22 November 2011: The UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) Second Committee has adopted a draft decision on modalities for civil society participation in the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). The draft decision was submitted for the Committee’s consideration by the UNCSD Bureau.

Adopted on 22 November 2011, under the UNGA’s agenda item on sustainable development, specifically the “implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development,” the Committee’s draft decision (A/C.2/66/L.53) addresses Major Groups’ accreditation and participation in both the preparatory process and the Conference itself. The decision will allow the Secretariat to open the registration and accreditation procedures to NGOs.

According to the decision: NGOs already accredited do not need to register separately for each meeting of the Preparatory Committee; NGOs may register directly if they have consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) or were accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD); other NGOs must apply to the Secretariat for accreditation by four months before the start of the Conference; and accreditation applications will be reviewed on the basis of the organization’s competence and the relevance of its activities to the work of the Conference.

Also on 22 November 2011, as part of its consideration of sustainable development, the Committee adopted: a draft decision on the contribution of the ninth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) to the UNCSD (A/C.2/66/L.52); and a draft resolution on sustainable mountain development (A/C.2/66/L.33/Rev.1).

Draft decisions and resolutions of the UNGA’s Committees must be approved by the UNGA plenary before taking effect. [Draft Decision on NGO Modalities] [Draft Decision on UNFF Contribution] [Draft Resolution on Sustainable Mountain Development]