Rio+20 – what now?

Many parties have criticised the final declaration of the UN Rio+20 Conference as being insufficient. The event “UNCSD Rio 2012: Breakthroughs, Differences and Disputes” looked specifically at what results the sustainability summit actually brought, and how these results can be consolidated and implemented.

adelphi hosted the event following on from the summit in collaboration with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and the German Development Institute (GDI). Representatives from the German Federal Ministries for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as from the Federal Foreign Office, looked favourably on the outcomes of the summit. Environment associations, think tanks and scientific organisations, however, were much more critical in their assessment.

Critics believe that the negotiations had only produced a minimal consensus in order to avoid the kind of controversy seen at the 2009 Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Essentially, a clear political signal is needed in support of an ambitious global sustainability policy with concrete targets and guidelines for political action.

Progress was made on institutional reforms within the UN system. General Secretary Ban Ki Moon wishes to appoint a “High-Level Representative for Future Generations”, while the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should have greater financial resources and be strengthened through universal membership. Furthermore, it should have the capacity to develop UN-wide environmental strategies. “A high-level political forum” should also replace the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD), though it has not yet been established how this will function in detail.

The conference in Rio saw the adoption of a process for developing a comprehensive catalogue of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approved in 2000. This process is to begin with immediate effect.

Although the concept of the Green Economy, which aims to combine environmental protection with the fight against poverty, is anchored in the final declaration, it is not specifically defined. There is a lack of criteria for organising green economies, goals, road maps and reporting commitments. Instead, greater promise is currently shown by alliances between pioneering nations, cities, civil-society groups, industry and research, which are being formed to further green-economy approaches. These kinds of initiatives could support an ambitious global policy on sustainability, but would have to be rooted firmly in any such process and would require transparent criteria concerning how they should be organised and evaluated.