The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) took place in Geneva on 1 and 2 December 2011 (Palais des Nations, salle XVIII). RPM prepared the contribution from the UNECE region to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which will be held from 20 – 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro.
The objectives of the Rio+20 Conference are to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges. Substantive discussions will focus on two themes: a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development.
Documents for the RPM are posted in the table below. Information about Major Groups' training and coordination as well as about side events organized on the margins of RPM is also available in the table below.
The RPM is covered by the IISD Reporting Services. A summary report of the meeting is available online on the IISD website. Daily highlights are available here (1 Dec / 2 Dec). The IISD announcement is available here.
!!! The RPM aims to be a paperless event to the extent possible. Participants are encouraged to download the documents in electronic format and, if necessary, print them. All documents for the RPM are being made available on this website. Please bring your laptops for working at the RPM. Kindly note that electrical power plugs and sockets are unique to Switzerland within the UNECE region (type J, three-pin, 230 V, 50 Hz), and respectively require an adaptor, though slim two-pin plugs (type C) will fit. !!!
Pre-session documents | |||
Annotated provisional agenda for the meeting | |||
Greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development | |||
Greening the economy within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication | |||
Transitioning to a green economy: the role of education for sustainable development | |||
Draft "From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Europe and Central Asia" | --- | --- | |
“Rio plus Aarhus — 20 years on: Bearing fruit and looking forward” Chişinău Declaration | FRE | RUS | |
Declaration by first session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Espoo Convention serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) | |||
Post-session documents | |||
Report of the meeting | ENG | FRE | RUS |
Co-Chairs' Summary of the Meeting | |||
From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Europe and Central Asia | --- | --- | |
Organization of Work for the RPM | --- | --- | |
Organization of Work for the RPM: arrangements under agenda item 6 | --- | --- | |
Organization of Work for the RPM: Questions for discussion under agenda items 5, 6 and 7 | --- | ||
The contribution of the Espoo Convention and its Protocol on SEA to the implementation of the Rio Principles | --- | --- | |
Strategic environmental assessment as a tool for greening the economy | --- | --- | |
Keeping track of our changing environment: from Rio to Rio+20 (1992–2012) | --- | --- | |
Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication | |||
Green Economy: Success stories | --- | ||
“Green Bridge” Partnership Programme | --- | ||
Astana “Green Bridge” Initiative | --- | ||
RPM letter to the UNECE member States' Missions to the UN in Geneva | --- | --- | |
RPM letter to the Major Groups | --- | --- | |
List of participants | --- | --- | |
Main outcome documents of the 7th "Environment for Europe" Ministerial Conference, Astana, 21-23 September 2011 | |||
Ministerial Declaration | |||
Chair's Summary of the Conference | |||
Report of the Conference | |||
Opening of the meeting | |||
Opening address by Mr. Jan Kubiš, Executive Secretary of ECE | --- | --- | |
Opening address by Mr. Sha Zukang, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Secretary General of Rio+20 | --- | --- | |
Opening address by Mr. Michele Candotti, Chief of the Executive Office, United Nations Environment Programme | --- | --- | |
Opening address by Mr. Jens Wandel, Deputy Regional Director and Director of the Bratislava Regional Centre of the United Nations Development Programme | --- | --- | |
Item 5. Assessment of progress in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges | |||
Keynote address by Mr. Bedrich Moldan, Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Environment Centre of the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, Vice-Chair of the Preparatory Bureau for the Rio+20 Conference, representing the Eastern European States Group | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Taulant Bino, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, Albania | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Fitz Holzwarth, Deputy Director General, Water Management, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Jan Dusik, Deputy Director and Officer-in-Charge, Regional Office for Europe, UNEP | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Srđan Matić, Coordinator, Environment and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe | ENG | --- | --- |
Keynote address by Ms. Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director of the NGO Women in Europe for a Common Future | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Ms. Amy Edmondson, Professor, Harvard Business School | --- | --- | |
Statement by the European Union and its Member States | --- | --- | |
Statement by Monaco | --- | --- | |
Statement by Switzerland | --- | --- | |
Statement by Turkey | --- | --- | |
Statement by USA | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Biovision Foundation and Millennium Institute as members of the Farmers Major Group | --- | --- | |
Statement by the European Federation of Public Service Unions on behalf of the Major Group of Workers and Trade Unions | --- | --- | |
Statement by the United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction | --- | --- | |
Statement by the International Telecommunication Union | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of NGOs | --- | --- | |
Item 6. A green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication | |||
