Outreach Rio+20 Summit - 21 June 2012

inside: So many leaders, such little leadership We are missing the point, and opportunity, of Rio

a daily multi-stakeholder magazine on climate change and sustainable development

out reach.

21 June 2012

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contents.

1

Was history truly made in Rio this week?

2

Does sustainable development management require a new form of leadership?

3

So many leaders, such little leadership

4

A speech for humanity at Rio+20

5

Sustainable construction: Who should take the lead?

6

Business leadership in sustaining the Earth’s natural resources

7

Profile - Ambassador Dr. Josephine Ojiambo

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We are missing the point, and opportunity, of Rio

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New global sustainable public procurement initiative harnesses power of public spending to fast-track green economy transition Leadership: Creating a women farmers’ organisation in Jordan

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British Council International Delegates hear the UK perspective from Nick Clegg New book: Only One Earth

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ECO corner - Statement by NGOs Major Group at the high-level plenary session – 20th June Rio+20 side event calendar

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Reflections from Rio+20

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14 pic: Christopher Rose

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OUTREACH EDITORIAL TEAM Outreach is a multi-stakeholder publication on climate change and sustainable development.

It is the longest continually produced stakeholder magazine in the sustainable development arena, published at various international meetings on the environment; including the UNCSD meetings (since 1997), UNEP Governing Council, UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) and World Water Week.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Daniel Perell

Bahá'í International Community

May Akale

Bahá'í International Community

Alistair Whitby

World Future Council

Owen Gaffney

The International GeosphereBiosphere Programme

UNEP

Vicki-Ann Assevero

Green Impresario

Richard Westaway

IMS Consulting

Hilda Runsten

World Farmers Organisation

Eduardo Nunes

World Vision

Sweta Saxena

British Council

Margaret Adey

CPSL

Catherine Skopic

Was history truly made in Rio this week?

Daniel Perell and May Akale BahĂĄ'Ă­ International Community After months of intensive negotiations, an outcome document on The Future We Want has been successfully negotiated and agreed upon by all Member States. As the anticipation grew in the days leading up to the High Level Segment, emotions ran high, and there was growing concern over whether there would be an agreed outcome from Rio+20.

And then, it happened. With a minimum of fanfare and celebration, the conference host convened a meeting of the Member States and civil society and announced that the multilateral negotiation process had achieved what just hours before seemed an elusive goal – agreement on the negotiated text. The announcement was met with tentative applause and some hesitation. But as the Member States arose to speak, one after another, they acknowledged the stewardship of the Brazilian government, and its diplomatic ability to successfully facilitate the building of consensus and the acceptance of compromise. All Member Blocs and States that spoke acknowledged that there were shortcomings with the document, that it lacked certain elements that they considered important, and that it was not as ambitious as they had hoped; yet, despite that, they all gravitated to the same final and inevitable conclusion that, given the complexity of the issues and the extreme diversity of opinions, the final text was the best possible outcome to satisfy all the participants in the process. It was the best we could do at this moment in history.

We can acknowledge the complexity of the process and express concern about the elements that did not make it into the final text. But let there be no doubt that the negotiated text is not the final stop in a lengthy journey towards planetary justice. It is another milestone and an important one. The leadership exercised by each of the Member States is a political leadership, and the task and true challenge now turns to all to give life to the concepts outlined and referenced in the document. The outcome document provides a framework within which all stakeholders will operate, lending their capacity, innovation, energy and inspiration to ensure that the vision and action resulting from implementing the ideas in the document are faithfully achieved. Our actions need not be limited to the negotiated text. Additional activities and actions, when aligned with the vision and thoughtfully implemented, can complement and enrich the learning and work of others. Underlying this effort is an understanding that everyone has a role to play, and a moral obligation to fulfill his or her responsibility to advance, however humbly, the progress of humanity as a whole.

As we have witnessed, the decision by Member States to approve the Outcome Document was not easily achieved.

But now, the true leadership challenge begins. There are choices to be made, the first of which is whether to support this fragile statement of unity and to place our energies behind it, to uphold it, and to work towards its fulfillment, or to work towards its demise. This historic moment is not limited to a political decision, no matter how important that decision is. The reality of the challenge that lies before everyone now, is to assume the full moral responsibility to uphold the decision and work towards its successful fulfillment. As we do, we will gain experience, build capacity, and gradually enhance our ability to refine our action as we strive towards building the future we aspire to. This now becomes our collective challenge. The time for clear and decisive moral leadership rests with all of us as we strive to build the future we need

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pic: Rodrigo Soldon

RIO+20

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Does sustainable development management require a new form of leadership?

Vicki-Ann Assevero Independent Scholar and the Green Impresario Act I, Scene 1 - Pavilion 3, Riocentro The delegates are huddling, caucusing, shaking their heads and wringing their hands. They have become wordsmiths focused on text and have largely forgotten the con-texts of the ordinary people in their countries striving for sustainability and wellbeing. Building consensus in the multilateral system is severely strained. Negotiators are now turning their attention to the care and feeding of their ministers, premiers and presidents so the level of distraction is mounting. Negotiators are stretched, frustrated and sleep deprived. The translation into French was not working for one delegate when Brazil made their announcement about the Outcome Document and the dismay on his face as he sought to understand was gut wrenching.

Act I, Scene 2 - Major Groups Side Event, Pavilion T Antonio Herman Benjamin, a Brazilian high court judge, in a refreshingly frank presentation on the ethical dimensions of global governance reminded his audience that: “Rio+20 is costing the Brazilian government $250 million in direct expenses. If Rio+20 fails, he told us, it will be on the backs of the poor people of Brazil!”

How many schools, roads and health clinics could have been built for this sum? What sacrifices has Brazil had to make to give the world community an opportunity to agree on a new paradigm and a transitional process towards sustainable development?

