Biodiversità e sviluppo sostenibile - press conference

Biodiversità e sviluppo sostenibile

Tavola rotonda per le quinte classi del Liceo Scientifico St. “Cosimo De Giorgi” – Lecce 9.2.2012

Press Conference

Verso la Conferenza di Rio

PRESS CONFERENCE ON PREPARATIONS FOR 2012 UNITED NATIONS (8.3.2011)

PRESS CONFERENCE ON OUTCOME OF FIRST SESSION OF PREPARATORYCOMMITTEE (20.05.2011)

UNITED NATIONS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR ‘ RIO+20’ CONFERENCE FEATURING (22.11.2011)

Press Conference on Preparations for 2012 United Nations Co...

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2011/110308_Rio.doc.htm

8 March 2011

Press Conference Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York PRESS CONFERENCE ON PREPARATIONS FOR 2012 UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next June, would give the international community a unique opportunity to build a global economic development model aimed at improving people’s lives and ensuring social equity while reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcity, the event’s Secretary-General said today.

“Rio 2012 is humanity’s chance to commit to a transition to a green economy, to lift people out of poverty. We cannot wait another 20 years. The time to commit is at Rio 2012,” said Sha Zukang, who is also the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

It was fitting that the Conference, known as “Rio 2012”, would be held in Brazil because that South American country had an impressive track record in economic growth, poverty eradication and environmental conservation since it hosted the historic United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, or “Earth Summit”, in 1992, Mr. Sha said during a press conference at Headquarters. “ Brazil has certainly shown the world how to put sustainable development into practice,” he said, adding that the Secretariat would work closely with Brazilian authorities to ensure the event was successful. He made his comments as the second of three intergovernmental consultations of the Preparatory Committee for the Rio summit concluded today in New York. (Please see Press Release ENV/DEV/11201).

Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Director-General of the Department for Environment and Special Affairs in Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations, said the Conference would allow the international community to take stock of progress in achieving the three pillars of sustainable development — economic growth, social development and environmental protection — as well as address emerging challenges towards that end.

The third session of the Preparatory Committee would be held from 28 to 30 May 2012, just ahead of the actual Conference, scheduled to take place from 4 to 6 June 2012, Mr. Figueiredo Machado said. Its main themes would be creation of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for that.

Laudemar Aguiar, Minister-Counsellor of Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations, said the Conference would be held in downtown Rio, near the city’s port, and that related civil society activities would be staged close by to enable more interaction between people

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Press Conference on Preparations for 2012 United Nations Co...

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2011/110308_Rio.doc.htm

attending the official venue and side events. Stelio Marcos Amarante, International Relations Coordinator of the Office of the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, added that his Office would work closely with federal and State authorities to ensure the Conference facilities were well-equipped.

Asked if the Conference itself would be “green event”, Mr. Aguiar said indeed it would and that Brazilian authorities also aimed to showcase recent efforts, such as installing energy-efficient transportation and sewage management systems, to make Rio a green city in general.

Mr. Figueiredo Machado said the intention was to “make what is clean cleaner”, drawing on Brazil’s already widespread use of renewable energy such as biomass fuelled power stations and hydroelectric power technology. “We’re not coming from a dirty matrix, we’re coming from a green matrix,” he said.

Asked what Conference outcomes they envisioned, Mr. Sha said participating Member States were supposed to come up with a focused political document based on the event’s three objectives: renewing political commitment for sustainable development; identifying progress and obstacles to achieving it; and addressing emerging challenges.

Much had been accomplished already in environmental conservation, but the institutional framework for achieving sustainable development was largely fragmented.

He hoped the Conference would result in bolstered United Nations support for sustainable development, a strengthened Commission on Sustainable Development and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), creation of guidelines to define the green economy, and a greater commitment by Member States to provide the financing and technology needed to build it.

Mr. Figueiredo Machado said the Conference would provide a platform for specialists in many fields, including from the business community and civil society, to hold ongoing debates on issues of importance to societies worldwide such as poverty eradication.

Asked about Brazil’s focus on tolerance and diversity and how they related to the Conference, Mr. Figueiredo Machado said they would help create the best possible atmosphere for such a large-scale event and the widest level of participation among all sectors of society. * *** * For information media • not an official record

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Press Conference on Outcome of First Session of Preparatory...

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2010/100520_Rio_Pr...

20 May 2010

Press Conference Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York PRESS CONFERENCE ON OUTCOME OF FIRST SESSION OF PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The first Preparatory Committee in the run-up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as “Rio + 20”, had decided at its conclusion last night to hold intersessional consultations, since the eight days originally allocated for preparatory meetings would not be enough, Committee Co-Chair John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) said at Headquarters today.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Ashe recalled General Assembly resolution 64/236, which set the course of the preparatory process, and made clear that there would be three sessions of the Preparatory Committee. Three days would be allotted this year, two in 2011 and three again in 2012, for a total of eight. Those meetings would have no additional financial implications, added Tariq Banuri, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, who accompanied Mr. Ashe.

(For coverage of the first session, see Press Releases ENV/DEV/1138, ENV/DEV/1139, ENV/DEV/1141 and ENV/DEV/1142.)

