31 May 2011: The latest issue of “Rio+20: Making It Happen,” the newsletter from the Secretariat of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), highlights the official launch of the Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

According to the newsletter, the official Launching Ceremony for the UNCSD will take place on 3 June 2011, with the participation of Sha Zukang, Conference Secretary-General, who will give a speech at City Hall, raise the flag of the Conference, and meet with Brazil’s President and Minister of Environment.

The newsletter also discusses the status of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Protocol has been signed by 24 countries and is expected to enter into force by July 2012, the newsletter reports. It notes that the Protocol “stemmed from a call to action” by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

The newsletter also highlights UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s participation in Africa Day, where he stressed the key role of youth in sustainable development. It also features information about: the 17th African Union Summit, which will take place in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 23 June-1 July 2011, under the theme, “Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development;” the Rio+20 Regional Consultative Workshop for Africa” conducted by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the UN General Assembly’s thematic debate on green economy; World Environment Day; and World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. [Publication: Rio+20: Making It Happen, Volume 2, Issue 10]