World Water Forum Declaration

The 6th World Water Forum concluded with adoption of the Marseille Ministerial Declaration. Among reiterating commitment to the UN/MDGs and recognizing the need to build resilience to climate change and variability through integrated land and water resources management, the Declaration calls for the following priorities to be addressed, in particular at UNCSD,(Rio+20): - accelerating the implementation of "human right obligations" relating to access to safe drinking water and sanitation;
- interlinking water, energy, and food security to ensure policy coherence to avoid adverse consequences; and
- incorporating water in all its economic, social and environmental dimensions in a framework of governance, financing and cooperation.

Moving toward next round of Rio+20 meetings

In his briefings this week, Nikhil Seth, Director of DSD/DESA and Head of the Office of the UNCSD Secretariat reported that  the compilation of the zero draft for Rio+20 had received amendments from the G‐77 and China, EU, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, Cuba, Georgia, Holy See, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey, Switzerland and US.

It was also announced that the resulting compilation text now consists of 157 pages with over 75,000 words! It will be available to Member States through a password-protected e‐room along with original submissions from the above Member States.  

Tuesday's briefing
Wednesday's briefing

UN/SG's Recent Appointments

Ban Ki-moon made a number of high-level appointments as he entered his 2nd term:- Jan Eliasson, former Swedish Foreign Minister, is Deputy Secretary General;
- Maged Abdelaziz, Egypt's UN Ambassdor since 2005, as Special Adviser on Africa;
- Angela Kane, of Germany, as High Representative for Disarmament Affiars; and
- Sven Alkalaj, former Foreign Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as Executive Secretary of UNECE.

Environmental Laureates and Rio+20

The European Environment Foundation sponsored the 1st International Covention of Environmental Laureates from 8-11 March 2012 with 63 participants from 37 States convening in Freiburg (Germany. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the "Freiburg Call for Action" in relation to UNCSD (Rio+20) calling upon the Conference to come up with actionable means to achieve sustainable development in the following critical areas:

• We urge governing bodies on all levels, as well as business and civil society, to become pioneers of change and successful social innovators;
• We have to move towards equitable budgets per capita for energy, emissions, land use, water and resources;
• To be sustainable, economic development must reduce overconsumption, be based on an ethical and fair financial system, eradicate poverty, and be in harmony with nature;
• Sustainable Development is a key security issue for all nations and has to be treated and funded as such.

UN Personnel Update

The UN World Food Program has named Ertharin Cousin (USA) to assume the post of Executive Director when Josette Sheeran’s five-year term ends in April.

Margaret Chan (China), Director General of the WHO has been nominated for a second five-year term by the agency’s Executive Board. 

The UN Population Fund announced that Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen (Denmark), will be working at the Assistant Secretary-General level as the new Deputy Executive Director.

It is reported that by mid-2012, at least eight under secretaries-general will be replaced, including Kiyotaka Akasaka (Japan), Head of Communications and Public Information; B. Lynn Pascoe (USA) running the Department of Political Affairs; Sha Zukang (China), Chief of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and Sergio Duarte (Brazil), High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

ICCWC and Tigers

The International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime recently convened the Heads of Police and Customs Seminar on Tiger Crime.

Further Information