What kind
of future do you want?
The Rio+20
conference on sustainable development, which took place in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in June 2012 was the biggest UN conference ever and a major step forward
in achieving a sustainable future – the future we want.
PRESS
RELEASE
Rio+20
concludes with big package of commitments for action and agreement by world
leaders on path for a sustainable future. More than $500 billion mobilized with
over 700 commitments made
Rio de
Janeiro, 22 June – World leaders finalized an agreement at Rio+20 today that
will advance action on
sustainable
development, as businesses, governments, civil society and multilateral
development banks announced hundreds of voluntary commitments to shape a more
sustainable future for the benefit of the planet and its people.
The full
package of agreements, actions, commitments, challenges, initiatives and
announcements made at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development,
addresses a range of global issues that includes access to clean energy, food
security, water and sustainable transportation.
“Rio+20 has
given us a solid platform to build on,” UN Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon said.
“Rio+20 has affirmed fundamental principles ‐‐ renewed essential commitments –
and given us new direction.”
Final
Agreement
World
leaders approved the outcome document for Rio+20, entitled “The Future We
Want,” this evening. In the months leading up to Rio+20, negotiations on the
outcome document included several week‐long sessions and many long nights, but
under the leadership of the Brazilian Government, a compromise was reached and
agreement made by the 193 Member States of the United Nations.
“The
outcome document provides a firm foundation for social, economic and
environmental well‐being,” Mr. Ban said. “It is now our responsibility to build
on it. Now the work begins.”
The
document calls for a wide range of actions, among many other points, including:
launching
a process to establish sustainable development goals;
detailing
how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development;
strengthening the UN Environment Programme and establishing a new forum for
sustainable development;
promoting
corporate sustainability reporting measures;
taking
steps to go beyond GDP to assess the well‐being of a country;
developing a strategy for sustainable development financing;
adopting
a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production;
focusing
on improving gender equality;
stressing
the need to engage civil society and incorporate science into policy; and
recognizing the importance of voluntary commitments on sustainable development.
Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff, concluding the Conference, told participants that the
outcome document is a great step forward. “I am convinced that this Conference
will have the effect of bringing about sweeping change.”
Get
"Rio+20: The Future We Want" PDF document:
Commitments
Beyond the
negotiated document, voluntary commitments played a key role in the outcome of
Rio+20, with an estimated $513 billion mobilized from the 13 largest
commitments alone. Over 700 voluntary commitments by civil society groups,
businesses, governments, universities and others were listed on the main Rio+20
website as of today.
The total
included more than one hundred commitments and actions announced by Mr. Ban
yesterday in support of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative towards
achieving three objectives – ensuring energy access, doubling energy efficiency
and doubling the share of renewable energy – all by 2030. More than 50
Governments from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Small Island Developing States
have engaged with the initiative and are developing energy plans and
programmes. Businesses and investors have committed more than $50 billion to
achieve the initiative’s three objectives. More than one billion people will
benefit from Sustainable Energy for All’s public and private sector
commitments.
Earlier
this week, eight multilateral development banks announced they will provide
financing of more than $175 billion through 2020 to support sustainable
transport in developing countries. And the World Bank announced that more than
80 countries, civil society groups, private companies and international
organizations have declared their support for the new Global Partnership for
Oceans. More than 200 commitments to sustainable development by businesses were
announced at the conclusion of the UN Global Compact’s Corporate Sustainability
Forum.
Mr. Ban
also issued a ‘Zero Hunger Challenge’ yesterday, calling on all nations to be
boldly ambitious as they work for a future where everyone enjoys the right to
food and all food systems are resilient. The Challenge aims to provide 100 per
cent access to adequate food year round, while increasing small farm
productivity and zero loss or waste of food. Several countries have already
taken up the challenge. For example, the United Kingdom pledged £150 million
(approx. $234 million) to help smallholder farmers feed millions.
Today, the
Brazilian Government announced the creation of the Rio+ Centre, the World
Centre for Sustainable Development. The Rio+ Centre will facilitate research,
knowledge exchange and international debate about sustainable development. Its
partners include the State Government of Rio de Janeiro, the Rio Municipality
and several UN agencies, as well as academic institutions, businesses and civil
society groups.
Rio+20
Secretary‐General Sha Zukang said, “This Conference is about implementation. It
is about concrete action. The voluntary commitments are a major part of the
legacy of this Conference. They complement the official outcome of the
Conference.”
Participation
and inclusion
In the lead
up to Rio+20, the Government of Brazil hosted a series of Dialogue Days, which
engaged civil society in considering ten major sustainable development issues,
including oceans, food security, energy and water ‐‐ all topics with action
points in the outcome document. Recommendations from the Dialogue Days were
included in discussions at the four High‐Level Round Tables held during Rio+20
that considered ways to move the outcomes of Rio+20 forward and featured a number
of Heads of State.
As of 22
June, 45,763 passes were issued for access to the Riocentro Convention Center
where Rio+20 was held.
Virtual
participation in the Conference was also significant, as social media played a
major role in raising awareness about the Conference and sustainable
development. Since the UN Secretary‐General launched a global conversation on
the Future We Want last November, more than 50 million joined the conversation
on various social media platforms. On Twitter – in English – the #RioPlus20
hashtag was viewed more than one billion times. Other platforms widely used
included Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest and Weibo. Posts were featured in
the six UN official languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and
Spanish. Plus Portuguese‐language posts were widely viewed, with the Brazilian
campaign for Rio+20 reaching more than 1 million people on Facebook.
For more
information on Rio+20, visit www.uncsd2012.org.
To join the
global conversation on Rio+20: The Future We Want, visit
www.un.org/futurewewant
MEDIA
CONTACTS
For more
information, please contact Dan Shepard, tel: +55 (21) 8921 8472, email shepard@un.org
; Wynne Boelt, tel +55 (21) 8921 8475, email boelt@un.org; or Gustavo Barreto,
+55(21) 8185 0582, email gustavo.barreto@unic.org, UN Department of Public
Information
Issued by
the UN Department of Public Information
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