13 December 2011: In preparation for the Second Intersessional Meeting for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), the UNCSD Secretariat has issued the Organization of Work, a guidance note from the Bureau of the UNCSD Preparatory Committee, and the preliminary programme of side events. Intersessional II will take place in New York, US, on 15-16 December 2011.

According to the Organization of Work, Intersessional II will begin with the introduction of the UNCSD Compilation Document. The following four main sessions will focus on: discussion on the compilation document, including comments and guidance for the zero draft outcome document; and the structure and format of the zero draft.

The Bureau’s guidance note conveys decisions reached at the 18th meeting of the Bureau, on 8 November 2011, including regarding the framework for discussion at the Intersessional, and the format and structure of the outcome document.

On the framework for discussion of the Compilation Document, the Bureau outlines specific questions and issues for delegations to address during the sessions, including: specific outcomes to help ensure that the Conference’s objective is met; specific instruments and policy actions to bridge implementation gaps; implementation tools to advance progress on critical areas identified during the preparatory process; potential outcomes on measuring progress toward sustainable development; ensuring that the Conference will clarify and promote green economy as defined during the preparatory process; ensuring that commitments on capacity building, technology transfer, and financing are honored; and the best options for addressing functional requirements of the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD).

On the format and structure of the UNCSD Outcome Document, the Bureau hopes to conclude Intersessional II with a clear structure and format for the outcome document, including the approximate length of the document to be negotiated, in order to assist preparation of the zero draft and facilitate the subsequent negotiation process. To inform discussions on the Outcome Document, the Bureau conveys the two models resulting from previous major UN conferences. These are: a political declaration accompanied by separate Action Plan, either as stand-alone text or as annex, as in the 1972 Stockholm Conference outcome, 1992 Rio outcome, 2002 Johannesburg outcome, and 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women outcome; and a political declaration/consensus document with its actions integrated instead of listed separately, as in the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development (2002), and the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development (2008).

The preliminary programme of side events lists 20 events organized by NGOs and other Major Group members, UN entities, and member States, taking place before and after the main sessions of the Intersessional on 14-16 December. [Organization of Work] [Guidance Note] [Side Events Schedule] [Webpage for Intersessional II]