Environmental issues and sustainable development

Renewing political commitments for sustainable development and launching new initiatives to reduce poverty and social inequities while promoting economic growth and environmental sustainability will be at the heart of deliberations at Rio+20 — the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – to be held 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro.

The United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat, in partnership with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, has launched a new global multimedia initiative that will highlight the relationship between people and forests at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development.

Representatives from Governments and civil society organizations will gather tomorrow for the third and final preparatory meeting for Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 June.

Negotiators concluded the last round of “Rio+20” preparatory talks in New York on Saturday, making progress that will pave the way for many outcomes and initiatives on major global sustainability issues later this month at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 June.

With less than one month to Rio+20, the next round of negotiations between Governments to forge the outcome document for the major global conference on sustainable development will take place at the United Nations from 29 May to 2 June.

Representatives from Governments negotiating the Rio+20 outcome document agreed to add another five days to their deliberations in order to bridge differences that have hampered progress to date. The move came as the latest round of negotiations concluded with some progress made, but much work left outstanding.

Representatives from Governments and civil society will start a new round of negotiations that will shape the outcome of “Rio+20”, a major global conference that will have a significant impact on how the world will address key challenges affecting economic growth, social well-being and environmental protection in the years ahead.

A two-day conference to be held in New York City later this month, “Envision 2012: Stories for a Sustainable Future”, will focus on developing a better global future with opportunity for all, building on three key issues: just and sustainable cities; clean water; and green energy.

United Nations and Brazilian officials on 5 April signed the key legal agreement that allows Brazil to host the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, “Rio+20”, in Rio de Janeiro, in June.

The United Nations will observe “Earth Hour” on Saturday, 31 March, by turning off the lights for one hour at its New York Headquarters and other facilities around the world, and joining scores of other international landmarks that are participating in the event. In 2011, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour to show support for action on climate change.