Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of UNCSD (Rio+20), summarized a recent speech in a new post to his blog elaborating on eight “new and emerging challenges” that States and other stakeholders have highlighted for priority attention.
The challenges are identified as:
1) green jobs and social inclusion, emphasizing the social pillar of sustainable development and the problem of unemployment;
2) energy access and security, noting the problem of energy poverty and calling for endorsement of the initiative for universal energy access by 2030;
3) food security and sustainable agriculture, calling for protecting soils, water, and biodiversity in efforts to feed more people;
4) sound water management, to combat desertification and drought, as well as the risk of conflict over scarce water;
5) urbanization and sustainable cities, noting the potential for cities – through building and transport practices – to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and solve other sustainable development problems;
6) management of the oceans and marine resources, calling for accelerated implementation of Chapter 17 of Agenda 21;
7) enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience, particularly in “vulnerable developing countries;” and
8) means of implementation, on which he noted developing countries’ need for international support to build greener infrastructure and industries, which he suggested could be met through a new public and private financing initiative, such as a global green economy fund.
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