Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Special event Second Committee, 65th Session of the General Assembly “Advancing Sustainable Development: What Should Rio+20 Achieve?” Friday, 29 October 2010 Background The concept of sustainable development is like a bridge. It seeks to bring together not only the three domains — economic, social and environmental — but also developed and developing countries, Governments, businesses and civil society, scientific knowledge and public policy, the city and the countryside, and present and future generations. It has also created the awareness that the environment and development are not two separate agendas, but two faces of the same agenda. Development is the midwife of sustainability, just as sustainability is the life support system for development. In order to secure a renewed political commitment for sustainable development, Member States decided at the 64th session of the General Assembly to organize, in Brazil in 2012, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) . The Con

We are doing a round table discussion on Green Economy. UNEP Green Economy coordinator Steven Stone suggests that the green economy is ‘low carbon and social inclusive’. I suggested it might be more like the WWF vision of ‘One Planet Living’ offers us the vision and what our economic system needs to support within planet boundaries. Lots of people seem to focus on the carbon part of the discussion but it must be more than this. Others here to find out what the green economy might be --- ‘a set of ? marks’….. Its going to be a long road to Rio+20!! The presentations by IISD -- they are saying that to create an enabling environment for the green economy should include: • Green public investment and incentives • Sustainable public procurement • Legislation, institutions and enforcement • Leveling the playing field of prices • Supporting actions: capacity building and transitional arrangements Questions to be asked for moving to a green economy: • Prioritizing between policies?

Geneva 25 th of October UNEP are hosting a discussion for stakeholders to discuss how to reform the International Environmental Governance. Bradnee Chambers of UNEP is presenting on the fragmentation of the IEG system. He identifies as key problems: Use of financial resources Inconsistency in interpretation of rules Neglect of interlinkages Structural inefficiencies There is no coherent system wide environmental strategy Lack of implementation and capacity Lack of monitoring, review and accountability UNEP are suggesting that the environmental pillar is the foundation of sustainable development The 2009 and 2010 Consultative Group set up under UNEP GC decision 25/4 and SSXI/1 respectively is the process now leading up to Rio+20 on IEG. This identified that present IEG discussion should be based that form should follow function. There needed to eb a set of functions that were critical.   Creating a strong, credible and coherent science base Developing a global authority for the environ