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About SF (with drop-down menu)
WHAT WE DO (INCLUDED IN DROP-DOWN MENU AND NEW PAGE)
Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future is an international multi-stakeholder organisation working on sustainable development; supporting the increased involvement of stakeholders in international and national governance processes. It is the lead organisation in the development and facilitating of multi-stakeholder processes for sustainable development.
Stakeholder Forum is now an independent organization with a smallstaffed secretariat based in London and staff, partners and consultants around the globe
OUR EXPERIENCE (INCLUDED IN DROP-DOWN MENU AND NEW PAGE)
Stakeholder Forum's involvement in UN conferences and Summits on environment and sustainable development dates back to its conception in 1987, as the first National Committee in the UK for theUnited Nations Environment Programme, UNEP.
Stakeholder Forum’s involvement in the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 established the organisation as an important player in the field of international sustainable development. After the Earth Summit our offices were stacked with Agenda 21 reports which we sent out topolicy-makers,local governments,think-tanks, NGOs, schools and all kinds of community-based organisations.In the years prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development n Johannesburg in 2002, Stakeholder Forum together with governments facilitated discussions and co-ordinated workshops that built momentum for the Summit and prepared stakeholders for meaningful engagement.
To learn more about Stakeholder Forum and its work in other areas, please visitour main website: www.stakeholderforum.org
PREPARING FOR EARTH SUMMIT 2012 (INCLUDED IN DROP-DOWN MENU AND NEW PAGE)
Stakeholder Forum will be co-ordinating a vast range of activities in the run-up to Earth Summit 2012. Activities will range from…. To find out more about Stakeholder Forum activities please visit the Activities page of the website (LINK)
About Earth Summit (with drop-down menu)
HISTORY (INCLUDED IN DROP-DOWN MENU - NEW PAGE)
Earth Summit 2012 will be the fourth Summit of its kind, and represents another milestone in ongoing international efforts to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development globally. Below you will find an overview of key international processes and events that have taken place in the last forty years.
For a helpful overview of all the major events and sustainable development outcomes since 1972, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has produced a timeline that can be accessed here (LINK: Located at \\10.0.1.1\shared\REPORTS and PUBLICATIONS\Other Publications)
Stockholm 1972 (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
The concept of sustainable development dates back a long way, but it was at the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972) that the international community met for the first time to consider global environment and development needs together. The Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan (LINK) defined principles for the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment, and highlighted the need to support people in this process. One of the decisions outlined in the Stockholm Declaration was the formation of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
The Conference indicated that "industrialised" environmental problems, such as habitat degradation, toxicity and acid rain, were not necessarily relevant issues for all countries. In particular, development strategies were not meeting the needs of the poorest countries and communities. However, it was the pending environmental problems that dominated the meeting and led to wider public environmental awareness.
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
The Stockholm Declaration
The Stockholm Declaration outlined a range of principles and commitments for the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment
The Founex Report on Development and Environment 1971 (LINK TO SEPARATE PAGE)
The Founex Report helped lay the groundwork for the 1972 Stockholm conference in identified key environment-development objectives and relationships.
The Brundtland Commission (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
In the 1980s the UN set up the Commission on Environment and Development, also known as the Brundtland Commission, named after its Chair Gro Harlem Brundtland. The outcome of the Brundtland Commission was a comprehensive document entitled "Our Common Future", otherwise known as the Brundtland Report (LINK). This report framed much of what would become the 40 chapters of Agenda 21 and the 27 principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The report defined sustainable development as development which: "meets the needs of present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
The Brundtland Report, ’Our Common Future’
The Brundtland Report was the outcome of the Brundtland Commission on Environment and Development, and was the first report to define sustainable development.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – Rio Earth Summit 1992 (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
the 20th anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. The UN Conference on Environment and Development, the "Earth Summit", agreed to Agenda 21 (LINK) and the Rio Declaration (LINK) . These documents outlined key policies for achieving sustainable development that meets the needs of the poor and recognises the limits of development to meet global needs. "Needs" were therefore interpreted not solely in terms of economic interests but also as the prerequisites for a fully functional, harmonious, global system that incorporates both people and ecosystems.
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 was the comprehensive outcome document of the Rio Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. It represent a ‘blueprint for the 21st century’ and is still considered a seminal text on global sustainable development.
Rio Declaration
The Rio Declaration outlined a set of principles to guide global sustainable development. Principle 10 commits to public participation in environmental decision-making, and is the basis for much of Stakeholder Forum’s work.
NGO Treaties (OPENS IN A NEW PAGE WHICH LISTS THE NGO DOCUMENTS FROM RIO 1992)
In addition to documents and declarations representing commitments made by governments, there were also a number of statements and agreements released by non-governmental actors. Read more..
Peoples Earth Declaration (SHORT BLURB NEEDED HERE)
Rio De Janeiro Declaration (SHORT BLURB NEEDED HERE)
Earth Charter (SHORT BLURB NEEDED HERE)
Ethical Commitments to Global Ecological Posture and Behaviour (SHORT BLURB NEEDED HERE)
Complete list of Alternative Treaties (SHORT BLURB NEEDED HERE)
Rio Conventions and Commissions (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
The Summit brought environment and development issues firmly into the public arena. Along with the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 it led to agreement on two legally binding conventions: the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (LINK) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (LINK). It also produced a Statement of Forest Principles (LINK).
