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.

UNEP: Final Findings on Green Economy

Expanding on previous green economy publications resulting from a three year research effort, this last report is titled "Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication."

UNESCO: Biosphere Reserves and Climate Change

The proceedings of the high-level international conference titled "For life, for the future - Biosphere reserves and climate change," are now available. In the outcome document, the "Dresden Declaration," participants call for closer links among climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty alleviation and the conservation of biological diversity. The Declaration was endorsed in November 2011 by the UNESCO General Conference.

New Publication from ICIMOD

As the outcome of deliberations during the International conference on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has released  ‘Green Economy for Sustainable Mountain Development: A Concept Paper for Rio+20 and Beyond’. This publication was prepared to strengthen arguments for discussing mountain issues at Rio+20 and in other global discourses and aims to ensure renewed efforts and commitment by the global community to prioritise mountain issues in development agendas and processes dealing with poverty reduction, food security, climate change, and other issues that are critical to sustainable development in mountain areas.

World Mountain Conference 2011

The Lucerne World Mountain Conference brought over 100 international experts and policy-makers together from 11-12 October to highlight the importance of mountains and feed into Rio+20. Lastly, participants adopted a Call for Action to adapt and develop mountain governance to avoid poverty, food insecurity and social exclusion.

UN-Water Conference

During an International Conference titled "Water in the Green Economy in Practice: Towards Rio+20", UN-Water issued its "Water Toolbox" as a guide to actions, instruments and policies to advance toward a green economy for sustainable development and poverty eradication. It was also announced that a global status report on the “application on integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources” will be launched at Rio+20.

UNESCO: 1st Meeting of High Panel on Science for Development

Meeting from 15-16 September in Paris (France), the Panel’s first meeting focused on trends in the sciences, UNESCO’s present role, and how it can promote the use of science for sustainable development. Sessions included “Mobilizing international science to address pressing interdisciplinary challenges facing our societies,” and “Models for capacity building in science, technology and innovation.” The Panel of 28 eminent experts will meet twice a year to guide UNESCO’s strategies for promoting sustainable development and advancing poverty eradication, along with examing potential new partnerships with the private sector, civil society and academia.
Press Release

UNCCD: Call for Action

Representatives of past Presidents of UNCCD COPs, along with the forthcoming COP-10 host, the Republic of Korea, convened in Geneva on 3 September to discuss upcoming meetings of the UN/GA on the theme “Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication,” and UNCCD/COP-10. Discussions resulted in the "UNCCD Geneva Call for Urgent Action on the Implementation of the Convention", which emphasizes the need to strengthen UNCCD to become a global authority on scientific and technical knowledge on the issues of desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) and to align national actions with the 10-year strategy for 2008-2018, as well as confirming support to take the necessary measures at the UNCSD (Rio+20) towards mainstreaming DLDD as a major component of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

UNDP/UNEP: Climate Change Adaptation Guide

As part of the Poverty-Environment Initiative, this new guide entitled “Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning: A Guide for Practitioners” provides practical, step-by-step guidance on how governments and other national actors can mainstream climate change adaptation into national development planning as part of broader mainstreaming efforts. It is aimed at public decision-makers and practitioners in developing countries dealing with climate change adaptation.


 

IDLO: Tribunals and Courts Tool

The International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) has launched an online research tool on "Sustainable Development in the Decisions of International Courts and Tribunals 1992-2012." Organized into eight sections: sustainable development, sustainable use of natural resources, equity and poverty eradication, integration, precaution, openness, common but differentiated responsibilities, and good governance; the tool allows the user to research how various bodies have referred to, or used, the concept of sustainable development, and related international legal principles over the last 20 years.

World Bank: Low Emissions Development

The World Bank convened close to 70 senior policy makers and opinion leaders from around the world to a High-Level Dialogue on Low Emissions Development Policy Implementation on 13 July in Washington, D.C (USA). During the event, speakers identified poverty and climate change as the two defining challenges of this century, warning against the risk of reversing any gains on poverty if climate change is not addressed.
Dialogue Website

Policy Implications of Biodiveristy and Poverty

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has announced the publication of a new paper titled: Biodiversity and Poverty: Ten Frequently Asked Question - Ten Policy Implications intended to stimulate discussion about the linkages between biodiversity, conservation and poverty reduction. Acknowledging the intricacies of the topic, IIED welcomes any feedback regarding: Are these the right questions? And the right answers? What else should we be asking—and trying to answer—to better understand (and enhance) the biodiversity-poverty relationship? Contributions may be sent to pclg@iied.org.  

UNCSD (Rio+20): Subregional Preparation

The Subregional Preparatory Meeting for the Caribbean convened at Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Headquarters in Georgetown (Guyana) to discuss creating a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, the need for a blue economy addressing oceans and related issues, the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD), and emerging issues and partnerships.

Participants noted that more work needs to be done and very little time remains before Rio+20. They heard presentations on and discussed a SIDS-focused paper on the “Green Economy in SIDS,” a proposed framework for a paper on IFSD, and a paper on existing coordinating mechanisms in the Caribbean.

In closing, suggestions were made to use the format of regional task force mechanisms to analyze documents and guide national preparations for Rio+20. One participant noted the importance of gathering tools for achieving sustainability and increasing resilience, with others stressing the need for greater engagement in more strategic discussions and greater coordination.

IISD RS Coverage of the Meeting

UNDP: Evaluation of Contribution to Environmental Management for Poverty Reduction

The UNDP Evaluation Office has conducted an assessment of UNDP policies, strategies and programmes at the global, regional and country levels, and implementation of related projects focusing on poverty reduction and environmental degradation.

UNFF-9 Outcomes

Under the theme “Forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication,” over 700 participants attended the two week session of UNFF-9 from 24 January-4 February. They addressed the International Year of Forests (Forests 2011); forests for people, livelihoods and poverty eradication; means of implementation for sustainable forest management (SFM); and adopted the Resolution on Forests for People, Livelihoods and Poverty Eradication. Delegates also attended a two-day High-Level Segment, which included the of

ficial launch of Forests 2011, and four High-Level Roundtables on: forests and people; forests and finance; “forests-plus;” and forests and Rio+20. A Ministerial Declaration (not yet released, see: Building Blocks for the UNFF-9 Ministerial Declaration as proposed by the UNFF-9 Bureau) was adopted on 3 February. Background documents