24 May 2012: The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) Secretariat has begun listing voluntary commitments to deliver concrete results for sustainable development.

All participants, including Major Groups, the UN System and intergovernmental organizations and Member States, have been welcomed to register their voluntary commitments. Organizers of side events at Rio+20 are also encouraged to register commitments that result from outcomes of their side events. All voluntary commitments received are being compiled into an online compendium on the Rio+20 website.

Voluntary commitments are expected to cover 23 sustainable development areas, including: water; mountains; gender equality; poverty eradication; natural disasters and preparedness; biodiversity; forests and other ecosystems; climate change; oceans and seas; land degradation and desertification; and food security.

Among the commitments listed so far are: a mountain commitment, led by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), seeking knowledge products and good practices shared and possible sustainable mountain specific solutions committed; and a gender equality commitment, led by, among others, the Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management (WOCAN), calling for the establishment of Women’s Leadership Circles to bring greater institutional accountability to women farmers/environmental managers, and to bridge gaps between policies and actions.

All voluntary commitments should be specific, measurable, funded, and new, or an extension of an existing commitment. To facilitate periodic reporting on progress of commitment implementation, one tangible deliverable should be specified, along with the estimated timeline for completion. Resources devoted to delivery should also be specified. These could include financing, staff or technical expertise, and in-kind contribution.

Registration can be done at www.uncsd2012.org/commit, by signing into a password protected new account, and filling out the registration form. Username/password can be received by emailing uncsd2012@un.org. [Rio+20 Voluntary Commitments Registration Page]