Act II, Scene 1 - On the Rio+20 shuttle bus to Riocentro.

“Do you have a word for sustainable development in your native language?”

The young man from southern Africa scratches his head and gazes into the distance trying to recall. “Well we don’t have an exact word but we do have a word for conservation. The language is hard for us; we don’t really know what ‘green jobs’ means. That is why our countries often want to stick to language, which has been defined.

Do we have to stop mining coal and create other jobs in energy technologies we don’t yet have?”

An Eastern European delegate also ponders how to say sustainable development in her language. “Sustainable is not hard, it is the same concept, but development – we have at least five different words for that”, she explains and then in frustration cries “ we are not getting any of our priorities in the text. The ministers have demanded a meeting with the Brazilian delegate”.

“Who is playing a leadership role in this Rio+20 Conference?”

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“No one!” the south Asian lawyer responds, “There is an absolute crisis of leadership here. I was at Rio 20 years ago. There was real optimism then”.

“That question is too hard”, a young NGO representative adds.

“What are the qualities that would be required for someone to truly lead the world community toward sustainability?”

One official delegate from the G77 ventures, “They need to 1) be a consensus builder; 2) have the highest integrity; and 3) have self-confidence and clear purpose”.

A cheerful IGO representative interjects, “such a leader has to stick to his or her principles. They cannot say that water or food security is critically important and then allow its deletion from the text”.

Act III, Scene 1 Tsunami, desertification, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, biodiversity and cultural diversity loss (150 species every day), global warming, a third of world food production lost to wastage, global financial and social crises, 1 billion people in extreme poverty and 2 billion tottering, growing inequality. The Future We Do Not Want.

Act IV, Scene 1 Those who would aspire to guide the planet towards sustainability are new kinds of leaders. They work with compassion to restore the broken trust among nations and peoples and inspire by example. These leaders are enthusiastic and passionate, always listening with respect for others, seeking out the best ideas for sustainability and helping communities to enact them.

Sustainable development requires leaders with a holistic vision of inclusive planetary prosperity, who understand their complex mandate: guiding the integration of the three dimensions of sustainability – economic, social and environmental. These leaders accept ambiguity and uncertainty, yet maintain a steadfast clarity of purpose working for poverty eradication. Their priority is to harness the extensive reservoir of scientific and practical knowledge and ensure its availability for practical application in communities that will benefit.

Their intuitive understanding of the structural and systemic reasons for inequality will lead them to create a transitional accounting system, where the sustainable actions of the privileged to reduce their harmful impacts on our environment can be easily monetised and transferred to those having the highest needs.

These new leaders are the planetary patriots!

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So many leaders, such little leadership Alistair Whitby World Future Council Long billed as a once-in-a-generation chance to advance the cause of sustainable development, Rio+20 is in danger of becoming a re-run of Copenhagen and satisfying no-one if we do not see some swift and decisive leadership. While UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week entreated heads of state that the Earth Summit was “too important to fail”, there is a more than a little despair infecting the corridors and courtyards of Riocentro at the current text’s dearth of ambition.

While most environmental indicators have steadily worsened since the original Earth Summit, delegates have reached for the same failed solutions and often reverted to the wording of previous agreements. There has been a chronic lack of official ambition and many NGOs have stated that the current outcome is not even close to being worthy of the title ‘The Future We Want’.

But this need not be the case. While there will be no headline-grabbing treaties to sign at Rio+20 there have been several new and promising proposals that have galvanised widespread enthusiasm from civil society, including the planned Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Another innovative proposal is the High-Level Representative for Future Generations which, until very recently, was one of the few entirely new proposals still on the table. When Brazil released their compromise text last Sunday, Ambassador Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Executive Secretary of Brazil's National Commission for Rio+20, said it would "make all delegates a bit happy, and a bit unhappy".

But it has certainly made a lot of people very unhappy indeed! The High-Level Representative for Sustainable Development and Future Generations had been scrubbed from the text. The removal of this proposal effectively relegates the interests of youth and future generations to the side-lines, continuing their lack of representation in decision-making about their future.

This could still be an enduring legacy of the Rio+20 Summit if only some ambition were shown, embedding long-termism into the UN system and addressing current implementation gaps by helping governments and UN bodies to work together on long-term planning and the sharing of best practice. The High-level Representative would be tasked with bringing sustainable development, often separate from core policy issues, into the heart of all decision-making.

But for bold solutions to be agreed upon you also need bold leadership and that, so far, has been in perilously short supply.

Veteran environmentalist Fabio Feldmann, a personal representative of the Brazilian president, has complained of “a terrible lack of leadership" but the host country could itself have shown far more ambition. It has often seemed that the Brazilians were more interested in ‘expediency’ rather than ambition, closing down debate, refusing to reintroduce any language that does not have full consensus and fiercely closing the text when they felt an adequate ‘package’ had been reached.

It has been noted that now is a difficult time for governments to be signing agreements. This is a year of transition in many countries, with elections or leadership changes in the US, Mexico, Russia, China, and France, and there are a host of other countries concentrating on tumultuous national circumstances.

Many parts of the world remain preoccupied with the financial and economic crisis, which is encouraging a reduced focus on the long term. A debt racked and crisis stricken EU, usually at the forefront of pushing for the strongest language on environmental and social protection, is constrained by what it can demand from countries that are effectively bailing them out.

But it is precisely because of these multiple interlinked crises that leadership is so badly needed right now. This text is not going to deliver a sustainable future, and its emphasis on ‘grow now, clean up later’, combined with a refusal to acknowledge planetary boundaries, is set to take us further in the wrong direction.

