They will jointly present a Declaration to urge world leaders to take concrete and urgent steps towards sustainable development in all its dimensions on the basis of scientific evidence.
The Declaration will be presented on 18 June at the RioCentro conference center, where the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) is set to convene.
17 June 2012: The Nobel Laureate Symposium Series on Global Sustainability convened an event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gathering Nobel Laureates, members of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) and members of The Elders to focus on the scientific support for policy action, in particular for the actions contained in the GSP report.
As an outcome, they will jointly present a Declaration to urge world leaders to take concrete and urgent steps towards sustainable development in all its dimensions on the basis of scientific evidence. The Declaration will be presented on 18 June at the RioCentro conference center, where the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) is set to convene.
The Declaration will call on world leaders to take concrete and urgent steps towards sustainable development in all three of its dimensions on the basis of scientific evidence and the related findings of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) and the Nobel Laureate Symposium series. At a distinguished gathering on Sunday, 17 June 2012, attended by Brazil’s Minister for the Environment, Izabella Monica Vierira Teixeira, and former President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the leaders put the final touches to their Declaration.
With invitations from the UN and the host country to participate in high-level roundtables during the UNCSD, the thought leaders are expected to call for agreement on an intergovernmental mandate to complete work on sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2015, fulfil the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and complete a new climate agreement. Concerned about the transgression of planetary boundaries as humanity enters the age of the anthropocene, the leaders are concerned about a lack of urgency in current decision making and, above all, a gap between scientific findings and intergovernmental negotiations on sustainable development. They want a new social contract between science and society. The leaders are expected to call for a “new narrative” or great transformation informed by the highest ethical aspirations, that would consist of comprehensive action to address: the need to align economics with the biosphere; equality, diversity, empowerment and engagement, including the empowerment of women; and a new emphasis on equity, distribution and consumption; and call for a new culture of leadership and decision-making led by a search for systemic solutions.
The Nobel Laureate Symposium Series on Global Sustainability was initiated in 2007 and brings together Nobel Laureates from various disciplines, top-level representatives from politics and civil society, and renowned experts on sustainability. The GSP was established in 2010 in order to formulate a new blueprint for sustainable development and low-carbon prosperity.
In Stockholm, at the 3rd Nobel Laureate Symposium, the Stockholm Memorandum was signed by Nobel Laureates and handed over in person as an input to the GSP report, “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing.” The report contains 56 recommendations designed to put sustainable development into practice and to mainstream it into economic policy.
On Monday, 18 June, at RioCentro, Rio de Janeiro, there will be a presentation and discussion on the Declaration, “The Future We Choose.” A live webcast will be available at: http://webtv.un.org. Speakers will include: Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland, GSP Co-Chair; Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), member of The Elders and GSP; Yuan-Tseh Lee, Nobel Laureate (Chemistry), President, International Council for Science (ICSU); and Rajendra Pachauri, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Monday’s events are being organized by the GSP, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and the Fundaçao Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. [Programme] [UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability website]