The Sustainability Learning Forum

Georg Kell

Georg Kell, United Nations Global Compact

Never before in recent history has there been such widespread uncertainty about the future. Major developments are shaping our world, raising important questions about the proper role of business and the legitimacy of markets. more[...] login_required

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Andrei Galaev

Andrei Galaev, Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd.

Decisions made at global conferences have great effects on CSR and sustainable development progress and concept advancement. I believe that the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will be the next milestone in international efforts to accelerate progress toward achieving sustainable development globally. It is an opportunity for participants to honestly and openly discuss what has been achieved in the last 20 years since Agenda 21 at the Earth Summit in Rio; what the biggest challenges and issues have been; and whether governments, business, the UN system, and other parties have managed to address them effectively. more[...] login_required

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Douglas Tompkins

The Rio+20 conference in June 2012 has been generating concern and a lack of confidence on the part of many environmentalists and conservationists I know and work with. Although the first Rio conference ignited hopes for millions and was in fact an historical launching point for united government action on environmental issues, it still fell far short of expectations. Those with optimistic visions – and what I consider to be often Pollyanna characterizations of these unwieldy and multination world conferences – perhaps can see it in a positive light. One hears all the excuses that this or that was better than nothing, or that “perfection is the enemy of the good” and similar aphorisms. more[...] login_required

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A Future We Want? Lessons of Rio+20

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

It was the absence of disputes that probably provoked the biggest dispute: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 summit) ended with a concordant final resolution of 190 participating countries. The outcome document, titled “The Future We Want,” had already been published and enacted by the beginning of the conference, which led to controversies and the disappointment of many – mainly nongovernmental – participants. However, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the summit a success: “Rio+20 has given us a solid platform to build on. And it has given us the tools to build with. The work starts now.” more[...] login_required

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The Rio+20 Topics

Judith Bomholt

Twenty years after the first international Conference on Environment and Development was held there, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) has again taken place in Rio de Janeiro. Over 50,000 participants took part what is known as the Rio +20 Conference, including more than 100 world leaders and heads of government. This new conference should ensure continued political commitment to sustainable development, help to take stock of previous advances, and reveal the gaps in sustainability involvement. more[...] login_required

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The History of Sustainable Development in the United Nations

In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm brought the industrialized and developing nations together to delineate the ‘rights’ of the human family to a healthy and productive environment. The recognition to revitalize humanity’s connection with Nature, led to the creation of global institutions within the UN system. more[...] login_required

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Results and Observations from the Official and Civil Society Preparatory Processes

Felix Dodds, Stakeholder Forum

Stakeholders have been working on Rio+20 since the Group of 77 developing countries tabled the original resolution for the summit on November 4, 2008. To help in that process, the Stakeholder Forum launched the www.earthsummit2012.org website on January 1, 2009. more[...] login_required

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Make Rio+20 Count

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) provides an exceptional opportunity for swift policy action to accelerate and scale business solutions so 9 billion people can live well and within the limits of one planet by 2050. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today pressed governments to overcome their differences and to take decisive action now. more[...] login_required

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Rio+20: Forests form important foundation for a green economy

Duncan Macqueen, International Institute for Environment and Development

Forests constitute the vast majority of what is green on planet earth. The quest for a green economy at Rio+20 excited the full spectrum of the forest community – from forest industries to local forest rights-holder groups. Both groups have something to offer – although it may be necessary to invest more in locally-controlled forestry if a fair green economy is to be achieved. more[...] login_required

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Rio+20 Summit

At the Rio+20 Conference, world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want. more[...]

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Five things we’ve learnt from Rio+20

Tom Bigg, International Institute for Environment and Development

While the outcomes from Rio +20 may not currently give grounds for much optimism, its value is likely to be in longer-term changes in attitudes and understanding. more[...]

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Fighting Fuel Poverty – Supporting Our Most Vulnerable Customers

EDF Group

Fuel poverty is a growing problem throughout Europe. As it varies widely from one country to another, each country has its own definition specific to its context and history. Electricity companies are involving themselves in public schemes in compliance with regulatory requirements and in action taken on their own initiative. more[...] login_required

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Cards of Hope Programm

Zoila Bello, Banco León
Banco Multiple León

As a participant in the Global Compact initiative since 2006, Banco León has been promoting the Ten Principles of this network through its management. Respecting the protection of internationally recognized human rights within its sphere of influence and promoting the effective abolition of child labor are two of the Principles that Banco León has been supporting. This has been done through its Cards of Hope program and its approaches to education as well as to children living in poverty and with social risk in the Dominican Republic. more[...] login_required

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Rio+ 20: A mirror of the new direction to global governance?

Karen Rieckmann

When you look at global media coverage or talk to NGOs, all seem to agree: The Rio+20 summit was a failure and a setback on the road to sustainable development. But was it really a failure? And do all agree? Karen Rieckmann analyses the feedback in the BRIC countries and comes to a more differentiated view of the summit outcomes. more[...]

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Two Decades of UN Earth Summits

Judith Bomholt

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was a milestone in international environmental policy when it took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The main incentive for this conference was the Brundtland Report that had been published by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987. more[...] login_required

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