The interests and needs of those who will inherit this planet are being systematically compromised by this focus on our short-term interests. Only bold solutions like a High-Level Representative for Future Generations and Sustainable Development can deliver the change we so urgently require

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RIO+20

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A speech for humanity at Rio+20 Owen Gaffney The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme As we reach the climax of Rio+20, it is worth remembering the role of leadership as a catalyst for change.

Albert Einstein once said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

This lies at the heart of the conundrum facing those in Rio de Janeiro as they take part in these vital negotiations to put our planet on a sustainable path. We have squandered 20 years since the last Earth summit in 1992. Without major progress, the world risks multiple catastrophes. Politicians blame the inertia in our global political and economic systems for the failure. This is rubbish. These systems can change overnight, just look at the digital revolution, the rise of social media, the Arab Spring, the global financial meltdown or the recent food crises. A case in point, the internet, barely existed in 1992. Now it has changed everything.

Indeed, through the internet we have become a giant interconnected global system. Large interconnected systems confer remarkable stability but are also prone to rapid change. We need to correct the narrative. Inertia is not the norm. We must embrace the new and create space for change. But, we need catalysts. Explosive energy results when visionary leadership connects with grassroots support around a simple idea.

Perhaps clues to new thinking and fresh approaches can come from the Civil Rights movement in the sixties. "The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans.

It cannot be moved by those who cling to a present…who prefer the illusion of security.” So said Robert F Kennedy in his Day of Affirmation address to the National Union of South African Students in Cape Town on 6 June 1966.

The rhetoric of this landmark speech applies equally to challenges facing Earth’s life support system and the long-term sustainability of our societies. This is hardly surprising. The Civil Rights movement demanded social, cultural, political and economic upheaval.

Kennedy saw young people as the solution. “You, and your young compatriots everywhere, have had thrust upon you a greater burden of responsibility than any generation that has ever lived.”

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But he listed four obstacles to progress.

The first is futility. We throw our hands in the air before we begin. We accept the battle cannot be won. For this he advocated strong leadership.

The second, expediency. Hopes and beliefs come a poor second to immediate necessities. For this he advocated idealism.

The third is timidity. Nations fold under fierce opposition.

People buckle under the wrath of society. For this Kennedy argued for courage.

The final obstacle is comfort. The temptation to go with the flow is overwhelming. It is too easy to follow wellworn, familiar paths.

After centuries of inertia and against the odds, Kennedy and other leaders helped create the right conditions for a rapid transformation. Ultimately, they succeeded.

Strong leadership is a phenomenal catalyst for change.

It can whip up a powerful groundswell of support. It can energise and mobilise. It can rip down barriers to progress.

At Rio+20, leadership is currently the missing ingredient.

Over 100 Heads of State are joining here in Rio, but there is a vacuum, with vital leaders such as Barack Obama missing. The signal such people send by their presence has the potential to change the course of our future development for the next decade.

As global emissions continue unabated, as sea levels rise, as the world warms, as species die, we are sleepwalking to catastrophe. Brazilian climate scientist turned civil servant Carlos Nobre told the Rio+20 science and technology forum that the Amazon rainforest could be lost if temperatures rise by 4°C. Summer Arctic sea ice is destined to disappear sooner rather than later if we continue on our current trajectory. These are major changes in state of major parts of the Earth system.

Kennedy concluded his Day of Affirmation address, “Everyone here will ultimately be judged – will ultimately judge himself – on the effort he has contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which his ideals and goals have shaped that effort.” This is as true now as it was in 1966

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Sustainable construction: Who should take the lead?

Dr Richard Westaway IMS Consulting

Understanding how to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment is complex.

However, such understanding is crucial if we are to change the way buildings and infrastructure are designed, built, renovated and managed.

Despite being directly responsible for only 1% of the total carbon emissions of buildings, construction companies have the power to influence almost 47% of the UK’s total carbon emissions through the design, operation and demolition of buildings. However, these headlines do not tell the whole story.

If carbon reduction targets are to be achieved, those letting construction contracts need to be more aspirational. The public sector in particular could play a much bigger role in encouraging the design and delivery of low carbon buildings. While it is the construction companies who build, they should not be expected to drive the market in terms of carbon reductions.

Ultimately, construction companies provide a service to the decision-makers who initiate, fund and control building and development contracts. More often than not, it is architects, investors, clients and tenants who dictate contracts, so to improve sustainability we must first look at the contract model itself.

Construction, uniquely amongst the manufacturing sector, is based on a huge variety of contract models.

Although some contracts allow construction companies to influence the design and specification set by architects and clients on developments, many do not. Therefore, while construction companies might be able to identify

where carbon savings could be made, it is not always in their power or interest to change them.

That is not to say that construction companies could not be doing more. For example, contractors could report the number of projects that included their own design input, and subsequent carbon savings. This would also help stakeholders differentiate between construction companies whose approach to sustainability is largely client-led (i.e. building to meet client requirements) from those that are actively trying to influence the sustainable construction agenda.

Of course, some construction companies are already driving forward sustainability in their projects. For example, Skanska recently calculated the carbon footprint for major projects in Finland, Norway, Sweden, USA and the UK, by developing a group-wide carbon foot printing tool to support project teams and Business Units globally.

Although this is a great example of how the construction sector can drive forward sustainability, it is only relevant when the contract allows for their input.

Despite receiving relatively little attention to date, urgent debate is required about how construction companies select contracts, and the implications of doing so. Ultimately, if we are to reach ambitious carbon reduction targets we must radically change the way construction contracts work

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MORE INFO

Dr Richard Westaway is a Sustainability Specialist at IMS Consulting. His work in the construction sector includes the development of client submissions for the Carbon Disclosure Project. Prior to joining IMS he worked for the UK Climate Impact Programme.

