Rio+20 Informal

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 for companies. Some good material to be mined for Rio+20.

Over 30 Heads of State have now announced they are attending Rio+20 including India, China, Germany and Denmark. Still a defining silence from Number 10. With John Major and Tony Blair going to the previous two events (Rio92, Johannesburg02) it looks like the UK is no longer taking sustainability seriously, or are they?

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