Secretary General’s post-Rio messages
The Member States renewed their commitment to sustainable development; agreed to establish universal SDGs; affirmed the importance of gender empowerment, the right to water and food, and the need to address poverty; adopted a 10-year framework on sustainable consumption and production; and acknowledged the potential for greening economies.
More than 700 concrete commitments registered at the Conference from governments, business, industry, financial institutions and civil society with $513 billion in funding committed for several issues, including energy, food security, access to drinking water and management of the oceans, etc. Of the funds committed, $323 billion will be devoted to the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
The outcome document, which was adopted by consensus, provides a firm foundation for social, economic and environmental well-being and will guide us towards a sustainable path.
The outcome document calls for a wide range of actions:
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beginning the process to establish sustainable development goals;
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detailing how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development;
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strengthening the UN Environment Programme (UNEP);
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promoting corporate sustainability reporting measures;
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taking steps to go beyond gross domestic product to assess the well-being of a country;
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developing a strategy for sustainable development financing;
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adopting a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production
It also focuses on:
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improving gender equity;
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recognizing the importance of voluntary commitments on sustainable development;
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stressing the need to engage civil society and incorporate science into policy.
A wide range of actions have also been pledged:
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planting 100 million trees;
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empowering 5,000 women entrepreneurs in green economy businesses in Africa;
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recycling 800,000 tons of PVC – one of the most widely used plastics – per year
Rio+20 has given us a solid platform to build on and the tools to build with. We should create a critical mass and an irresistible momentum. It is now our responsibility to build on it.
Rio+20 in Numbers
Over nine days (13 to 22 June), thousands of events were held in the lead-up to and during Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, throughout Rio de Janeiro, including more than 500 official and side events at the Riocentro Convention Center, where the conference was held. Rio+20 was the biggest UN conference ever held, with broad participation of leaders from Government, business and civil society, as well as UN officials, academics, journalists and the general public. Below are some key figures from Rio+20.
Commitments
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More than $513 billion mobilized in commitments for sustainable development, including in the areas of energy, transport, green economy, disaster reduction, desertification, water, forests and agriculture.
Participants at Riocentro (as of close of 21 June)
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Total number of participants: 45,381
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Delegations participated from 188 countries and three observers
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Over 100 Heads of State and Government
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Delegates: approximately 12,000
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NGOs and Major Groups: 9,856
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Media: 4,075
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Dialogue Day passes for civil society: 1,781
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Security Personnel: 4,363
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About 5,000 people worked at Riocentro daily.
Volunteers
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1,500 people volunteered, including young people, selected from of technical schools, Rio de Janeiro public school students, university students, and professionals from across Brazil.
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Around 700 young people from vulnerable communities were selected.
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5 per cent of volunteers were people with disabilities.
Download the conclusions of the RIO+20:
