Rio+20 begins this Wednesday with an impasse between rich and poor countries

06/12/2012 - 18h23

Chinese representative Sha Zukang, the secretary-general of Rio+20 denounced the attempt by rich countries to withdraw or dilute the idea of "common, but differentiated, responsibility" in the final document of the conference.

According to this principle-present in the global agreements that came out of Eco 92-developed countries will have to contribute more to sustainable development.

Sha recalls that the U.N. resolution that initiated Rio+20 began with the objective to "update" the principles of the Declaration of Rio and of Agenda 21, which were approved 20 years ago.

"Our work is not to change the principles, add new ones or eliminate any of them. All 27 of the principles of the Declaration of Rio are at least equally as relevant and valid today, if not more so," he said.

The final document of Rio+20 will not have detailed goals, but the question of who is going to pay the bill for reconciling environmental protection with development has delayed agreement about the text.

The United States and Japan say that China, India and Brazil, among others, should assume more responsibility. The G-77, a group of more than 130 developing countries, insists on preserving the principle of differentiation.

THE LAST SECOND

The negotiation continues in the pre-conference, from tomorrow until Friday, but it can be extended through the summit itself, June 20 - 22, and even until the last second before the agreement is released. "People always show their cards at the last second," he said.

Sha said that he would be "very happy to see" American President Barak Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel or British Prime Minister David Cameron in Rio, but he minimized the significance of their possible absence.

According the United Nations, 134 heads of state have already registered to speak next week, more than the 108 that were at Eco-92 and the 104 that were at Rio+10, which took place in Johannesburg in 2002.

Rio+20 is part of a series of U.N. conferences about the environment. The first was in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972, where the report, "Our Common Future," was first released.

The report defines sustainable development as "that which satisfies present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to continue developing."

The central themes of Rio+20 are: "the green economy in the context of sustainable development and the eradication of poverty" and "the institutional structure for sustainable development."

The proposals that are being discussed include strengthening the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme); the creation of a Counsel for Sustainable Development; and the establishment of Sustainable Development Goals, with objectives for areas like clean energy and food security.

Translated by ANNA EDGERTON