Keynote address by Mr. Paolo Soprano, Director of the Sustainable Development Division, Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, Italy, Vice-chair of the Bureau for the Preparatory Process of the Rio+20 Conference, representing the West European and Others Group | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Niyazi Safarov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Azerbaijan | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Daniel Ziegerer, Head of Global Section, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Björn Stigson, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) 2012 | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Peter Poschen, Director, Job Creation and Sustainable Enterprise Department, International Labour Organization | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Talaybek Makeyev, Executive Director, the Regional Environmental Centre for Asia | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Joachim Spangenberg, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Germany | --- | --- | |
Statement by the European Union and its Member States | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Republic of Moldova | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of Children and Youth | --- | --- | |
Statement by the International Chemicals Association | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of NGOs | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of Farmers | --- | --- | |
Item 7. The institutional framework for sustainable development | |||
Keynote address by Ms. Tania Valerie Raguz, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations in New York | ENG | --- | --- |
Keynote address by Mr. Rodion Bajureanu, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Moldova | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Jean Pierre Thebault, Ambassador for Environment, France | --- | FRE | --- |
Keynote address by Mr. Bradnee Chambers, Head of Environmental Law and Governance Branch, Team Leader, International Environmental Governance/Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IEG/IFSD), UNEP | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Goran Svilanovic, Coordinator of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Economic and Environmental Activities, OSCE | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Mr. Jeremy Wates, Director of the European Environment Bureau | --- | --- | |
Keynote address by Dr. Angelika Poth-Mögele, Director of Policy, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions | --- | --- | |
Statement by the European Union and its Member States | --- | --- | |
Statement by Liechtenstein | --- | --- | |
Statement by Montenegro | --- | --- | |
Statement by Serbia | --- | --- | |
Statement by Switzerland | --- | --- | |
Statement by the European Federation of Public Service Unions on behalf of the Major Group of Workers and Trade Unions | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of Children and Youth | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of Local Authorities | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of NGOs | --- | --- | |
Statement by the Major Group of Scientific and Technologocal Community | --- | --- | |
Closure of the meeting | |||
Presentation on the Rio+20 Conference by Ms. Maria Luisa Escorel, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations and other international organizations | --- | --- | |
Closing remarks by Mr. Sha Zukang, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Secretary General of Rio+20 | --- | --- | |
A Major Groups' Training and Coordination Meeting was organized back-to-back to the RPM on 30 November 2011. The agenda for the meeting is available here. The training modules can be downloaded here (part 1 / part 2 / part 3).
Delegates of Major Groups are requested to complete the registration form and indicate their participation in both meetings, as relevant.
Agenda for the training session, November 30, Salle IX at the Palais des Nations, Geneva
Please NOTE: The main gate of the UN opens at 08:00 for registration. We strongly recommend that those who have not a pass to the UN be present at the gate at 08:00 as getting your pass will take some time.
08:00 – Registration at the main gate (the Pregny Gate).
09:00 – Welcome by Monika Linn, Principal Advisor and Chief, Development Policies and Cross-Sectoral Coordination Unit, Office of the Executive Secretary, ECE, and by Leida Rijnhout, Director of ANPED and Organising Partner for the NGO Major Group for the Rio plus 20 process.
09:20 – 10:00 – A brief outline of the day, Rio plus 20 Conference content, issues, time lines etc. by the trainer, Don Edwards, Stakeholder Forum.
10:00 – 10:20 – Coffee break, the Delegates Lounge or the Press Coffee Bar.
10:20 – 11:00 – The trainer continues, more on Rio, the process, and branching over to lobby issues and looking at the upcoming RIM.
11:00 – 11:15 – Small break, a breather.
11:15 – 12:00 – The trainer continues, more of the same, and concluding and summing up.
12:00 – 12:15 – Small break, a breather.
12:15 – 13:15 – This hour is an invitation and an opportunity for different UN Agencies to present their views on Rio plus 20. It is important that the presentations are relevant to the Rio plus 20 agenda items, and it would be of interest to see how these agencies see their contribution to the upcoming Rio plus 20 Conference. Each of the agencies is given a maximum of 10 – 12 minutes. Based on 60 minutes, a maximum of 6 agencies may present their views. (The chair from the NGO group and the trainer will chair this session jointly. The presentations will be followed by a Question and Answer period.):
- Ms. Helena Molin-Valdes, Director , United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
- Hamish Jenkins, UN Non Governmental liaison Service (NGLS).
- Ms. Gina Lucarelli, Regional Coordination Specialist, UNDG Europe and Central Asia, (UNDP) and Mr. Patrice Robineau , co-cordinator of the UN system Report "From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Europe and Central Asia" (the draft report is available here).
- Amy Fraenkel, Regional Director for North America, UNEP.
13:15 – 14:45 – Lunch break taken in the UN cafeteria. 15:00 – 16:00 – Afternoon plenary, an overview of the days to come, roles, opportunities. (The chair from the NGO group, Leida Rijnhout, and the trainer, Mr. Don Edwards will chair this session jointly.)16:00 – 17:00 – Break out groups.17:00 – 18:00 – Plenary and report backs. (The chair from the NGO group and the trainer will chair this session jointly.)
Please NOTE: During the RPM, every morning, the Major Groups will have a morning meeting one hour prior to the official meeting starts. These meetings will be chaired by the NGO Organising Partner, Leida Rijnhout, Director of ANPED.
Governments and organizations interested in organizing side events on the margins of the meeting should fill in and submit to the secretariat by 1 November 2011 the side-event registration form.
The list of registered side events is presented in the table below.
No | Title | Purpose | Format/Duration | Organiser(s) | Time/Room | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday, 1 December 2011 (lunch time 13:15-14:45) | ||||||
1. | Global Energy & Ecological Strategy for Sustainable Development in XXI c. and “Green Bridge” Partnership Programme as contribution of Europe to Rio+20 | Follow up of the 7th “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference, Astana, September 2011 | Round table & panel discussion | Ministry of Environmental Protection of Kazakhstan; JSC “National Scientific and Technological Holding “Parasat” | 13h15-14h45 | |
2. | Greening the economy: the role of Education for Sustainable Development | To draw attention to the role education has to play in achieving the transition to a green economy | Round-table discussion | UNECE | 13h15-14h45 | |
3. | Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Development | Introduce the potential contribution of smart eco-city technology for sustainable urban development | Workshop, presentations, question&answers, conclusions | Living PlanIT SA | 13h15-14h45 | |
4. | Effective Action on Sustainable Agriculture at Rio+20 | To strengthen the discussion on how to include Sustainable Agriculture in the Rio+20 process and beyond. What measures are necessary? Relevant submissions to the UNCSD Zero Draft will form the basis for this dialogue. | Panel and interactive discussion | Biovision - Foundation for Ecological Development, Switzerland; Federal Office for Agriculture, Swiss Government; Millennium Institute, USA, More&Better Network, Italy; International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) e.V., Germany | 13h15-14h45 | |
5. | Private Sector Role for Sustainable Development – Looking forward to Rio | Dialogue with governments and other stakeholders on the role of the private sector | 1.5h | Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) 2012 | 13h15-14h45 | |
Friday, 2 December 2011 (morning 8:30-9:45) | ||||||
6. | Report or Explain - A policy proposal for sustainability reporting to be adopted | Presentation of the Proposal to the Rio+20 Conference to adopt a policy framework on sustainability reporting based on the report or explain approach: a practical measure would make a positive impact to the transition towards a Green Economy | Panel discussion | Global Reporting Initiative with other partner organizations and the support or an European Government | 8h30-9h45 | |
7. | From “Brown” Economy to “Care” Economy – Women’s priorities for Rio+20 | Present recommendations for outcomes of Rio+20 Conference | Panel discussion with presentations | Women in Europe for a Common Future / Women International for a Common Future (WECF) | 8h30-9h45 | |
Friday, 2 December 2011 (lunch time 13:15-14:45) | ||||||
8. | Transport and the green economy | Demonstrate how it is crucial that the question of transportation is included in the debate of green economy | Panel discussion | International Union of Railways (UIC), UNECE, UNEP and ATE. | 13h15–14h45 | |
9. | Trade and the Green Economy | To support the ECE RPM by providing a multi-stakeholder platform for discussing what a green economy means for trade, identifying key opportunities and challenges for the region, and contributing to the formulation of regional perspectives for Rio+20 | Panel discussion followed by open discussion | UNECE; UNEP; ICTSD | 13h15–14h45 | |
10. | CALLING FOR COORDINATED ACTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - A proven inter-agency model: the Environment and Security Initiative | To enable governments and international organizations to learn about benefits of inter-agency cooperation and experiences achieved through the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC). The event will provide an opportunity for governments to address economic, social and security challenges posed by climate change and will explore how regional collaboration can help overcome these challenges. | Round-table discussion | OSCE; UNECE; UNDP; UNEP; REC | 13h15–14h45 | |
11. | How can Rio+20 deliver fair and green economy roadmaps that will achieve one planet living? | To discuss key components needed for a fair and effective green economy roadmap, outlining specific goals, objectives and actions at international level as well as a package of reforms | Workshop followed by discussion | BioRegional Development Group | 13h15–14h45 | |
For information on the RPM, please, contact:
Ms. Monika Linn | Phone: +41 (0)22 917 13 15 |
Ms. Angela Sochirca | Phone: +41 (0)22 917 20 64 |
Major Groups participation and side events: Ms. Nona Iliukhina |
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 20 84 |
