Emerging countries must be united, says the Secretary-General of Rio+20

06/04/2012 - 13h31

A week and a half before Rio+20, the United Nations conference on sustainable development, countries are still divided on practical actions that can be adopted and on how to raise the necessary funds to implement them.

To finance the transition to a green economy, Sha Zukang, the Secretary-General of the conference, says that emerging countries must be united. See the interview below.

FOLHA - Are the countries that are participating in Rio+20 willing to define sustainable development goals?
SHA ZUKANG - We see ample support and enthusiasm for these goals, but countries have different visions about what should or should not be included, also about the formal process of how and when the objectives should be finalized and agreed upon. Some countries would like to see the goals approved in Rio, while for others, Rio+20 is the starting point. I believe that states will be united around these goals for sustainable development in Rio to keep the momentum going after 2015, although some details will have to be resolved later.

The financing that will enable countries to implement policies in support of sustainable development is the subject of debate. Where is the money going to come from?
The official development assistance from traditional donors [rich countries] has more than doubled since 2000, reaching US$129 billion in 2010.
However, this total is less than half what is necessary to comply with past commitments that promised 0.7 percent of GDP from traditional donor countries. Rio+20 will emphasize the quality and the impact of this financial help, engaging non-traditional donors and strengthening south-south cooperation [between developing countries], as well as incentivizing partnerships with the private sector. Developing countries will have to overcome a series of obstacles in order to take full advantage of the opportunities that a green economy could offer. It will be necessary to increase support from the international community in terms of capacity-building, transfer of technology, financing and technical expertise.

Are there still the same points of contention between emerging countries and rich countries concerning the sources of financing?
There are differences, but in general the negotiations played out in a positive way for all countries and groups. For developed countries, the hope is that they fulfill their promises to help development and to move forward more quickly in changing their patterns of unsustainable development. And developing countries need to avoid the conventional growth model that's based on the intensive use of resources.

Some people criticize Rio+20, saying that it is not very ambitious and that there is not enough focus on the environment. How would you respond to this point?
There has been a lot of discussion about environmental issues in the preparation process for the conference, as well as in the final document. However, it's a conference on sustainable development, and it's not going to address the environment as an isolated issue. There's also the economic and social side. Regarding the level of ambition for the conference, I'm still optimistic. I'm confident that the delegations will arrive at an agreement that is focused on practical actions, based on political commitments from world leaders.

One key theme of Rio+20 is the green economy, but there's very little consensus on this concept.
The green economy would include low carbon emissions, but it goes beyond that. Green economies have to be considered in the wider context of sustainable development. The efforts to eradicate extreme poverty are tools for this. It's important that each country has political space to define and pursue its own path for a green economy. But there are some things that we need to do together as an international community to put us on the path to sustainable development.
Green economies can provide many benefits. If they are implemented correctly and accompanied by the appropriate social policies, a green economy could provide decent employment for people at different levels of income and ability, including the poor and unemployed. And green economies definitely require the adoption of more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. In the negotiations, there is consensus that green economies should not create barriers for trade or conditions for aid.

Is there a chance that the conference will approve the creation of a new U.N. agency to manage sustainable development?
The institutional framework for sustainable development is one of the two key themes of Rio+20, actually a very crucial theme. We need to construct stronger mechanisms to implement sustainable development initiatives at all levels. And there is widespread support for this. Actually doing it, however, is in the hands of the member-states. The creation of a Global Forum or a Sustainable Development Council, together with the options to reinforce the Sustainable Development Commission and the Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc), are all being discussed, as well as reinforcing the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) as the center of environmental efforts.

Translated by ANNA EDGERTON