Freya Seath, BioRegional Development Group

 

This morning the Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Global Sustainability presented a number of key highlights from their report ‘Resilient People: Resilient Planet, A Future Worth Choosing’, which is to be published on Monday. The report makes 56 recommendations.

 

Several areas mentioned by the panel included emphases on the need for transformation of the economy and the private sector, the importance of making strong linkages between the 3 pillars of sustainability, and, more specifically, a call for the creation of a task force to work on the development of Sustainable Development Goals that have been proposed to complement the Millennium Development Goals and integrated into a post 2015 framework.

 

·Statements given by governments, Major Groups and UN agencies this morning echoed many of the points made yesterday in plenary- the zero draft text lacks ambition and vision, with a need for stronger emphasis on means of implementation and action on the ground. 

 

·I was reassured to hear many governments recognising the need to strengthen the role of civil society, with the Government of Brazil calling for an ‘effective, realistic and active orientated’ draft text  that they believe is needed to ensure civil society will fully engage in the Rio+20 agenda.

 

·There has however been growing concern amongst Major Groups that the issue of occupied territories could stall negotiations, as witnessed during the CSD19 process.

 

·The informal-informal negotiations on sections I and II of the zero draft began this afternoon. While this process may be slow at times, a text is beginning to form which we only hope will deliver successful outcomes at Rio in June.

 

To access the Global Sustainability Panel’s report ‘Resilient People: Resilient Planet’, which will be available online from Monday, go to: www.un.org/gsp

Is Rio+20 on the radar at Davos?

Sue Riddlestone, CEO & co-founder, BioRegional

At the World Economic Forum in Davos today, Ban Ki Moon will host a panel of government Ministers from Brazil and Indonesia, along with chairman and chief executive of Unilever and Deutsche Bank, to discuss ‘How the Rio+20 Summit can deliver an implementable agenda for sustainability and development?’ For most delegates at this high level, primarily business, event this might be the first time they have heard about Rio+20.

 

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Davos this year.  Many Presidents and Prime ministers have taken to the stage, however, the only mention of Rio+20 I heard unprompted was German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who noted the need to build on Kyoto at Rio and bring in binding commitments to halt irreversible damage to our planet. UK Prime Minister David Cameron made no reference to sustainability at all.

 

Other insights into Rio+20 were given by Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who stated that both business and government need to work together in reaching an agreement and The European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, who asserted that Rio+20 needs to focus on vital issues such as new targets for renewables and access to sustainable energy.

 

Among the overwhelming majority of business leaders, there was a surprising general lack of knowledge on Rio+20 or sustainability issues.  I found exceptions with a banker who noted his frustrations with government failing to stick to their commitments and called for an international court to hold them to account.  There was a general call for governments to legislate, work with business on regulation and creation of a level playing field.  Governments always have to consider public opinion and this can hold them back from taking action. But as we know only too well, we have no time to keep fiddling while Rome burns. Those of us who care about the success of Rio+20 urgently need to re-double our efforts to get business and the wider civil society engaged in the process.