This article has been produced with the support of Skanska. Read more about how Skanska contribute to a more sustainable built environment by visiting:

www.skanska.com/sustainability

pic: Alexandre PrĂŠvot

RIO+20

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Business leadership in sustaining the Earth’s natural resources Margaret Adey University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership At Rio+20, leaders of 15 global companies, with a collective turnover of over $350 billion, have called for urgent action to properly value and maintain the Earth’s natural capital.

The theme of natural capital has featured strongly in business discussions at Rio. Natural capital has been defined as including diversity of life, or biodiversity, underpinning the resilience of the Earth's natural systems to absorb shocks and disturbances. It also includes vital ecosystem services under threat – ranging from crop pollination to carbon storage and freshwater provision, and from fisheries to wood production and the renewal of soil fertility – upon which society and all economic activity relies.

CEOs and Board members of leading companies, which include Anglo American, Alstom, Arup, ASDA-Walmart, Aviva Investors, Grupo André Maggi, Kingfisher, Mars, Natura, Nestlé, Puma, SABMiller, Unilever, Volac and Votorantim, have signed up to the Natural Capital Leadership Compact in advance of Rio. These business leaders call on governments to set ambitious goals and targets to address the risks posed by the loss of our natural capital worldwide. The Leadership Compact not only urges governments to take immediate action, but also commits the signatory companies to a challenging shared agenda. Businesses recognise that their leadership is essential and have committed to address the following four complex challenges:

1. Operate within the limits of natural systems – manage their supply sources in order to protect the environment and improve social equity.

2. Identify and address the (as yet) un-costed impacts of their business activities on people and the environment that are associated with the production and consumption of goods and services – and pledge to build this into business decision-making and planning.

3. Enable consumers to make better-informed choices – by working with industry bodies, governments and citizens to deepen public debate on how to realign consumption within the limits of natural capital and to eliminate wastage and inefficiency.

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4. Develop rigorous and realistic targets and plans – to promote the protection and efficient use of natural capital.

Thomas Lingard, Global Advocacy Director for Unilever says: “Only by collaborating with others across our industry and up and down our supply chain will we be able to crack the toughest sustainability challenges. For that reason it is important for us to clearly define the non competitive areas of sustainability where we can apply our collective effort, ingenuity and scale to drive the change that is necessary in the amount of time that the scientists tell us is available in which to do it.”

These pledges have not been plucked from thin air.

They come from two years' cooperative work by major companies in the Cambridge Natural Capital Leaders Platform. They are stretching complex commitments that will take time and resources to deliver. The companies are serious about implementing the agenda through individual company actions and pre-competitive collaborative work across sectors.

Work includes developing a common approach to valuing business impacts, based initially on local case studies.

This will assist decision-making in the Board room and, critically, provide for engagement post-Rio with policymaking processes at international, regional and national levels. The Leadership Compact also links with other initiatives such as the Natural Capital Declaration.

Leadership is about showing the way forward. Not only do the businesses set out an agenda for what they are prepared to do, but also what they urge from governments.

Many of the companies are already taking significant steps to demonstrate leadership on this natural capital agenda.

They aim to inspire other companies to do likewise.

But business leaders need governments to provide essential cost and regulatory signals so they can go further and more rapidly. This leadership from governments has not been forthcoming at Rio. Delay is not a viable option

MORE INFO

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www.cpsl.cam.ac.uk/Leaders-Groups/Cambridge-Natural-Capital-LeadersPlatform/Natural-Capital-Leadership-Compact.aspx

profile.

Nationality: Kenyan

Country of residence: United States of America

Current Position:

Deputy Permanent Representative, Kenyan Mission to the United Nations, New York

Ambassador Dr. Josephine Ojiambo

How did you get to the role you are in today and what advice would you give aspiring earth champions?

To what extent has health been incorporated into discussions around sustainable development?

It took a lot of hard work, integrity, humility and patience to get to where I am. I had to leave my comfort zone and study material on thematic areas that were outside my area of specialisation – health and gender. I also did a lot of volunteer work and community service, something I continue to do as an Ambassador. In addition, I engaged the Kenyan government on many levels before I was appointed as an Ambassador.

Health has been incorporated into cities, energy, jobs, disasters and food. Agriculture and food are of particular relevance. Global trends point to many points of convergence between policies to support more sustainable food production, and healthoriented aims of reducing obesity and malnutrition, as well as hunger. But, while the potential for health improvement through sustainable agriculture may appear substantial, food systems are highly complex.

In this context, health-related indicators can be a valuable assessment tool and a robust measure of the success of sustainable development policies that yield optimal benefits for health, development and environmental sustainability.

For the earth champions, please know that we are in this together. Let us not give up, despite the challenges we are facing in this cause. Let us be persistent like the hummingbird that the late Professor Wangari Maathai talked about. The hummingbird that picked drops of water in its tiny beak and dropped them on the huge forest fire to try and save the forest. Meanwhile, as the hummingbird tried its best, the elephants alongside other animals with trunks that could carry more water just watched the fire consume their habitat – the forest. Let us do the best that we can, in our own small ways. Our efforts will pay off in due time.

What are the priorities in terms of gender equality at Rio+20?

I support continued commitment to the full implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its key actions for further implementation, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and intend to pay special attention to gender equality and women’s empowerment, especially sexual and reproductive health.

This time round, many recommendations by women have been brought to the decision-making table and well-respected females, such as the Brazilian President, UN Women Executive Michelle Bachelet and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will be present. The voices of the women who have worked hard to promote sustainable development need to be taken into consideration. If these vital voices are ignored, we might be back in Rio twenty years from now to discuss the same issues we faced in 1992.

Women are mothers and just as they protect their own children from harm, they can also nurture the planet and protect it from further destruction.

What do you believe should be achieved at Rio+20?

