November 2011: In a paper titled “Coordination Notes: On the Road to Rio+20,” Brice Lalonde, Executive Coordinator, UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), writes that people around the world have high expectations of their leadership – both local and global – and that Rio+20 is an historic opportunity to address those expectations.

In the paper, Lalonde discusses and synthesizes views of of Parties, States’ leaders and delegates, international financial institutions (IFIs), and business and civil society representatives on the process leading up to Rio+20, as expressed during the preparatory process thus far.

He notes that Rio+20 must be the Conference of implementation and action as well as an instrument for increasing confidence and strengthening policy, as there is little time and energy left for long-term thinking and reconstruction. He also emphasizes that the UNCSD should promote best practices and experience-sharing, and provide perspectives to business and industry for developing a green economy. Lalonde highlights that the role of Rio+20 is to provide a vision for the next 20 years.

Finally, in discussing the structure of the outcome document, he suggests that it be organized around the following topics: stakeholders’ renewal of commitments; achievement of concrete, cross-cutting objectives, referring to the three pillars of sustainable development; agreement on a roadmap for a green economy that illustrates the implementation of sustainable development strategies; the improvement of tools for international cooperation; and a new institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD). [Publication: Coordination Notes: On the Road to Rio+20]