UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday described the just-concluded UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio+20, as “a success” and an “important victory of multilateralism.”
“Let me be clear: Rio+20 was a success,” the secretary-general told reporters here shortly after he briefed the General Assembly on the outcome of the Rio+20 conference, which was held in Brazil on June 20-22.
“It was an important victory of multilateralism after months of difficult negotiations, we saw the further evolution of an undeniable global movement for change.”
The Rio+20 summit was attended by 50 heads of state and government and 190 environment ministers to charter a new sustainable development pathway.
“The core of Rio+20 is the outcome document,” he said. “This provides a firm foundation for building a sustainable future.”
“There are many highlights of The Future We Want — too many to list here — so let me select just seven,” he said.
“First — and most important — Rio+20 renewed and strengthened political commitment to sustainable development,” he said.
“It balanced the views of 193 United Nations member states, and recognized poverty as the greatest challenge to economic, social and envieing,” he said.
“Second, the member states agreed to launch a process to establish universal sustainable development goals, SDGs,” he said. “The SDGs will build on our advances under the Millennium Development Goals, and they will be an integral part of the post- 2015 development framework.”
“Third, the document emphasizes the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment. This is a major priority for me. It is central to sustainable development,” he said. “I commend member states for emphasizing this important issue.”
“Fourth, partnerships,” he said. “Governments stand at the centre. But we know that governments alone cannot get the job done. We need the active involvement and support of all major groups /f civil society, including the private sector.”
“Fifth, the outcome document agrees to strengthen the architecture to support international actions for sustainable development,” he said. “This includes establishing a high-level political forum on sustainable development and strengthening the UN Environment Program.”
“Sixth, Rio+20 adopted a 10-year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production,” he said.
“Further, the outcome document recognized the need to go beyond gross domestic product as a measure of progress, and acknowledged the role that the green economy can play in poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental care,” he said.
“Seventh, Rio + 20eventh, Rio + 20 recognized the right to food and the importance of food and nutrition security for all,” he said. “It acknowledged that these can be achieved through sustainable agriculture and food systems.”
“If the outcome document is the foundation for the next stage of our journey to sustainable development, the commitments announced at Rio are the bricks and cement,” he said.
“They will be a concrete and lasting legacy of Rio+20,” he said. “They will help us to implement our vision in all regions.”