All stakeholders should reach a mutual understanding about the need for immediate change. Voices of concern should be listened to, the calls for action should be heeded and efforts to put into practice the recommendations by governments, NGOs, Major Groups, Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders should begin. I recognise that different delegations and interest groups might have particular reservations regarding specific issues of sustainable development, however if nothing is done to avert and repair the damage on our planet, then humanity is in danger.

Without sustainable development, other goals, such as achieving international peace, will be at risk. The fast growing global population will need to compete for scarce resources, and social injustice and genderbased marginalisation will continue. The UN and other stakeholders have invested so much time and resources in the processes leading to and during Rio+20, let us not disappoint the 7 billion people looking to the Summit for solutions.

Favourite quote: “In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear, and give hope to each other. That time is now!”

The late Professor Wangari Maathai, (First African Woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize).

MORE INFO

The hummingbird story:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-btl654R_pY

RIO+20

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We are missing the point, Eduardo Nunes and opportunity, of Rio World Vision, Brazil Young people today are demanding to be heard, more than in any other era in global history. And they have earned that right. Bolstered by the Arab Spring and the 99% movement, youth are carving a path toward meaningful change – social, environmental and developmental. As world leaders gather in Rio this week, they would be wise to listen to these voices.

Voices like 19-year-old Edgleison Rodrigues. He and a group of other local young people from Brazil are here at Rio+20 to make sure world leaders hear their views on the future from the environment to long-term development.

“We really have to occupy this space because here they are deciding our future, and also our present and they have to hear what we have to say”, he remarked.

The cries of young people are more urgent than ever.

Despite significant progress in the past decade, more than seven million children under the age of five still die every year from preventable causes like disease, undernourishment and unsafe household energy use.

Those who survive childhood are lucky to find any sort of work, as unemployment rates of up to 50% ravage countries. Besides health and economic constraints, children and youth are more subject to violence of all kinds. Our future is being tragically squandered – tragic for the victims, but tragic also because we are losing a critical resource whose fresh ideas and openness to innovation can help build a better tomorrow.

For the world’s poor, the 1990s were a decade of hope, based on Western economic prosperity and the political will to eliminate – or substantially reduce – hunger, poverty and disease. The decade provided the foundation for

the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which have been a powerful tool for rallying people and governments around fighting poverty.

Initial progress toward achieving those goals, however, has been derailed by the global recession and its lingering aftermath. Rio+20 is considering practical ways of achieving the original MDGs by the 2015 deadline, as well as asking the critical question ‘what next?’

The answer lies in a renewed commitment to the world’s most vulnerable citizens, its children. The future we want to see is our common focus, and to be completely successful, this future must be viewed from the perspective of child development.

Undernourishment contributes to the death of nearly three million children a year. Despite increases in food production, nutritious food is often not getting to those who need it most. If the Rio+20 delegates focus on the nutritional needs of children, they can develop a truly sustainable food policy. Such a policy must include monitoring measures to hold host nations accountable for the nutritional intake of their children. Healthy children grow into healthy adults. Studies show that a 5% drop in child mortality rates produces a 1% boost to economic growth over the subsequent decade. In many nations, including Brazil, children comprise up to one-half the total population. There can be no development efforts without children being at the forefront. Involving them in the search for solutions just makes sense.

If there is ever to be a Rio+40, the children of Rio+20 will be those taking a leadership role. They are not the future, they are the present and they need to be involved in the creation of development policies now, this year. We are still a long way off achieving the world we dreamed of in 1992, but World Vision believes that to build the world we dream of in 2012, we must involve children and young people.

They are leading the changes the world needs. Focusing on children, by its very nature, is sustainable development

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New global sustainable public procurement initiative harnesses power of public spending to fast-track green economy transition UNEP A new international initiative to fast track a global transition to a green economy by harnessing the marketshifting power of government and local authority spending was announced today at Rio+20, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

Supported by over 30 governments and institutions, the International Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (SPPI) aims to scale-up the level of public spending flowing into goods and services that maximise environmental and social benefits.

Studies indicate that sustainable public procurement, which represents between 15% and 25% of GDP, offers a tremendous opportunity to move towards green innovation and sustainability.

Examples from around the world show that sustainable public procurement has the potential to transform markets, boost the competitiveness of eco industries, save money, conserve natural resources and foster job creation.

• Across the OECD group of countries, public procurement represents close to 20% of GDP (over US $4,733 billion annually), while in developing countries the proportion can be slightly higher.

• In India, for example, government procurement is worth about US $300 billion and is expected to grow by more than 10% annually in the coming years.

• Japan’s Green Purchasing Policy, has contributed to the growth of the country’s eco-industries, estimated to be worth about €430 billion in 2010.

• The city of Vienna saved €44.4 million and over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 between 2001 and 2007 through its EcoBuy programme.

• Europe could save up to 64% of energy – or 38 TWh of electricity – by replacing street lights with smarter lighting solutions.

• In Brazil, the Foundation for Education Development succeeded in saving 8,800 m3 of water, 1,750 tonnes of waste and 250 kg of organohalogen compounds, providing the equivalent of one month economic activity to 454 waste pickers, through its decision to replace regular notebooks with ones made of recycled paper in 2010.

The new SPP initiative seeks to back the worldwide implementation of sustainable public procurement by promoting a better understanding of its potential benefits and impacts and facilitating increased cooperation between key stakeholders.

UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner, said: “Sustainable public procurement is a key enabling instrument for countries that want to make the transition towards a green economy.”

“The SPP initiative offers governments the opportunity to lead by example by harnessing their purchasing power to drive markets towards a greener, more innovative and more sustainable path.”

He added, “The SPP initiative will push the process forward towards the creation of robust regulatory frameworks and collaboration between North and South; public institutions and the businesses sector at an early stage of the process.”

