Under-fire UN summit issues environment, poverty blueprint

Richard Ingham AFP Yahoo News 23 Jun 12;

The biggest UN summit on sustainable development in a decade approved a strategy on Friday to haul more than a billion people out poverty and cure the sickness of the biosphere.

But critics branded the plan a cruel failure, saying it had been gutted of ambition by national interests.

The gathering of 191 UN members crowned a 10-day forum marking 20 years since the Rio Earth Summit, where leaders vowed the world would live within its environmental means.

In a sprawling 53-page statement, the three-day summit voiced dismay at entrenched poverty and mounting ecological stress.

"We... renew our commitment to sustainable development, and to ensure the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations," it said.

Entitled "The Future We Want," the statement highlighted the many perils facing a planet whose human population is set to surge from seven billion today to 9.5 billion by 2050.

The long list includes climate change, desertification, fisheries depletion, pollution and deforestation, and the danger that thousands of species will go the way of the dodo.

"Sustainable Development Goals" will replace the UN's Millennium Development Goals from 2015, although defining the aim will be left for future talks -- a process likely to be long and fiercely fought.

The strategy also promotes the green economy, a concept that breaks new ground in official UN terminology yet is viewed suspiciously by many developing economies.

But the statement also reflected the worries of advanced economies battling a deep financial crisis.

Despite the demands of developing nations for $30 billion in help, the text stipulated no funding figures to achieve sustainability goals.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the outcome "provides a firm foundation for social, economic, environmental well-being."

"It will guide us, all of us, towards a sustainable path. It is now our responsibility to build on it."

President Dilma Rousseff told a press conference that Brazil, the host country, had secured the compromise after months of haggling.

"The consensus is a point of departure, not arrival," she cautioned.

"With this document, nations move forward. We cannot allow anyone to remain behind. The next conference will have to be a leap forward."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the document "marks a real advance for sustainable development. We know this is one of the most pressing matters of our time."

But others said a historic opportunity had been thrown away.

"The two defining challenges we face today are eradicating global poverty and managing the risks of climate change," said British economist Lord Nicholas Stern, author of a landmark study into the costs of global warming.

"But the conference has failed to acknowledge the compelling evidence about the scale and urgency of action required."

A registry that was opened during the conference showed that nearly 700 commitments, mobilizing $513 billion, had been made for sustainable development by governments and businesses, the UN said on Friday.

It gave no details about whether the funding was new or the criteria for determining whether the projects were sustainable.

In the green movement, many activists branded Rio+20 a disappointment to rank alongside the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, a near-fiasco.

"Rio+20 has been a failure of epic proportions," said Greenpeace's executive director, Kumi Naidoo.

"We must now work together to form a movement to tackle the equity, ecology and economic crises being forced on our children. The only outcome of this summit is justifiable anger, an anger that we must turn into action."

Ban had named the Conference on Sustainable Development as the cornerstone of his plan for fairer, cleaner growth, the "No. 1 priority" of his tenure.

But talk of a summit that would draw as many 130 heads of state or government to give a push to his goals was way off the mark.

In the end, less than half of the UN's rollcall of countries sent their leader, with the remainder represented by deputies, ministers or simply chief negotiators.

Absentees included US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

20 years on, civil society leads in Rio
IUCN 22 Jun 12;

Governments are leaving the UN’s Sustainable Development Summit (Rio +20) with a big deal but little action. Groups of civil society and business have proved they can lead the way towards a sustainable future.

“It’s a relief that the outcomes of Rio+20 refer to some basic issues of planetary survival – reducing poverty and reviving nature’s health,” says IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre. “I’m pleased to see that nature based solutions for the problems facing poor people, forests, oceans and water were firmly on the agenda. It’s only by investing in nature that we can create a green economy and a sustainable future for everyone.”

“But the deal signed here in Rio lays out aspirations rather than specific mandatory goals on issues like food security, water and energy. IUCN would like to see the Sustainable Development Goals deal with the crises facing people and nature through the implementation of the Aichi targets in The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. We need development goals that apply nature based solutions to address climate change and enhance people’s livelihoods.”

"Contrary to 1992, Rio+20 did not lift global environmental governance," says Poul Engberg-Pedersen, Deputy Director General of IUCN. "The three 1992 conventions were courageous innovations that, however, are still struggling with implementation. The main governance innovations from Rio+20 are another UN Forum with limited power and a promise of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

“We will contribute to the SDGs and actively support the existing conventions. But decisive innovations in governance must now come at the local and national levels, aimed at landscapes and seascapes where public and private powers and citizens meet to determine in practice the governance of nature's use. IUCN will use its global membership and convening power to facilitate effective and equitable natural resource governance, often in transboundary contexts."

“We had hoped for a more ambitious outcome,” adds Cyriaque Sendashonga, IUCN’s Director of Global Policy. “I hope that the work of civil society and businesses will inspire governments to agree on goals and set the right incentives. We are impressed by the initiatives announced by many local authorities and hope these will carry through into national and international action. We would also like to congratulate the Brazilian Government for its hard work in bringing all countries together to finalise the agreement here in Rio.”

“Rio + 20” as opposed to Rio in 1992, welcomed a strong business participation,” says Gerard Bos, Director of IUCN’s Business and Biodiversity Programme. “During the corporate sustainability forum, more than 2000 participants showcased their current actions and discussed how to scale this up.”

“Business did recognize the role played by civil society and NGO’s, in the last 20 years, to push them to integrate environmental and social aspects in their corporate strategies. Today, progressive business have moved beyond the legal license to operate and integrate social and environmental dimensions to their business models. They will push through more multi-sectoral partnerships and coalitions with civil society and policy makers to scale this up in order to create new level playing fields for all business. We think there is a key role for IUCN to play in this effort to create a just world that values and conserves nature.”

On oceans, Rio sends a clear and urgent call that business as usual is no longer acceptable.

“Ocean health and fisheries are deteriorating. It’s time to move toward business “unusual”. We must honour previous commitments to end overfishing, eliminate harmful subsidies, stop destructive fishing practices, and safeguard coral reefs and other vital habitats for marine life,” says Kristina Gjerde, IUCN’s Senior High Seas Advisor.

The decision to delay a decision on managing oceans beyond national jurisdiction is a deep disappointment. IUCN is committed to work with governments to promote immediate action to safeguard marine biodiversity within and beyond national jurisdiction.

On energy, Rio showed us that inspiration for changing the planet’s future will come less from agreements among world leaders and much more from partnerships that mobilise innovation, investment and action.

“The UN Secretary General’s initiative on Sustainable Energy for All is showing the way, with the governments, the UN, business and NGOs working together to bridge their differences and find a common purpose in changing the planet’s energy path,” says Mark Smith, Director of IUCN’s Water Programme.

The road from Rio now goes on to IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea (6-15 September 2012). With State and NGO members working together, the IUCN Congress will develop and apply the agreements made in Rio.