19 March 2012: Delegates resumed their negotiations on the draft outcome document for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) on the first day of the 19-23 March 2012 “informal informal” consultations.

Opening statements were offered by UNCSD PrepCom Co-Chair Kim Sook and UNCSD Secretary-General Sha Zukang. Sha Zukang emphasized that UNCSD is “a conference of implementation.” On the theme of the green economy, he noted convergence on: addressing the social agenda; respecting country ownership; and avoiding protectionism and aid conditionalities. He highlighted questions on: terms of technology sharing, who should bear the incremental costs of transition, and how major investments can be financed. On the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD), he noted convergence on strengthening links between science and policy making. He noted differences regarding enhancing the role of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Sha Zukang highlighted agreement that the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) should not continue in its current format, and stressed that differences exist about the proposals for a sustainable development council and for transforming the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) into a specialized agency. He underlined that there is an emerging scope of aspirational goals or targets covering a range of issues, including food security, energy, water, land degradation, a social protection floor, decent work, disaster risk reduction (DRR), oceans and sustainable urban planning.

Delegations then discussed the first four paragraphs of the zero draft during the morning, and began a first reading of Section III of the zero draft, on Green Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication during the afternoon and evening. The Third Intersessional Meeting will take place from 26-27 March 2012, at UN Headquarters, in New York, US. [IISD RS Coverage of the UNCSD March Meetings]