“We hope the initiative receives full support at Rio+20 and that more countries and organisations commit to join and contribute to its success.”

The initiative has to date been endorsed by: Brazil, Switzerland, Ecuador, The Francophonie, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, Mauritius, Costa Rica, China, New Zealand, Lebanon,and organizations such as OAS, SEMCo, ITCILO, UNOPS, the Forest Stewardship Council, Eco-Institut Barcelona, IISD, the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa and the International Green Purchasing Network.

SPP has been recognised as a priority theme by all regions and is currently being implemented in many developed and emerging countries: In Brazil, the Central Purchasing System already contains more than 550 sustainable products. At the same time, the value of procurement contracts that integrate sustainability criteria increased by 94% from 2010 to 2011.

The EU adopted an objective of 50% green public procurement for a list of 20 product groups.

While in the US, President Obama signed an Executive order in 2009, requiring that 95% of all applicable procurement contracts at the Federal level must meet sustainability requirements.

The SPPI objectives include: • Building the case for sustainable public procurement by improving awareness of SPP tools; developing biennial progress reports on SPP implementation, analysing barriers, and proposing innovative solutions.

• Supporting SPP implementation through increased South-South and North-South cooperation and enhancing public-private collaboration.

UNEP has developed significant expertise and a successful track-record in implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans across seven pilot countries in cooperation with the Swiss-led Marrakech Task Force on SPP. This has allowed the accumulation of experience and know-how in regards to the design of SPP policies in emerging and developing countries

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MORE INFO

www.unep.fr/scp/procurement

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Leadership: Creating a women farmers’ Hilda Runsten organisation in Jordan World Farmers Organisation

Zeinab Al-Momany is a farmer from Jordan who has worked to empower rural women since 2002. She is the president of Jordan’s Specific Union for Farmers Productive (SUFW).

The Union’s purpose is to fight for women rights and to change the position of women in society. Established in 2007, SUFW remains a volunteer union consisting solely of women farmers and is the first of its kind in the Arab world. Today it is made up of a total of 900 members and 12 cooperatives.

Zeinab Al-Momay states that SUFW was established because there was a vacuum of support for farmer women, who live in very hard and challenging circumstances in Jordan. These challenges include: poverty, a low standard of living, lack of formal employment, high cases of violence, an increase in family size and the misuse of agricultural land. Creating an organisation such as this is the best way to empower these women famers.

The mission of SUFW is to establish a series projects which aim to raise living standards and give women opportunities to participate in and interact with society.

The union holds a range of training sessions and conferences, and has launched an information and best practice sharing website specifically for this demographic.

The law of the General Union of Jordanian farmers entails that members of the Union should have possession of no less than 10 acres of land, thereby omitting many small land-holders. SUFW, however, allows members to join whether they own or simply rent land, therefore allowing far more women to become unionised. Thanks to this simple practice, SUFW has increased the proportion of women in the General Farmer Union in Jordan from less than 1% to 8%.

The reasons behind the establishment of the SUFW are to: • combat the challenges and hardships that women farmers face, such as poverty and a low standard of living; • support the competitive agricultural production;

output

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Jordanian

• encourage women farmers to make use of agricultural products as a supplementary source of income; • bolster food security; • spread awareness and best practice between farmer women; • take care of the environment; • protect women farmers’ rights and accentuate their voices in the community; and • work on the development of agricultural aids and procedures through scientific research.

One vital areas of support that SUFW provides is small loans so that women farmers can establish their own entrepreneurial projects. These projects range from water harvesting and land reclamation to planting gardens with medicinal herbs and a number other agricultural activities, enabling the income diversification necessary to significantly increase financial security. These loans are all dependent on the support and grants from international organisations.

Another vital source of assistance is the running of training courses for farmers in order to spread awareness and develop skills. The initiative provides women farmers with information and knowledge that will strengthen their ability to develop and exchange experiences and knowledge.

Zeinab Al-Momany has come to Rio+20 to show the world the work and lessons learned by SUFW and its members. Her hope is that Rio will create an opportunity for a better future. Rio+20 must raise awareness of the need for fundamental reform of the agricultural and innovation systems, putting the needs of rural women at the centre of these processes. Zeinab Al-Momany believes that a focus on gender issues in agriculture, within and between institutions, can reorient perspectives and bring a greater emphasis on nutrition, post-harvest issues, and mechanisms for knowledge sharing to address the underlying socio-cultural barriers to change, such as land ownership, access to information sources and control of income from produce

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British Council International Delegates hear the Sweta Saxena UK perspective from Nick Clegg British Council The British Council has convened a delegation of accomplished eco-entrepreneurs and emerging leaders from its global youth network at Rio+20 to enable them to showcase their successful green enterprises and initiatives at the Conference, as well as give them the opportunity to meet with influential organisations and decision makers. Yesterday they met with Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the UK Pavilion, following a speech summarising his views on Rio+20. After looking at the agreed text in detail with Caroline Spelman, UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and her team, Clegg concluded that although the it could be more ambitious, there should be a greater focus on aggressively exploiting and developing the following points:

1. The world is now committed collectively to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but countries need to take responsibility to clearly define the SDGs in order to implement them and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

2. The Summit should be used to push governments and the private sector to measure prosperity and growth in a multi-dimensional manner, i.e. GDP+, instead of taking a snapshot of the nation’s wealth.

3. Private sector companies need to take initiative by reporting on how their activities impact on sustainable development. Although this is in the text as a concept, it has not been defined with details on definitions and measurements.

