Major groups engagement and participation
By Chantal Line Carpentier, Ph.D.
Rio+20 Secretariat
Building the Future we want
The Road Map to Rio+20
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Objective and themes of the conference
Outcome document
State of the negotiations
Major groups and other stakeholder activities
Participation into the preparatory process
Participation into the conference
Objective and themes of the conference
Secure renewed political commitment for sustainable
development
assessing progress to date and the remaining gaps in
the implementation of the outcomes of the major
summits on SD
• addressing new and emerging challenges
•
UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution (A/RES/64/236)
Thematic focus
Include:
• a green economy in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication;
• institutional framework for sustainable
development
Outcome Document
• focused political document
• ensuring implementation of
commitments
• addresses integration of economic, social
and environmental goals,
• coherence of action at all levels (within
UN and countries)
Outcome Document
+ 686 submissions received (by November 1 deadline)
+ 493 from Major groups and other stakeholders
+ Results of the regional Preparatory meetings and national meetings
= zero-draft discussed 25-27 January
Further negotiation during Informal-Informals meeting in March,
April
Finalized at the 3rd PrepCom in June
Agreement to outcome document at Rio+20 conference
Road-map to Rio
2011
2012
 Fall
Regional Preparatory meetings (RPMs),
 November 1
 Input to compilation
document
 Mid-November Compilation
document
 15-16 December
 Second Intersessional,
UNHQ, NY
• Nation-led meetings throughout
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Jan 25-27, NY
Nation-led meetings throughout
Negotiations 30 April - 4 May
13-15 June Third prep-com, Rio, Brazil
16-19 June Thematic days
20-22 June, Rio+20 conference, Rio
The Co-chair
zero draft
Structure
• 6,500 pages synthesised into 128 para on 20
pages
• Vision
• Renewing political commitment
• Green economy in the context of …
• Institutional framework for SD
• Framework for Action
What’s there? What’s new?
• Global policy framework for corporate reporting
• Major groups upfront; Principle 10
• Green economy: national and sectoral strategies,
knowledge platform, toolkit, indicators, capacity
development mechanism, roadmap
• IFSD: Sustainable Development Council with voluntary
review process; upgrading of UNEP
• Sustainable Development Goals, measures of progress
beyond GDP
• Registry of commitments/accountability framework
What’s there? What’s not so new?
•
Rights based approach to basic needs: food, water
• Access to information technology
• Reform of harmful subsidies with adequate
protection of vulnerable groups
• Sustainable energy for all
• Social protection floor
• Ombudsman for future generations
What’s there to launch?
• Negotiations on agreement governing marine
biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction
• Global observing network on ocean acidification
• 10-year framework of programmes on SCP
• Periodic report on the state of the planet’s carrying
capacity
7 Priority Areas
 green jobs and social inclusion
 energy access, efficiency and
sustainability
 Food security & sustainable
agriculture
 sound water management
 sustainable cities
 sustainable management of the
oceans
 improved resilience and disaster
preparedness
State of the
negotiations
Reactions
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Not ambitious enough
Not action oriented enough
Too much emphasis on the environment vs social
Lacks good governance and rule of law,
transparency, accountability, gender, role of youth
and education as means to achieve sustainable
development
• Or too much!
Lack focus on resource efficiency
Ecological footprint in 2050- need more than 2 planets
Not based Planetary Boundaries
Not enough on equity
Rising resource scarcity
What’s
next for
Major
Groups?
Major Groups
• Major groups and civil
society are referred to in 8
of the 29 paragraphs of the
GA resolution calling for the
UN CSD in Rio in 2012
• Participate at all levels of
the process, nationally
regionally and globally
including at the conference
From Agenda 21 (Rio 1992)
Children
and
Youth
Indigenous
People
Women
Farmers
Major
Groups
NonGovernmental
Organizations
Local
Authorities
Scientific and
Technological
Community
Business
and
Industry
Workers and
Trade Unions
Capacity building workshops
• Latin America and Caribbean Region, ECLAC
• Africa Region, ECA and partners
• The Arab Region, ESCWA and partners
• Asia Pacific Region, ESCAP
• North America, W,C,&E Europe Region, ECE
• DPI/NGO Bonn Conference
• Informal informals
• Initial discussion
• Brasil
• UNEP Governing Council
Showing and sharing support for Rio+20
Use the WEB Tools
• all major groups and other relevant stakeholders can post
documents, initiatives, petitions, meetings etc. on official
web site.
• By contacting your Major Groups Organizing Partners or,
• If initiative does not fit neatly into one major groups
sector email UNCSD2012@un.org to get a
username/password
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/majorgroups
Organizing Partners
• 1 to 3 per major groups
• Important to be added to their distribution list to stay
informed of latest opportunities and contribute to position
• Contact info available at:
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=35
How can you
influence?
• Identify our area of concern
• Develop or compose an
enabling paragraph or sentence:
We call for the UN to establish
an expert group/a high level
panel/ an committee of eminent
persons/ to develop/ to work to
establish etc ;
• Not long, not too prescriptive
and precise
• Where in the document does
our issue find its natural place?
Strategic questions
to ask yourselves
• What is missing?
• What needs to be
strengthened?
• Can we find agreed language
and use that?
• If something is missing, where
can I place that?
• Can I change the structure of
the document?
• If a paragraph is there already,
what will it take to get rid of that
paragraph?
Examples of propositions so far
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Convention on principle 10: access to information, participation, justice
Universal access to clean energy
Non-regression on environl law convention
Corporate accountability (based on ISO2600)
Precautionary Principle into a framework convention (bio-eng, nano,
biotech)
• Eco-city framework & standards
• Convention on right to food
• Prior and informed consent
Participation
into the
conference
Registration and Accreditation to
Rio+20
Pre-registration is open to all organizations in
consultative status with ECOSOC, on CSD roster on
WSSD list until May 20, 2012
•
• NGOs
and other Major groups’ organisations NOT
accredited to the UN (on CSD roster or on WSSD list,
can apply until February 20, 2012
• Decisions from GA expected March 20, 2012
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/majorgroups
Thematic days, side & Sustainable
Development learning centers
• 4 thematic days for non-governmental actors in Rio,
16-19 June
o Expected to lead to partnerships & launching of
initiatives
• Side events, learning centers & partnership fairs
• Parallel events throughout the city
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/majorgroups
The Bureau for the conference
• runs the process leading up to the conference,
• has been selected by the UN General Assembly
• The African Group: Egypt and Botswana;
• The Asian Group: Pakistan and South Korea;
• GRULAC (Latin American and Caribbean Group): Argentina and Barbuda;
• CEIT (Countries with Economies in Transition): Croatia and the Czech
Republic;
• WEOG (Western European and Others Group): the US (first half of the
period) Canada (second half of the period) and Italy;
• ex officio: Brazil.
www.uncsd2012.org/major groups