The Future we want

That’s the coin phrase of the World’s biggest environment summit held in Rio de Janeiro this month. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, is also known as Rio+20, is taking place twenty years after the first Earth Summit in Rio, 1992.

This monumental conference has strong historic significance for the planet. Twenty years ago over 30,000 participants including more than 100 of the World’s Leaders adopted ‘Agenda 21‘, the blueprint of global principles and targets for sustainable development.

This was also the birthplace of three global conventions - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; the Convention on Biological Diversity; and the Convention to Combat Desertification [later expanded to include land degradation].

At the 10th anniversary of the first earth summit in 2002 another historical conference was held; the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Now 10 years later, at the 20th anniversary in 2012, world leaders will come together again with the private sector, NGO’s and other stakeholders, in Rio to help bring about a Future we want. In order to ensure the voice of the Pacific will be heard as we prepare for this Future, there are four key messages the region will be sharing to the world;

1. Our Ocean is a vital resource; we need to manage this area for our national and regional needs as well as on the behalf of the entire global community. We have a number of regional initiatives including the Pacific Plan, the Pacific Oceanscape and the Nauru Agreement where the region needs the support of the global community through funding, resources and cooperation.

2. The Pacific will reinforce the special case for Small Island Developing States.

3. Climate change and biodiversity conservation are key issues of regional concern. Rio+20 is an opportunity to not only reaffirm global commitment but to encourage our developed partners to meet the existing commitments under the respective conventions.

4. We need to ensure that the institutional framework agreed at Rio+20 adequately addresses the needs of SIDS and includes the strengthening of our regional and national institutions for sustainable development.

The 3rd Preparatory Meeting Committee Meeting UN Conference on Sustainable Development is hld 13 - 5 June, the Sustainable Development Dialogues are held on 16 - 19 June and the UNCSD is held 20 - 22 June.

For more information please visit:  http://www.uncsd2012.org/index.html