The British Council youth delegates were able to ask Clegg specific questions about energy and the involvement of youth. Taylor Zhou from China asked Clegg what he thought was the most cost-effective way to reduce energy, and he explained that, “energy efficiency is a critical path for sustainable development in the UK. It is ridiculous that in our country, 27% of energy is wasted as a result of leaking and inefficient use of buildings. In fact, we are working so hard, that hopefully at the end of this year, we will be able to pass the Green Deal, which will greatly improve the energy efficiency level in all UK buildings”. Sikander Sabeer from Sri Lanka asked Clegg about his opinion on including a youth representative in the official UK delegation. Clegg answered with a resounding “Yes” as he believed that the youth should be engaged in the decision-making process and praised the governments that have already included youth in their national delegations

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New book: Only One Earth A new book by Felix Dodds & Michael Strauss with Maurice Strong (published 1st June 2012) Only One Earth takes retrospective look at successes and failures in the environmental movement in the last forty years, and a look ahead to what critically needs to happen at Rio+20 and beyond.

This book offers recommendations that everyone concerned with the global collaboration process should know.

“It is a privilege to review the recent history of a remarkable initiative that changed attitudes and perceptions, and introduced a new approach for determining the future of Planet Earth. Written by outstanding players that contributed effectively to the success of this major effort, it covers in detail scientific, diplomatic and strategic aspects of a process that peacefully brought together all nations.”

Henrique B. Cavalcanti, Former Federal Minister of Environment in Brazil. Former Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development

For more information and our press release, visit our site: http://bit.ly/L7Rs4F Receive 20% DISCOUNT when you order online via www.routledge.com/9780415540254/ and enter this code: SHF2012

RIO+20

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ECO Corner

ECO Corner is produced by the cooperative efforts of Climate Action Network members at the Rio+20 Conference

Statement by NGOs Major Group at the high-level plenary session – 20th June Yesterday Wael Hmaidan, Director of Climate Action Network, made a statement on behalf of the NGOs at Rio+20 to the assembled Heads of State, Ministers and other dignitaries at the opening of the high level segment of Rio+20. At this point, the final text on the table was extremely weak and it was a final chance to exalt the need for a Rio+20 outcome that responds to the global challenges that the planet faces today, and guarantees a future that we all want.

“Thank you Vice-President.

I am making this statement on behalf of NGOs at Rio+20.

It feels amazing to be in this room among all the world leaders, and feeling all this power around me that can shape the World. We all know the threat that is facing us, and I do not need to repeat the urgency. The science is very clear. If we do not change in the coming five to ten years the way our societies function, we will be threatening the survival of future generations and all other species on the planet. Nevertheless, you sitting here in this room have the power to reverse all of this. What you can do here is the ideal dream of each one of us: you have the opportunity to be the saviours of the planet.

And yet we stand on the brink of Rio+20 being another failed attempt, with governments only trying to protect their narrow interests, instead of inspiring the world and giving us all back the faith in humanity that we need. If this happens, it will be a waste of power and a wasted leadership opportunity.

You cannot have a document entitled The Future We Want without any mention of planetary boundaries, tipping points, or the Earth’s carrying capacity. The text as it stands is completely out of touch with reality. Just to be clear, NGOs here in Rio in no way endorse this document.

Already, more than 1,000 organisations and individuals have signed, in only one day, a petition called ‘The Future We Don’t Want’, which completely refuses the current text. It does not in any way reflect our aspirations, and therefore we demand that the words “in full participation with civil society” are removed from the first paragraph.

If you adopt the text in its current form, you will fail to secure a future for the coming generations, including your own children.

To mention a few examples of failures in the document: Countries are failing to find resources to implement sustainable development, using the economic crisis as an excuse, while at the same time spending hundreds of billions of dollars subsidising the fossil fuel industry, the most profitable industry in the world. The first thing you can do is eliminate existing harmful subsidies, especially fossil fuel subsidies, which was voted as the number one issue during the civil society dialogue.

Under the oceans section, you have failed to give a clear mandate to even start negotiating an implementing agreement to stop the Wild West abuse of the high seas.

There are many other failures in the document related to women’s reproduction health, missed opportunities to start new global treaties on civil society participation or on sustainability reporting, the extraordinary lack of any reference to armed conflicts, nuclear energy (especially in light of the Fukushima disaster), and many, many others.

But it is not too late. We do not believe that it is over. You are here for three more days, and you can still inspire us and the world. It would be a shame and a waste for you to only come here and sign off a document. We urge you to create new political will that would make us stand and applaud you as our true leaders.

Thank you”

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Rio+20 side event calendar

FRIDAY 22ND JUNE

THURSDAY 21st JUNE

Date

Time

Venue

Title

Organisers

09:00 - 10:30

RioCentro T-5

CSR and sustainability reporting: creating a green economy and sustainable development

Global Reporting Initiative

09:00 - 10:30

RioCentro T-1

Sustainable, Inclusive Growth: The Way Forward from Rio+20 and G20

Denmark

09:00 - 10:30

RioCentro T-9

Environmental Auditing for Better Environmental Governance

INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-2

The Rights of Nature to reach Buen Vivir

Ecuador

11:00 - 13:00

RioCentro P3-1

Women Leaders' Summit on the Future Women Want

UN Women

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro P3-E

Tax and Subsidy Reform for a Greener Economy

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

11.15 - 13.15

EU-Pavillon at Athlete's Park

Civil society taking global responsibility

European Economic and Social Committee

12:00 - 13:00

UNEP Pavilion

Microsoft - A Private Sector View: Business Reengineering for Sustainable Business Practices

UNEP

13:00 - 14:30

RioCentro T-6

Creating Wealth and Prosperity in a Resource Constrained World: Country Experiences and Best Practices in Designing Inclusive Green Economies

Mexico

13:00 - 14:30

RioCentro T-2

Inclusive Green Growth: Challenges and Opportunities on the Pathway to Sustainable Development

World Bank

14:00 - 17:00

HSBC Arena

Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Accountability: 20 years of debate on the role of private sector in sustainable development. Is a report or explain approach to sustainability reporting the way forward?

