30 June 2011: Speaking at a High-level Roundtable held in parallel to the 17th African Union Summit, African Heads of State stressed the need for a common position on sustainable development in the lead-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The roundtable, titled “Mobilizing African Leadership for an Effective Regional Preparatory Process for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20),” was organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the African Union Commission (AUC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank. It was held during the African Union Summit of Heads of States and Governments, which convened from 30 June-1 July 2011, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Attended by Heads of State and government and ministers from 53 countries, the event offered a platform for high-level dialogue for African countries to contribute ideas, suggestions and recommendations toward Africa’s common strategy for Rio+20. Discussions focused on the Conference’s two main themes: the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development.

On the green economy, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner suggested that the African region could benefit most from a shift towards a green economy, noting that Rio+20 should accelerate the evolution towards a concept of sustainable development that recognizes and values Africa’s assets in a way that reflects the economic, social and environmental realities of a world markedly different from 1992, when the Rio Earth Summit took place.

Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AUC, underlined the shared responsibilities of UNECA, the AUC and the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in coordinating the drafting of the common position on Rio+20. [UNEP News Release] [African Union Press Release]