26 March 2013: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) hosted an online panel discussion as part of its “Sustainable Development in Action” initiative. This discussion focused on successes of the Major Groups and other stakeholders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), views of civil society on its outcomes, and the Major Groups’ ongoing follow-up.

The event – the second in a series of Google+ Hangouts – featured five panelists: Chantal Line Carpentier, DSD; Maruxa Cardama, Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (NRG4SD); Jeffery Huffines, NGO Major Group; Farooq Ullah, Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future; and Corinne Woods, UN Millennium Campaign.

Carpentier noted that information and communications technology (ICT) had helped ensure inclusive participation of the nine Major Groups, as defined in Agenda 21. Cardama highlighted the role of local authorities in supporting sustainable cities. She described Rio+20 as “the terminus of intergovernmental multilateralism and the beginning of participatory multilateralism.” Ullah said Rio+20 was a starting point, not an ending point, and called for implementation of its Outcome Document.

Panelists also discussed the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda. Huffines said the Major Groups strongly support merging the processes into a single global development framework. Huffines also described the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) that the Major Groups have established, which aims to enable interaction with the OWG and hold it accountable. Woods said there also was a strong desire for the two processes to come together within the UN system, but the question of “how” remains a challenge. Carpentier highlighted the Major Groups’ involvement in the processes as well as in the ongoing establishment of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development. Ullah noted that Stakeholder Forum has launched an “SDG e-inventory,” a crowd-sourcing platform to tap into a broader audience to inform the creation of the SDGs.

Panelists responded to questions on: the role of culture in sustainable development, the post-2015 framework and the SDGs; follow-up on Rio+20 voluntary commitments; and visions for the future. Huffines said the indigenous peoples Major Group recommends recognizing culture as the fourth dimension of sustainable development. [DSD Webpage for Panel Discussion] [Video of Google+Hangout] [SDG e-inventory] [IISD RS Story on First Sustainable Development Hangout]