Getting ready for Rio+20

First round of ‘informal-informal’ negotiations on the zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document will take place on 19-23 March, followed by the 3rd Intersessional Meeting on 26-27 March

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development – known as Rio+20 – will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20-22 June with the goal of securing renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and addressing new and emerging challenges.

On 25-27 January, an informal preparatory meeting took place at UN headquarters to hold initial discussions on the zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document. Member States devoted three sessions to general discussions and comments, and three sessions to informal negotiations on Sections I and II of the zero draft, covering the Preamble/Stage Setting and the objective of Renewing Political Commitment to sustainable development. Member States were invited to submit their written comments on those Sections in advance of the meeting.

The Rio+20 Bureau now invites Member States to hold the first round of ‘informal-informal’ negotiations on the zero draft. Delegations are invited to submit comments on sections III, IV and V of the document by 29 February for negotiation on 19-23 March. The zero draft of the Rio+20 outcome document is available on the official Conference website.

Following the week of ‘informal-informal’ negotiations, Member States will be joined by Major Groups and other global stakeholders for the Third Intersessional Meeting of Rio+20. Throughout the intervening weekend (24-25 March), an Expert Group Meeting retreat for Major Groups and other stakeholders will be held in New York to facilitate coalition building behind various themes of sustainable development identified in the zero draft. More information about how Major Groups are supporting the Rio+20 outcome document is available on the Conference website, please see link included below.

Voluntary associations of NGOs will lead various thematic clusters in order to present stronger advocacy and more effective engagement with the intergovernmental negotiating process. Registration for the full segment of meetings is open through the CSO Net online events registration system.

For more information:
Rio+20 Conference website
CSO-Net online events registration system
The Future We Want – Zero draft of the outcome document
Major Groups and NGO thematic clusters