May 2012: The latest issue of “DESA News,” the newsletter of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), highlights the role of multi-stakeholder involvement in the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and related processes.

The feature article discusses the role of the nine Major Groups, beginning with the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Rio Earth Summit), and the adoption of similar models by other intergovernmental bodies and processes. It notes that during the preparatory process for the UNCSD, Major Groups were able to present general policy inputs to the zero draft alongside governments, and their specific comments on the resulting draft were integrated into a parallel bracketed document for easy access by governments.

The article also summarizes the views of Major Groups on: the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD), noting that they favor strengthening the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and establishing a Sustainable Development Council (SDC); and a green economy, noting that this issue has aroused concern about diluting previously agreed principles of sustainable development.

Finally, the newsletter calls attention to: the call for voluntary commitments to reach “the future we want;” the ongoing informal informal negotiations of the UNCSD Preparatory Committee; an upcoming event of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on empowering youth to achieve a sustainable future; and upcoming gatherings of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which will aim to enhance internet governance for sustainable human, economic, and social development. [Publication: DESA News, Vol. 16, No. 5]