The Rio+20 Conference

The Rio+20 Conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) is due to take place in June this year.

The objective of the conference is to secure renewed commitment to sustainable development and to meet new and emerging challenges by focusing on the themes: the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and the institutional framework for sustainable development.

In preparation for the conference, the UN regional offices held meetings with relevant parties including government and stakeholders from civil society, academia and the private sector. Proposals from all regions were included in a document referred to as a ‘zero draft’ which will form the basis of negotiations for the conference. This document was officially released on 10 January.

Many observers are of the view that the timing of the conference is not right at a time when the global economy is faced with a downturn and multilateralism is also on the wane, and expectations of a successful outcome are low. Some others however feel that the process is beginning to solidify, particularly because of the progress in putting together the zero document.

It is also said that a number of countries were beginning to find common ground around the idea of setting up a process to agree to ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ an initiative originally proposed by Columbia. There also appears to be support for a truly multi-stakeholder process and the most important topics such as food security were beginning to take shape.  The ‘zero draft’ Outcome Document comprises a 19-page document containing five sections: Preamble/Stage setting; Renewing Political Commitment; Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development; and a Framework for action and follow-up.

One section of the document focuses on a green economy, emphasising flexibility and the need to tailor solutions towards the needs and capacities of specific countries. It stresses that the green economy must not create new trade barriers or conditionalities on aid and finance.

It proposes the creation of tool-kits and experience-sharing, and emphasises the role of different actors within a framework for implementation. The section also proposes a roadmap with the establishment of mechanisms and indicators of progress between 2012 and 2015; implementation between 2015 and 2030; and an assessment of progress in 2030. There is a sub-section focusing specifically on trade, calling for the completion of the WTO’s Doha Round of trade talks and stressing the need for co-operation to ensure that developing, and least developed countries in particular, are able to benefit from international trade. It supports the phase-out of market-distorting and environmentally-harmful subsides, such as those in the areas of fossil fuels, fisheries, and agriculture. For developing countries, it supports trade capacity building to allow such countries to seize new export. With about six months more for the commencement of the conference, the document is expected to be discussed widely. If the conference ensures that no new trade barriers or conditionalities are imposed by the transition to green economy and assists in trade capacity building to develop new exports, then the conference would be meaningful for developing countries like Sri Lanka.



(Manel de Silva holds an Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya and has engaged in professional training in Commercial Diplomacy at ITC and GATT. She has served as a trade diplomat in several Sri Lankan Missions overseas and was the first female Head of the Department of Commerce as Director General of Commerce.)