In his most recent blog post, UNCSD Secretary-General Sha Zukang provides an update on the UN system's and countries' preparatory plans for UNCSD and says that the eventual outcome document should be forward-looking, action-oriented, and encapsulated in a focused political document.
7 March 2011: Sha Zukang, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio 2012), has published a new blog post titled “PrepCom II: A Critical Milestone.”
Sha describes: the reports prepared in support of the second session of the UNCSD Preparatory Committee (PrepCom II); the recent report on a green economy by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); and the Secretariat’s efforts to deliver “coordinated and integrated inter-agency support” to the preparatory process, by relying on existing coordination mechanisms within the UN system, such as “ECESA Plus” (Executive Committee of Economic and Social Affairs, plus the UN Development Group (UNDG) and Environment Management Group (EMG)), as well as through regional preparatory meetings and national level preparations, for which the Secretariat is currently raising funds.
Sha also provides an update on countries’ preparatory plans for the Conference. Countries organizing preparatory meeting on issues related to the Conference themes include: Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Monaco and the Republic of Korea. The meetings are planned for the second half of 2011, according to Sha.
Finally, Sha notes the decision taken at PrepCom II, regarding the drafting of the Conference outcome document. He writes that the outcome document should: be “forward-looking, action-oriented … encapsulated in a focused political document;” build on Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) and other intergovernmental outcomes; add value by addressing new and emerging issues and tackling gaps; and accelerate implementation. [Publication: Blog Post: “PrepCom II: A Critical Milestone”]