Global Reporting Initiative, Stakeholder Forum, Vitae Civilus

15:00 - 16:30

RioCentro P3-B

Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing

Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Global Sustainability

16:30 - 18:30

t1d, Dragao do Mar

Voices from Fukushima: Calling for a Nuclear Power Free World for a Sustainable Future

Peace Boat

17:00 - 19:00

UNEP Pavilion

Outcomes of World Congress on Justice, Governance and Law

UNEP

17:00 - 18:30

RioCentro T-2

Brazilian Policy to Reduce Deforestation

Brazil

17:00 - 18:30

RioCentro P3-E

Green Economy: Achievements & Perspectives in the Adriatic-Ionian region

Serbia

17:00 - 18:30

RioCentro T-6

Global Partnership for Oceans: Coming Together for Healthy and Productive Oceans

Monaco

17:30 - 19:00

UN2 (Barra Arena)

A global convention on corporate sustainability reporting?

Aviva

19:00 - 20:30

RioCentro T-6

Volunteer Action Counts: The Power of Volunteerism for SD

United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

19:00 - 20:30

RioCentro P3-6

Decisions we need for the city of 2030

ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability

19:00 - 20:30

RioCentro T-2

Educating for a sustainable future

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

09:00 -11:00

t1d, Dragao do Mar

Voices from Fukushima: Calling for a Nuclear Power Free World for a Sustainable Future

Peace Boat

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-4

U.S. Priorities for Rio+20

United States of America

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-2

UN System: Together for the Future We Want

UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-9

Sustainable Global Transformation and Inclusive Green Growth

German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-6

Partnership for Sustainable Development of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

11:00 - 12:30

RioCentro T-2

UN System: Together for the Future We Want

UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)

12:00 - 13:00

UNEP Pavilion

Partnership and Implementation of Sustainable Development: What has worked?

UNEP

13:00 - 14:45

UNEP Pavilion

Global MEAs for Atmosphere, Hazardous substances and Biodiversity: What are the lessons for Future Synergies?

UNEP

13:00 - 14:30

RioCentro T-9

Enhancing science-policy links for Rio+20: The Future Earth Initiative

International Council for Science (ICSU)

13:00 - 14:30

RioCentro P3-F

Decent Work and Social Protection Floors for Sustainable Development

International Labour Organization (ILO)

13:00 - 17:00

RioCentro T-1

What Happens On Monday?

Stakeholder Forum

13:15 - 14:45

UN2 Barra Arena

Roots of Equity : what rights and safeguards do women need who are dependent for their livelihoods on forest, biodiversity and subsistence farmers.

Women Major Group

15:00 - 17:00

UNEP Pavilion

Advancing the Sustainability Science Agenda: To Support Sustainable Development and the Green Economy

UNEP

17:00 19:00

UNEP Pavilion

Synergies among the Rio Conventions: Exploring opportunities for a more integrated reporting to the Rio Conventions by LDCs and SIDS

UNEP

RIO+20

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Reflections from Rio+20, Wednesday 20 June Nick Meynen ANPED, Northern Alliance for Sustainability Delegates crossed our red lines and they know it. If they had not realised it by Wednesday morning, a demonstration with people in red shirts, red bracelets and a red rope got the message across. The media jumped on it, with over a dozen video interviews taking place with the likes of the Associated Press, Brazil national television, and Japanese media to name just a few. The demonstration was organised by youth, with support from other Major Groups. Even some delegates spontaneously joined the protest as it proceeded. Many are saying that they do not want to be associated with this text at all. NGOs and Trade Unions are now even asking to erase 'with full participation of Civil Society' in paragraph 1, to reflect that this is not the future they want.

We could talk about a few positive points in the text. We could say that going from MDGs to SDGs – however vague they still are – is some sort of progress, but the bigger issue is: the basic fundamentals of our economy are still remains the same.

This agreement affirms a green growth strategy that does not even mention the existence of planetary boundaries or limits.

This text was made by people living in a fictional world where the economy is detached from, or unrelated to, the complex ecosystem we called Earth.

Just one day's worth of events here calls to attention a myriad of places to enter the call – add this one day to all the events and efforts associated with the Summit and the thousands of organisations in all countries and you get the picture.

Hopefully, our leaders at the top will take the ensuing agenda and run with it. Hopefully, they will set the goals and parameters that will allow us to measure, analyse, determine and provide what is needed for creating sustainable environments that foster human wellbeing while wisely conserving resources for present and future generations.

We need leaders from the bottom up and at the middle. Each one of the thousands of people registered here can return home and lead in their own areas of expertise and interest, enhanced by what they have learnt. Most of all, I am encouraged by the youth, by their enthusiasm, interest, innovative approaches, ability to challenge what exists and replace it with something more sustainable, their sense of humour, imagination and creativity. It is in our hands collectively; and ultimately, it is the youth that will lead the way

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We urge world leaders to re-open the negotiations to raise the ambition level. We did not elect you to come here, make a political statement and then head to Copacabana beach.

Not only because a large chunk of civil society at the People's Summit has just declared war on you, but because you have a responsibility to protect the whole world, not just national interests. We live in a globalised world where your actions affect all of us. You have to provide us with a future we can believe in

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Catherine Skopic Leadership involves being a person of integrity; gathering interested, capable persons; setting the agenda and leading your constituents in the right direction with full group participation, openness and transparency.

There is so much work to do – all leaders are being called upon to start, and continue, what is before us to accomplish – the potential, realised outcome of Rio+20. Leaders at the local, state, regional, national and global levels are needed.

Outreach is made possible by the support of

Captain Planet, he's our hero, taking uninformed delegates down to zero