“Rio+20 What can we expect?A Stakeholder Perspective on the Rio

Conference on Sustainable Development”

Felix DoddsStakeholder Forum

Sustainable Development Governance

Lessons learnt from the first twenty years

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1Sustainable Development Governance

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activityGreen Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

Commission on Sustainable Development - mandate

• “3(a) To monitor progress in the implementation of Agenda 21 and activities related to the integration of environmental and developmental goals throughout the United Nations system through analysis and evaluation of reports from all relevant organs, organizations, programmes and institutions of the United Nations system dealing with various issues of environment and development, including those related to finance.”

The first seven years

• 1994 CSD: called for the development of an “effective legally binding instruments concerning the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure on the importation of chemicals”

• 1995 CSD: established the United Nations Inter-government Panel on Forests

• 1996 CSD: set out the requirements for the establishment of the institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities

• 1997 UNGASS: called for by the year 2002, the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development, the establishment of the UN Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) for three years (1997-2000), and the establishment of multi-stakeholder dialogues with governments within the UN CSD

The first seven years

• 1998 CSD: called on UNCTAD, UNEP and UN DESA to help develop a vulnerability index for the quantitative and analytical work on the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States and the establishment of a review of voluntary initiatives within industry.

• 1999 CSD: established an expansion of the United Nations guidelines on consumer protection to include sustainable consumption. It also established an open-ended informal consultation processes on oceans and seas under the UN General Assembly.

• 2000 CSD: set out the terms of reference for a new permanent body – the United Nations Forum on Forests.

“143. The General Assembly of the United Nations should adopt sustainable development as a key element of the overarching framework for United Nations activities, particularly for achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and should give overall political direction to the implementation of Agenda 21 and its review.”

WSSD JPoI.

World Summit on Sustainable Development

1. Sustainable Development2. UNEP3. Other possible change

Options for Change

“The Trusteeship Council should be given a new mandate over the global commons in the context of concern for the security of the planet.”

Commission on Global Governance

New Institution

• Trusteeship Council requires a charter amendment

• A Council of the UN General Assembly does not

• World Summit 2005 – changed the Human Rights Commission to the UN Human Rights Council

New InstitutionEmerging Issues or review?• A council at the highest level that addresses not

only issues such as climate security, energy security, water security, ecosystem and bio-diversity security, green economy, increased migration, natural disasters and urbanization but also the inter-linkages among them could be a real advance ahead of that agenda’s full impact being felt.

New Institution

Review Council at the GA Level continuing the review of implementation and policy development of UNCSD, JPOI and Agenda 21. This would be done by recreating the present Commission at a UN GA level and hoping that doing so would add to a higher political commitment. From its inception, it would be important to ensure that part of it was attended by Heads of State and by ministries other than just the environment.

New InstitutionA Council of the UN General Assembly enabling text from the World Summit 2005“160. We request the President of the General Assembly to conduct open, transparent and inclusive negotiations, to be completed as soon as possible during the sixtieth session, with the aim of establishing the mandate, modalities, functions, size, composition, membership, working methods and procedures of the Council.”

UNEP

• UNEO– Strengthen science base– Universal memberships– Assured funding

• WEO• Clustering MEAs in a WTO structure

• Incremental– Executive Board

Other reforms• Sustainable Development Board

– WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNEP, UN Habitat– Delivering as one– Endorse “one country programs” and approve related allocations.– Maintain a strategic overview of the system.– Review the implementation of global analytical and normative

work of the UN in sustainable development activities.– Oversee the management of funding mechanism for the MDGs or

their successor. – Review the performance of the resident coordinator system.– Commission periodic strategic reviews of “one country programs.”– Consider and act on independent evaluation and audit findings.