Noting that the Conference would be returning to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the original birthplace of Agenda 21, the Chairperson said the relevant resolution requested a look back to assess implementation gaps, and a look forward to set the course for full implementation and identify challenges. It asked the Conference to look at two areas that had recently come to the fore — the green economy and institutional arrangements for sustainable development.

Describing the current institutional framework as “somewhat fragmented”, he noted that institutions had been set up to deal with the environment conventions — the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on that side and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the development side. Since sustainable development was supposed to marry the environment and development, while also examining the social and economic aspects, “what is in place clearly does not work”, he said, adding that the preparatory process would decide whether or not to put a new structure in place.

Elaborating on the two themes for the Conference, Co-Chair Park In-kook (Republic of Korea) said they should shed new light on the future of the environment and sustainable development. In the first session of the Preparatory Committee, “we had a better chance to bridge the gap from perception and ways and means to achieve the goals”, he said, adding that it had laid a solid basis for future preparations. There would be more focus on regional concerns and more tailored approaches to make the process a success. Participation by civil society would be encouraged, he added.

Responding to a question, Mr. Ashe pointed out that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

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Press Conference on Outcome of First Session of Preparatory...

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2010/100520_Rio_Pr...

had announced at the conclusion of the Commission on Sustainable Development last Friday that Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, would serve as Secretary-General of Rio + 20. He had also indicated his intention to appoint two Executive Coordinators, from the global North and South, and a dedicated secretariat.

Asked whether the Conference would produce an outcome document, Mr. Park said it “definitely” would. A Chair’s summary was expected at the end of each session of the Preparatory Committee and those texts would inform the outcome document in 2012.

To questions concerning additional meetings and the European Union’s participation in the Conference, Mr. Park said there had been long discussions on those issues, but he was not in a position to elaborate, except to say “a good agreement” had been reached to have extra meetings during the preparatory process.

Asked how prominently climate change would feature at Rio + 20, the panellists said that, in assessing gaps in implementing Agenda 21, those most affected and disadvantaged would clearly want to discuss that subject. * *** * For information media • not an official record

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United Nations Launches Campaign for ‘Rio+20’ Conference...

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/envdev1243.doc.htm

22 November 2011

Press Release ENV/DEV/1243 PI/2015 Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York UNITED NATIONS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR ‘ RIO+20’ CONFERENCE FEATURING GLOBAL CONVERSATION ON ‘THE FUTURE WE WANT’

Project Will Seek People’s Contributions to New Visions of Sustainable Future The United Nations launched a new campaign today to promote next June’s “Rio+20” United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and the need to engage people in a global conversation on the kind of communities in which they would like to live 25 years from now.

“Rio+20: The Future We Want” will work through public participation to envision how societies in all parts of the world can build a future that promotes prosperity and improves the quality of people’s lives without further degrading the natural environment.

“We need to imagine a different future,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “What would our world look like if everyone had access to the food they need, to an education, and to the energy that is required to develop? What would our communities look like if we created a vibrant, job-rich, green economy? This is the future we want.”

The campaign aims to encourage people everywhere to engage in a global conversation that will be collected and melded into visions of the future, to be exhibited at the Conference in June 2012. Rio+20 will bring together world leaders and thousands of participants representing all sectors of society, including academia, agriculture, business and industry, indigenous peoples, mayors and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, trade unions, women and youth. “ Rio+20 is our best chance to define pathways to a sustainable future,” said Conference Secretary-General Sha Zukang, who is also United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral for Economic and Social Affairs. “World leaders, along with thousands of participants from the private sector, [non-governmental organizations] and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet.”

The United Nations also unveiled its new website, www.un.org/sustainablefuture, linking the Rio+20 Conference and “The Future We Want” campaign. The website also serves as a platform for informing the public about several key sustainable development issues, including cities, disaster resilience, energy, food, jobs, oceans and water. A wide range of actions on these key issues will be presented in Rio. “With today’s launch of ‘ Rio+20: The Future We Want’, we are launching a global conversation about our future,” said Kiyo Akasaka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General

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United Nations Launches Campaign for ‘Rio+20’ Conference...

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/envdev1243.doc.htm

for Communications and Public Information. “Through this conversation, we are looking to engage people everywhere on what this future should look like, and what we need to do to realize this vision,” he added. “We need to do more to take sustainable development out of the realm of the abstract and make it real to people. We need to show, now more than ever, that it is possible to have development that generates prosperity for everyone and an improved quality of life while protecting our natural environment.”

For the campaign, the United Nations is working with the non-governmental organization The Future We Want to develop the exhibition for Rio. Through electronic and non-electronic formats, especially for those without Internet access, the project asks everyone to join the global conversation and voice their ideas for a better future. The online contributions, together with people’s videos, photos, letters, essays and drawings offering different perspectives on a sustainable future, will form the basis of the exhibition.

The Conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 June.

For more information on the global conversation, visit www.un.org/sustainablefuture.

For more information on the Rio+20 Conference, visit www.uncsd2012.org.

For media information, please contact Dan Shepard, United Nations Department of Public Information, tel.: +1 212 963 9495; or e-mail: shepard@un.org. * *** * For information media • not an official record

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