11 January 2011: The first of three Intersesssional Meetings leading to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, also called Rio+20), convened on 10-11 January 2011, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.

During the meeting, member States, UN agencies, NGOs and other participants heard a report of preliminary findings of the Synthesis Report on Best Practices and Lessons Learned on the Objective and Themes of the Conference. Findings included that: the development of green economy strategies is more important than defining “green economy;” stronger national and international commitments to sustainable development are needed; and limited resources can constrain the implementation of international agreements. The meeting also included panel presentations and discussion on the two themes of the Conference, green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development.

During the final plenary, Conference Secretary-General Sha Zukang summarized the key messages of the Intersessional Meeting, including that: strong commitment to development needs to be emphasized; green economy should not be viewed as a substitute to sustainable development; more studies on green economy are needed; the current institutional framework needs to be strengthened by improving coordination; and different views exist regarding the best architecture for sustainable development.

On remaining preparations for the UNCSD, the Group of 77 (G77) and China called for an enhanced preparatory process. Pakistan stressed the need for greater technical and financial support to assist the participation of developing countries. Brazil and Guatemala expressed their hope that negotiations will begin as quickly as possible. The European Union (EU) said the next task will be to adopt the rules of procedure at the second meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom II), taking place from 7-8 March 2011. Sha noted that PrepCom II will advance substantive discussions on objectives and themes of the Conference, that and delegates need to be ready to identify common-ground and seek solutions to problems rather than repeat them.

The Co-Chairs of the UNCSD Bureau, John Ashe and Park In-kook, issued a Co-Chairs’ Summary as the outcome document for the Intersessional Meeting. [IISD RS Coverage]