30 June 2011: The latest issue of “Rio+20: Making It Happen,” the newsletter from the Secretariat of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), highlights the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All (2012), noting that energy access, efficiency and sustainability are “core issues” for Rio+20.

Related initiatives being supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) include the Second Vienna Energy Forum, which took place from 21-23 June 2011, in Vienna, Austria, and UN-Energy, the UN system-wide coordinating mechanism on energy issues. The Year also has a new website.

The newsletter also features the UNCSD preparatory meeting for small island developing States (SIDS) in the Atlantic, Indian, Mediterranean and South China Seas (AIMS) region, taking place from 7-8 July 2011, in Seychelles. The meeting is being organized by the SIDS Unit of DESA, the Indian Ocean Commission, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Government of Seychelles. On the agenda are: Green Economy for SIDS; Blue Economy for SIDS; and Priority Issues of AIMS and Expectations for Rio+20.

Finally, the newsletter announces the publication of “Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, Communities and Climate Change,” by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Global Compact, Oxfam and the World Resources Institute. The study offers guidance to business leaders and policy makers and aims to support their efforts leading up to the UNCSD. [Publication: Rio+20: Making It Happen, Volume 2, Issue 12] [Website of International Year of Sustainable Energy for All]