Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

The European Economic and Social Council Confernce Go Sustainable Be Responsible opening panel with Felix Dodds Executive Director, Brice Lalonde , Exeuctive Coordinator for Rio+20, Staffan Nilsson EESC President and Janez Potcnik Commissioner for Environment European Commissioner. I called for: " I would like to echo that call by a quote from a different time about a different issue but which rings so clear today for our challenges. Senator Robert Kennedy in April 1968 said: “A revolution is coming— a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough. But a revolution is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability”. For Rio let us choose to work together for a world that is built on sustainable societies, responsive citizens and accountable governments.

Part of a European tour starting with the first stop Paris for the French government conference: 'Towards a new Global Governance' on the 31st of January. Other speakers included the French Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet , the great Danish Minister Ida Auken . Her uncle Svend Auken was also environment Minister and helped get WSSD off the ground. Brice Lalonde Executive Coordinator Rio+20 , Andre Correa de Lago Rio+20 Brazilian Ambassador and Cherif Rahmani Algerian Minister of the Environment. The event looked at the idea of upgrading the UNEP into a World Environmental Organization and the creation of a Sustainable Development Council of the UN General Assembly. In my presentation i supported both and the call by industry for a Convention on Corporate Sustainability. The Dutch Platform for Rio+20 invited me to address a Rio+20 event (February 2nd 2012). Chairing is the Dutch Ambassador for Sustainable Development Kitty Vander Haijden. The...

Rio+20 informal meeting finishes (Jan 27) with a feeling of hope. The Sustainable Development Goals idea is gaining interest and support from many countries. Of course the devil is in the detail. How will they relate to the MDGs? What can be done for Rio? How many? are some of the questions which will be the discussions ahead. Stakeholder Forum release their analysis of the zero draft for groups to use in their lobbying process. UNDESA released the study Stakeholder Forum have undertaken for them for Agenda 21 and Rio Declaration - a twenty year review. The idea of a new Sustainable Development Council for the United Nations General Assembly is also gaining traction in the corridors. The questions are mostly around the Green Economy. Monday (30th Jan) the UN Global Sustainability Panel Report will be released calling for sustainable development criteria for credit rating agencies and sovereign wealth funds. Also support for a global framework on sustainability reporting...

Cameron announces he isnt going to Rio. Reprinting Richard Blacks article from the BBC web site on this below Richard Black (BBC) David Cameron to miss Rio+20 earth summit for Jubilee Prime Minister David Cameron will not be going to the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil next year despite his pledge to lead the "greenest ever government". The meeting will mark 20 years since the seminal Earth Summit of 1992, and is regarded as a chance for leaders to put humanity on a sustainable track. But the June date clashes with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The clash raises the question of whether other Commonwealth heads of government will also stay away. Protocol would be likely to demand the presence of the 54 countries' leaders in London. The Jubilee celebrations run 2-5 June, and the Earth Summit 4-6 June; so leaders could theoretically pay their respects in London before heading to Rio for the summit's final day. But Mr Cameron will not, a Downing Str...

I attended the UNEP FI’s 13th Global Roundtable which came at a crucial time for the international community, with the recent financial crisis and occupy washington tents outside. The conference offered a stark reminder that instability constantly looms over the horizon when issues of sustainability are overlooked in day-to-day financial operations. Held under the theme “The Tipping Point: Sustained stability in the next economy,” UNEP FI’s 13th Global Roundtable  looked at the  decades-long niche discussion over sustainability and discussed has it  finally become part of mainstream business and policy-making. The tipping point, in other words, has been crossed, and there is no turning back.   The 13th Global Roundtable conference brought in one place the men and women who have produced the most forward-looking thinking in the global finance and investment community. It was followed up by a workshop for governments whcih Stakeholder Forum hosted at the Bl...

    The 64 th UN DPI NGO Conference was attended by 1600 stakeholders, discussing issues for the Rio+20 conference and the UN General Assembly debate on voluntarism. Over 40 workshops and side events took place and saw the launch of the Global Transition 2012 project by Stakeholder Forum, New Economics Foundation and New Economics Institute – for more details click here . You can now watch the plenary discussions and round tables here . The Declaration has now been finalised and can be downloaded from here . The media coverage for the event was put together jointly with the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and can be found here . A blog on the conference by the conference chair Felix Dodds, Executive Director of Stakeholder Forum can be found here.

The major Rio+20 conference focusing on global to local concerns in Bonn 3-5 September closed its pre-registartion with nearly 2500 registartions. The largest UN DPI NGO pre-registration ever. The conferece zero draft declaration is up for comment until the 25th of August and has kicked off the debare on sustainable development goals on the green economy with some suggestions. THe declartion also deals with sustainable development governance at all levels and support for two conventions. One being promoted by WRI on Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration , the other on Corporate Environment and Social Responsibility and Accountability.