19 November 2010: The eighth meeting of the Bureau of the Preparatory Process for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, also referred to as Rio +20) convened on 19 November in New York, US.

Among other issues, the Bureau was advised by Sha Zukang, Secretary General of UNCSD (CSG), that although the start of the assignments of Executive Coordinators had been delayed because of challenges in mobilizing extra-budgetary resources to support their work, the recruitment process would soon be completed. He said Elizabeth Thompson (Barbados) would be expected to begin her assignment possibly as early as 1 December, and Brice Lalonde (France) most likely would assume his functions in the first week of January 2011.

Participants also were informed that a proposal for designating eminent persons from the respective regions to assist in promoting the UNCSD and in raising awareness at the regional level was under consideration. It was suggested that the Co-Chairs should write to the Governing Councils/Executive Boards of the relevant UN System bodies, to invite greater synchronization of their work programmes intended to contribute to the UNCSD process as well as to reiterate the invitation to participate in the informal Intersessional meetings.

On the location and dates for the UNCSD, the representative of Brazil on the Bureau confirmed that the Conference venue would be in downtown Rio de Janeiro at a site that would facilitate close interaction with the Major Groups, and he indicated that the exact dates are still under consideration. [Minutes of the UNCSD Bureau meeting]