18 June 2011: The UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) has published the first issue of its “Road to Rio” e-newsletter, in an effort to provide a range of voices and views on key issues in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

The first issue provides an overview of the Rio+20 process, a summary of discussions at the second session of the UNCSD Preparatory Committee (PrepCom II), and interviews with Brice Lalonde and Elizabeth Thompson, the Executive Coordinators for the UNCSD. In the interviews, Lalonde suggests the need for political and intellectual leadership, while Thompson highlights that the needed political will can be fostered by populations, pressure from civil society and NGOs, and the effectiveness of engagement in preparations leading to Rio.

The e-newsletter also reports on: the UN General Assembly’s thematic debate on the green economy as a pathway to sustainable development; the UN-NGLS Civil Society Consultation for the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP); the General Assembly’s thematic debate on “Harmony with Nature;” and the stakeholder meeting on an action plan on forests and the green economy, held by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) with the support of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The newsletter also highlights an article on technology assessment and the possible role of the UNCSD in promoting inter-governmental negotiations on a new treaty – the International Convention for the Evaluation of New Technologies (ICENT), and includes an article by Jan-Gustav Strandenaes on how Rio+20 is different from prior summits. [Publication: The Road to Rio]