June 2011: The New York University (NYU) Center on International Cooperation has released a publication titled “Making Rio 2012 Work: Setting the stage for global economic, social and ecological renewal.” The authors recommend that the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) should place unsustainability at the center of larger debates about globalization and the global economy, in particular by focusing on greening growth, equity and building resilience.

The authors, Alex Evans and David Steven, suggest that Rio+20 can focus on these themes, particularly through sharing ideas and involving non-State actors, bargaining and implementing change. The authors note that the Conference will take place during a difficult time for multilateralism, as the political space for multilateralism seems to be closing down rather than opening up. However, they express the view that the UNCSD can help catalyze new types of collaboration if a new leadership emerges, which they suggest could make the Conference into a turning point. [Publication: Making Rio 2012 Work: Setting the Stage for Global Economic, Social and Ecological Renewal]