World Leaders Converge in Rio De Janeiro to Advance Sustainable Development

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, June 22 (Bernama) -- World leaders converged in Brazil on Friday, two decades after the first Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro. Unless the leaders decide on fundamental changes at the three-day summit, negotiators and the civil society expect at least a roadmap on institutional reforms and goals. To complement the United Nations (UN) talks, two expert panels organised by the Asia-Europe Environment Forum and its partners explored solutions from the ground up. "While global efforts are being discussed, national mechanisms have gone farther for environmental justice in countries like Hungary," said Dr Sándor Fülöp, Hungarian Deputy Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, who was also once an Ombudsman for Future Generations. "At the national level, sustainable development needs to be mainstreamed in overall development planning through genuine teamwork among government agencies and civil society stakeholders,’ said Prof Cielito Habito. Habito, from the Philippines, was the Chairman of the first national council for Sustainable Development created in Asia immediately after the Rio Summit in 1992. "Regional organisations fulfil a key role, supporting member countries' efforts to tackle common issues more effectively, by facilitating cooperation and knowledge sharing and allowing long-term networking to take root," said Dr David Stanners, the European Environment Agency’s Head of International Cooperation. Regional bodies support national and sub-national efforts through development financing and capacity building," said Dr Nessim Ahmad, a director for Regional and Sustainable Development at the Manila-based Asian Development Bank. The Asia-Europe Foundation and its partners mapped out national and regional mechanisms at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on a new study entitled "Global Architectures for Sustainable Development Delivery". ASEM Heads of State and Government will convene in November in Laos, where global affairs such as the Rio+20 outcomes are expected to be advanced," said Sol Iglesias, Director for Intellectual Exchange at ASEF. The study is an initiative under the Asia-Europe Environment Forum, a strategic partnership of ASEF, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies of Japan, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The Rio+20 side events were organised with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, the Earth Council, the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific at the Asian Institute of Technology, and the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Centre. -- BERNAMA