20 April 2012: A briefing of delegations and Major Groups on the status of preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) took place at UN headquarters in New York, on 20 April 2012, highlighting side events, the Partnership Forum, the compilation of Rio+20 voluntary commitments and more.

According to the presenters, applications for more than 600 side events were received, and are now under review. Side events will take place during the Third Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom III), the Sustainable Development Dialogue Days (16 ‐19 June 2012), and the Conference itself. Rio+20 SD-Learning, a capacity building event, will feature certificate training courses on sustainable agriculture, water management and legislation, measuring sustainable development beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and other topics.

Voluntary commitments are being encouraged, and are organized according to 15 categories: Biodiversity, Forests and other Ecosystems, Chemicals and Waste, Climate Change, Education, Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture, Gender Equality, Green Jobs and Social Inclusion, Land Degradation and Desertification, Mountains, Natural Disasters and Preparedness, Oceans and Seas, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Consumption and Production, Sustainable Energy, and Water.

The Partnerships Forum at Rio+20 will promote the launching of dedicated partnerships to implement the thematic priority areas and policy decisions and actions. The briefing also highlighted an upcoming meeting titled TEDxRio+20, which will feature speakers on the theme of “Human Power.”

The briefing was organized by the Rio+20 Secretariat. [Powerpoint Presentation]