Other sectors and ideas

• Agriculture• Fisheries• Forests• Energy• Human Settlement• Commissioner for Future Generations –

Ombudsman for national parliaments

Convention speak

• Convention on Corporate Social Responsibility• Convention on P10• Convention on New technologies

Missing Chapter of A21

A proposed Chapter 41 of Agenda 21 was put forward in 1991 by the UN Centre for Transnational Corporations. The Chapter called, ‘Transnational Corporations and Sustainable Development’ had many good suggestions on:• Global Corporate Environmental Management• Risk and Hazard Minimization • Environmentally Sounder Consumer Patterns• Full Cost Environmental Accounting• Environmental Conventions, Standards and Guidelines

Commission on TNCs (1973-1993)When the General Assembly formally created the Commission and the Centre, it approved three broad objectives to guide the work of the UN on transnational corporations : • to further understanding of the political, economic, social, and

legal effects of TNC activity, especially in developing countries; • to secure international arrangements that promote the positive

contributions of TNCs to national development goals and world economic growth while controlling and eliminating their negative effects;

• to strengthen the negotiating capacity of host countries, in particular the developing countries, in their dealings with TNCs

A challengeThe parallels of the ecological problems with the financial crisis are clear. The banks and financial institutions privatized the gains and socialized the losses. We are doing the same with the planets natural capital. Our present lifestyles are drawing down the ecological capital from other parts of the world and from future generations.

Aviva Investor’s Earth Summit proposal

• Aviva is UK largest insurance company (and 6th in the world) and is proposing for the United Nations member states at the 2012 Earth Summit to commit to develop a global framework convention requiring companies to produce an Annual Report and Accounts that integrates sustainability throughout.

• They are particularly keen to see sustainability integrated into the forward looking strategy, but we also want the recent performance data as well as have the reassurance that those responsible for audit, risk and remuneration within the company are also considering this performance.

Slide 22

2Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

Building a more sustainable, safe and secure world

Chilean economist Prof. Manfred Max-Neef

‘Solutions imply new models that, above all else, begin to accept the limits of the carrying capacity of the Earth: moving from efficiency to sufficiency and well-being. Also necessary is the solution of the present economic imbalances and inequalities. Without equity, peaceful solutions are not possible.’

Principle for the green economy

1. Equitable distribution of wealth 2. Economic equity and fairness 3. Intergenerational Equity Environmental 4. Precautionary Approach Science 5. The Right to Development 6. Internalization of Externalities 7. International Cooperation8. International liability 9. Information, participation and accountability 10. Sustainable Consumption and Production 11. Strategic, co-ordinated and integrated planning to deliver sustainable development, the green economy and poverty alleviation12. Just Transition 13. Redefine Well-being – 14. Gender Equality

Some of the challenges

• Develop a national transition plan: that puts countries on paths to operate within planetary boundaries, and on timescales sufficiently quick to preserve key, ecological life support functions

• Don’t start from a growth perspective – Japan stopped growing in the 1990s and unemployment is half the US and life expectance is 5 years longer

Some challenges

• Agree to develop and implement new measures of economic success

• Commit to reduce income and wealth inequalities between and within countries

• Put fiscal policy and public expenditure centre stage in managing economic transition

• Recapture the financial sector for the public good

Reshaping Financial Markets

• Investor governance: Convention – examples of good practice – South Africa investor code launched by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange

• Fiscal Incentives: tax on financial transactions – Europe may go for this

• State owned investment vehicles: sovereign wealth funds are expected to reach $7 trillion by 2012 – long term funds but no sustainability criteria amend the Santiago principles

Reshaping Financial Markets

• Credit rating agencies: rarely take sustainability issues into consideration when rating companies or countries - have recently become more powerful in determining the cost and availability of debt to companies and nations. UNEP FI could act as bridge here

• Financial market reform: Newly established international oversight groups such as the Financial Stability Board should be revived and upgraded to ensure public purpose of capital markets in investing in sustainable economy

Sustainable Development Goals

• Eight are being discussed:– Energy– Food security– Urbanization– Blue Economy– New Indices– Just Transition– Water– Sustainable consumption and production

3 Stakeholders

Building a more sustainable, safe and secure world

Major Groups

• Organizing Partners• Brazilian Facilitating Committee• DPI NGO Conference• Sustainable Development Governance

Network• Green Economy Coalition• Global Transition 2012

New institutions at the global level for governancesustainable development goalsprinciples for a green economyNew conventionsGlobal engagement of people

Summary

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