Presentation on the ERD 2011/12 by Dirk Willem te Velde and Imme Scholz, given at the UNCSD (Rio+20) on 19 June 2012

Yesterday, the European Commission and the Government of the United Kingdom organised a side-event at the Rio+20 Conference to present the European Report on Development (ERD) 2011/2012 and discuss its findings in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Following the launch of the report in Brussels in May, a number of other events have been organised throughout Europe to present and debate its findings on national level, involving civil society, governments and media. The series of events led to the Rio+20 Conference.

The main challenge of building a sustainable world is to ensure the right of each and every one of the world’s people to resources and basic services. Furthermore, we have the inescapable obligation to do so in a responsible manner for both us and the rest of species while ensuring the rights of future generations and without exceeding the carrying capacity of the Earth’s natural resources. The scale of this challenge is still tremendous.

Key messages to the 2012 Rio+20 Summit from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

International Rivers welcomes the opportunity of Rio+20 to provide input into this critical process and offers the following comment and recommendations on the conference’s Green Economy theme.

for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

Solutions for the Green Economy

How can we secure access to adequate food, clean and safe drinking water and sustainable energy for all – within the planetary boundaries?

Second Trade Union Assembly on Labour and Environment, Rio de Janeiro

This session aims to consider how a new paradigm of adaptive management can be developed to address water security issues in a context of growing multiple needs and water scarcity.

The General Assembly specified that a three-day PrepCom should convene in May 2010, a two-day PrepCom should convene in March 2011, and a three-day PrepCom should convene immediately before the UNCSD (PrepCom III).

The event aims to present fully gender and development issues which are vigorously embedded within the framework of fundamental human rights and gender justice in the Asia-Pacific region and in many parts of the world. It hopes to elevate further the discussions on the theme of green economy and gender equality, justice and human rights with special focus on water, energy, and food nexus , to a broader and more significant audience , during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20 , in Rio de Janiero Brazil, June 2012.

By highlighting the linkages among climate change risks and opportunities, sustainable development and adaptation, this session will explore how companies can integrate and build effective resilience measures into their business strategies, operations and throughout the value chain.

Rio de Janeiro

This side event aims to contribute to the “The Future We Want” outcome document by highlighting the need to better manage mountain natural resources as global public goods supplying water for life, food for health, and clean energy for livelihoods.

This event will profile some of the world’s most innovative “natural capital partnerships” implementing integrated approaches toward the transition to green growth and green economies today. It will promote a south-south knowledge exchange and commitments from Mexico, the Coastal Eastern Africa region and Asia’s Greater Mekong Subregion.

Rio de Janeiro

Insights from the European Report on Development

The Water Day will concentrate on UN-Water contribution to the Rio+20 Conference, building on the UN-Water Statement and on the UN-Water deliverables for Rio+20, and will engage in high-level panel discussions on the relevance of water in the Rio+20 outcomes.

The Side-Event aims at identifying trade-offs between the sectoral objectives and discussing how a better consideration of the interlinkages between energy, water and food security can contribute to the achievement of the energy objectives.

A central aspect of the Green Economy is water, energy and food security in particular for the bottom billion. In order to achieve this, it is of vital importance to consider the interlinkages and the interactions between the sectors. Incoherent approaches and “silo-thinking” will most likely worsen the situation further.

A high level debate on the climate security agenda in the Amazon and worldwide

A voice from the ground, Edward Byers, PhD student from Newcastle/UK, gives his view of the NEXUS event at the German Pavilion in Rio.

An interview with Albert Butare, Co-Chair of the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference and NEXUS ambassador

The Rio Dialogues have set up a website to vote which challenges are most urgent and which solution approaches are most promising.

The Rio+20 Summit is less than a month away. Policymakers and civil society representatives have been advocating for the inclusion of the nexus approach in “The Future We Want”, the outcome document of the negotiations — by Olimar Maisonet-Guzmán

Agriculture and a focus on land and soil should be central to both this year’s UNFCCC climate talks and the Earth Summit in June.

Global demand for energy will increase 30 percent by 2030, according to estimates, but in regions that are experiencing rapid economic growth, the increased demand for energy will lead to increased demand for water. The conflicting nature of achieving both water and energy security is exacerbated by a lack of institutional policy frameworks that integrate both concepts. However, the upcoming UN Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference could provide an opportunity to change that.

Prior to the much anticipated Rio + 20 Conference of sustainable development; about 300 participants were invited to the River Basin Management conference in Thailand. Agreed upon among other key areas of discussion, was that water uses must meet the food, energy and water needs of the population and that a nexus approach is needed.

The upcoming Rio+20 conference has to be the moment in human history when the nations of the world come together to find ways to ensure the very survival of humanity, many science and environmental experts believe.

Collecting inputs for the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference preparatory process

The question of how to effectively use our water resources has been debated for decades, yet what we need more than ever is direct action at the field level.

A message from Felix Dodds, Executive Director of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and International Steering Committee (ISC) Member

Tens of millions of new jobs can be created around the world in the next two decades if green policies are put in place to switch the high-carbon economy to low-carbon, the UN has said.

Global demand for energy will increase 30 percent by 2030, according to estimates, but in regions that are experiencing rapid economic growth, the increased demand for energy will lead to increased demand for water. The conflicting nature of achieving both water and energy security is exacerbated by a lack of institutional policy frameworks that integrate both concepts. However, the upcoming UN Rio+20 Sustainable Development Conference could provide an opportunity to change that.

Masdar, for the first time, will be discussing energy, water and hunger issues under one umbrella during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) from January 13 to 17, it said on Tuesday. Earlier this year, during the Rio +20 Earth Summit in Brazil, it had announced its plans to organise the ADSW. Offering further details, Masdar CEO Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: “The week builds on the momentum created at the Rio+20, particularly in advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will guide the sustainability agenda for the next 20 years.”

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become a contentious proposal among Member States that are currently negotiating the outcome document for Rio+20. Member States and the international community are looking for the successors of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which will expire in 2015. The current framework helped the international community to rally behind a common understanding of poverty eradication, and it provided targets and indicators to guide policy decisions. However, the MDGs overemphasised economic poverty and gave limited attention to the structural causes of poverty or to sustainable development.

It is in the interests of big business to work with government to ensure the best use of water in an increasingly water-stressed country.