world environment day - one year before rio+20

June 5th is World Environment Day. In an article by Juan Somavia and Achim Steiner Heads of the ILO and UNEP respectively on the BBC web site explores the role of the G8, Rio+20 and the role of the green economy.

Greenpeace have brought out a challenge for Rio+20 as have Christian Aid and Stakeholder Forum on Monday the 6th.

We are one year from Rio+20 and my prediction is that Rio will result in:

On Green Economy:

1. A set of principles for the Green Economy;
2. A set of Sustainable Development Goals with particular focus on sustainable development goals under the green sectors - Potentially 5-9 green economy sectors will be addressed. This would include energy, agriculture, urbanization, water, biodiversity. These could then be fed into the MDG Summit in 2015.

On Governance

1. In International Environmental Governance:
a. WEO: Probably not a WEO – maybe a process of clustering towards a point where governments feel comfortable with a WEO – this could be a 5-10 year processes starting with chemicals and biodiversity
b. Reform of UNEP with an Executive Board
2. In Sustainable Development Governance:
a. Sustainable Development Council: As the CSD isn’t working there is interest in the sustainable development council idea. This would upgrade the CSD to a Council of the UN GA similar to Human Rights. The Agenda for such a council might be new and emerging issues and part of Committee 2 of the UN GA might be folded into it.
b. IACSD: The re-establishing of the Interagency Committee on Sustainable Development to deal with UN coordination on SD.
c. Principle 10: The start of regional conventions on P10 starting with Latin America.

Many other issues are alive but this would be a firm outcome from 2012. Plus a convention on Corporate Environment and Soical Responsibility.