Labour Organization (ILO), stressed the relevance of the social dimension of sustainable development, including the provision of essential social services, healthcare, water and sanitation, nutrition and good-quality education. Highlighting that the implementation of a social protection floor should be country-led and adapted to national circumstances, she said the concept has been increasingly recognized as a key development instrument.

Rômulo Paes de Sousa, Deputy Minister of Social Development, Brazil, stressed the need to create policies that focus on the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. He described the positive experience in Brazil, in particular the Green Grants programme (Bolsa Verde) intended for families living in extreme poverty that are already participating in the “Bolsa Familia” programme. He said families sign an agreement to be involved in environmental protection activities and receive additional income in exchange.

Radhika Lal, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), drew attention to the particular circumstances of developing countries, such as extreme levels of inequality and informal labor markets. Through describing experiences in India, Brazil and South Africa, she highlighted the need to, inter alia: establish large-scale high-impact programmes providing medium-term “safety nets” for vulnerable sectors; ensure the right to access to information on implementation of these activities; and reduce transaction costs through measures such as creating a single registry.

In the ensuing discussion, participants covered, inter alia: promoting coherence between environmental and economic policies; whether the concept could be part of the deliverables for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20); and ensuring the sustainability of these programmes.

 
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L-R: Radhika Lal, IPC-IG; Rômulo Paes de Sousa, Deputy Minister of Social Development, Brazil; Madgy Martinez, Deputy Director, UNDP; and Christine Bockstal, ILO.
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More Information:

http://www.mds.gov.br
Contacts:

Marcia Muchagata <marcia.muchagata@mds.gov.br>
Emma Torres <emma.torres@undp.org>
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20 Years of the Rio Conventions: Opportunities and Challenges
for Synergies

Presented by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
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Neil Pratt, CBD, said that possible thematic days to be held at the Rio Pavilion at Rio+20 include “Cities Day,” “Oceans Day,” and “Africa Day.”
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Sekou Toure, GEF, highlighted GEF’s interest in improving national level reporting of the implementation of the Rio Conventions.

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Melchiade Bukuru, UNCCD, underscored the synergies that projects under the UNCCD may highlight and support at the Rio Pavilion.
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This event provided an overview of the Rio Conventions Pavilion (Rio Pavilion) as a tool to highlight the synergies between the three Rio Conventions, namely the CBD, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Neil Pratt, CBD, noted that the Rio Pavilion is a key collaborative outreach activity for the Rio Conventions. He highlighted the use of the Rio Pavilion in awareness-raising, exchange of experiences and realizing the co-benefits of implementing the conventions, including on water security, sustainable land management, sustainable forest management and the involvement of indigenous peoples and local knowledge in environmental protection.

Noting that the Rio Pavilion can enhance synergies among core stakeholders, he said that hosting the Rio Pavilion at Rio+20 will present a crucial opportunity to address linkages between the three Conventions, as well as enhance cooperation and increase synergies between biodiversity, land management and climate change actors.

Providing an overview of the positive experiences from the Rio Pavilion at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD, Melchiade Bukuru, UNCCD, underscored that projects under one convention, such as land management projects, will benefit the other conventions, and this should be highlighted to delegates and stakeholders to “break down the silos” when implementing the Conventions at the national level.

Sekou Toure, Global Environment Facility (GEF), underscored GEF’s continued support for the Rio Pavilion, and invited broad participation from interested parties at Rio+20. Dan Shepard, UN Department of Public Information (DPI), said that the Rio Pavilion is also vital in bringing forward cross-cutting issues such as gender.

In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed: the additional implementation-level work, aside from awareness-raising, that took place at the Rio Pavilion; the establishment of thematic days and highlighting cross-cutting issues within the programme; and the increased emphasis on biodiversity management plans.
 
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L-R: Sekou Toure, GEF; Melchiade Bukuru, UNCCD; Neil Pratt, CBD; and Dan Shepard, DPI.
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The Role of Technology in the "Green Economy" and the Need for Technology Assessment

Presented by the Women in Europe for a Common Future, ETC Group, Consumers International, La Via Campesina, and Centro Ecológico
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Sascha Gabizon, Women in Europe for a Common Future, called for the inclusion of technology assessment in the zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document.
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Michael Hansen, Consumers International, said scientists and NGOs agree on warning against the potential harmful consequences that nano particules can generate.
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Jessica Roe, la Via Campesina, said that, in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation, agroecological practices and traditional knowledge can provide useful tools.
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This meeting, moderated by Kirubel Teshome, ETC Group, addressed the need to strengthen global, regional and national capacity to monitor and assess the technologies required to face climate change and the environmental crisis.

Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group, said the need for technology assessments is not adequately addressed in the current zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document. She noted current risks include companies’ practice of bringing to market inadequately assessed technology, and the need for an independent and international institution capable of carrying out these assessments. She cited examples of commercially available technologies that were released despite early warnings of potential negative consequences, such as asbestos, or nano-technology.

Michael Hansen, Consumers International, underscored the need for technology reviews, focusing on examples of negative consequences caused by genetic engineering. Noting that technology with inadequate assessments is currently in use, he emphasized the need for technology oversight.

Jessica Roe, La Via Campesina, underscored that the promotion of sustainable and traditional small farmers’ practices should be further emphasized in the context of the green economy, rather than focusing on industrial agriculture. She underscored examples where traditional and indigenous knowledge have provided valuable adaptative capacity for climate change.

Sascha Gabizon, Women in Europe for a Common Future, highlighted women and children as actors that are at risk of suffering from irresponsible technology use. She also underscored the lack of knowledge on the substances people are exposed to and the long-term consequences, providing examples such as baby products made with nano-particles.

In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: increased emphasis on the consideration of technology assessments in the zero draft; and risks associated with nano-particles and synthetic biology.

 
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L-R: Jessica Roe, La Via Campesina; Silvia Ribeiro, ETC Group; Kirubel Teshome, ETC Group; and Michael Hansen, Consumers International.
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More Information:

http://www.etcgroup.org
Contacts:

Silvia Ribeiro <silvia@etcgroup.org>

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