The EU sees the final text from Brazil as weak

06/18/2012 - 15h32

The negotiations surrounding the final document of Rio+20 came to a close Monday afternoon with Brazil trying to bypass the European Union's resistance to accepting a text that it considers to be weak and unequal on the issue of eradicating poverty.

According to Folha's conversation with representatives from the European Union, environmental issues were not adequately addressed in the text that was presented by Brazil, and the host country also worked to remove a clear definition of the themes of the Sustainable Development Goals from the document.

The EU was also bothered by the Brazilian proposal to exclude the possible conversion of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) into an independent agency.

Still, the Brazilian coordinator of Rio+20, ambassador Luiz Figueiredo, said that the draft "leaves room for the process for the UNEP to become a different kind of platform."

"WEAK"

The dissatisfaction surrounding the course of the conference did not come just from the negotiating tables at the Riocentro conference center where the main events are taking place.

The group known as "The Elders," which was formed in 2007 by the South African leader Nelson Mandela, appealed to current leaders to save the final document.

"There is the opinion that the text is still very weak, and that the delegates don't seem to understand the importance of social justice and social inclusion," said Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, in a group interview with the former Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland and former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

UNHAPPY

Figueiredo said in closed discussions on Sunday that the final document should reflect a "balance of dissatisfaction."

The very same phrase was used by Nikhil Chandravakar, the spokesperson for the executive secretary of Rio+20, Sha Zukang. "In the U.N. tradition, we say that a consensus where everyone is equally unhappy is a good consensus."

According to Figueiredo, the negotiations dragged into the night, but they were moving ahead. The idea was to close the text this morning.

As this edition goes to press, various impasses remain. Besides the unfavorable reception of the text by the EU delegation, there was also resistance from the U.S. to accept an agreement about the protection of oceans, which Brazil considers to be one of the most positive outcomes of Rio+20.

The Americans also insisted on the removal of specific references to the principle, "common but differentiated responsibilities."

According to this principle, the rich countries should pay most of the costs of the transition to sustainable development.

Another issue that has not been agreed upon is the end of subsidies to fossil fuels, which Brazil tried to defend in the document, with resistance from oil-producing nations such as Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and some African countries.

"There's a lot of theatre with the negotiations," said one South American delegate from.

Translated by ANNA EDGERTON