June 2011: The June 2011 issue of the newsletter of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs features an interview with Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).

Sha addresses questions on: his vision for the UNCSD, which he says is to “relaunch our world on a sustainable trajectory;” its chances for success, regarding which he is optimistic given the increasing engagement of governments and civil society; and his job, which he describes as “not easy.” Sha calls for two kinds of results from the Conference – at the political level, and at the “action level” in support of implementation – and for broad grassroots participation.

This issue of “DESA News” also highlights the recently concluded 10th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). During the Session, Sha stressed the important role of indigenous peoples in sustainable development. He expressed the hope that at the UNCSD, indigenous peoples would “share their wisdom with all of us,” noting their “unique understanding of Mother Earth as a living entity, where all beings are interconnected and interdependent.”

In the section on “Global Dialogue on Development,” the newsletter reports that the International Forest Film Festival was awarded the grand prize by CinemAmbiente, the leading environmental film festival in Europe. The International Forest Film Festival was initiated by the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) to celebrate the International Year of Forests (IYF), 2011. This year’s festival is sponsored by the UN Regional Information Center (UNRIC). [Publication: DESA News, Vol. 15, No. 6]