The Earth Summit gave rise to a number of positive responses including the emergence of thousands of Local Agenda 21 initiatives (LINK) and an enhanced political profile for sustainable development issues on a national level. It led to the formation of the annual UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) (LINK) to monitorand follow up on the implementation and developments of Agenda 21. Many countries also set up their own sustainable development commissions (LINK to UK SDC) and created national strategies for sustainable development.
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
UN Convention on Biological Diversity (LINK)
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (LINK)
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (LINK)
OTHERS (SEE LEAGUE TABLES)
MEA League Tables (LINK)
Since 2002, Stakeholder Forum has periodically put together ‘League Tables’ of signatories to the Rio Conventions. The League Tables rank countries according to how many Conventions they have signed and ratified.
Rio+5, 1997 (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
The description of sustainable development in Agenda 21 (LINK) called for a total shift in the status quo of prevalent value systems and institutional processes. Such global change could never have occurred over night.When progress was assessed at Rio+5 (New York, 1997) a number of gaps were identified,particularly with regard to social equity and poverty.
This was largely reflected by falling levels of official development assistance (ODA) and growing international debt along with failures to improve technology transfer, capacity building for participation and development, institutional coordination, and reduce excessive levels of production and consumption. The review meeting called for the ratification, reinforcement and stronger implementation of the growing number of international agreements and conventions which refer to environment and development.
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
Towards Earth Summit II Rio +5 (LINK TO SEPARATE PAGE)
This report was the resultof a multi-stakeholder consultationby the Commission on Sustainable Development NGOSteering committee in the run up to the ‘Rio+5’ High Level Event on sustainable development in 1997, five years on from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg 2002 (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
Stakeholder Forum and a number of governments worked from 1998 to 2000 to create momentum for an Earth Summit in 2002. South Africa hosted the Summit, beating South Korea, Brazil and Indonesia in the process. Between 2nd-5th May 2001, preceding the ninth session of the CSD, the first global preparatory committee (Prep Comm.1) for the Summit took place. Unlike the 1997 review, the Earth Summit 2002 preparations were undertaken well in advance of the Summit, at local, national, sub-regional, regional and global levels. There was considerable optimism and faith in the Summits' ability to get the sustainable development agenda back on track.
The Summit managed to get new commitments on sanitation and underlined yet again the need to address sustainable development as an interlinked agenda. The Summit also saw an increased ratification of environmental conventions, thus bringing them into force significantly strengthening international environmental regulation, first identified as necessary in Rio in 1992. The increased momentum also ensured the ratification of the Kyoto (LINK) and Bio Safety Protocols (LINK). A specific feature of the WSSD was the development of global partnerships for of sustainable development, placing emphasis on collaborative project-based implementation as a complement to international regulation. These partnerships became known as ‘Type II Partnerships’ (LINK)
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (IN RIGHT HAND COLUMN)
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI)
The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation was the outcome document from the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 (WSSD).
Earth Summit 2002 (link: \\10.0.1.1\shared\PROJECTS\Earth Summit 2012\WSSD\Non Paper 2 February 2000.pdf)
This paper is was the outcome of an informal discussion facilitated by the Stakeholder Forum and the Commission on Sustainable Development NGO Steering committee at UNEP governing council in 1999. The paper was produced to stimulate discussion and debate about issues to be addressed and progress that could be made at an Earth Summit in 2002
Earth Summit 2012 (USE READ MORE FUNCTION – INCLUDE FIRST FEW SENTENCES ON THIS PAGE THEN OPEN INTO NEW PAGE WHEN CLICK ON READ MORE)
The world has changed since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the international community is now facing a number of critical and interrelated problems. Since 2007 the world has witnessed a major global food crisis, serious volatility in oil prices, increasing climate variability and the worst global financial crisis to for almost a century.
We are fast approaching a point beyond which the avoidance of catastrophic climate change will become significantly less likely. The majority of the planet’s ecosystems are degraded or under severe pressure as a result of human activity. If global economic growth continues at the current rate, humanity will have to find at least another two planets by the end of the century to sustain consumption patterns.
Facing these myriad problems, it is critical that global leaders come together to define a sustainable development pathway that secures a reasonable standard of living for the global population whilst preserving our ecosystems and resources. The current development paradigm cannot continue – reversing over 150 years of unsustainable economic development will require new thinking and innovative solutions, and it is hoped that the Earth Summit in Rio in 2012 will provide the time and space to do this.
The Rio+20 Earth Summit was agreed by a UN General Assembly resolution on 24th December 2009 (LINK).
LINKS AND DOWNLOADS (ON RIGHT COLUMN, OR BELOW)
Donostia Declaration (link: \\10.0.1.1\shared\PROJECTS\Earth Summit 2012\Donostia Declaration\Earth_Summit_2012_Donostia_Declaration_English.pdf)
This Donostia Declaration was the outcome of a global multistakeholder workshop that Stakeholder Forum co-ordianted in San Sebastian in October 2008. It outlines the case for an Earth Summit in 2012, and provides recommendations on the focus of a Summit
UN General Assembly Resolution on Earth Summit 2012 (link: \\10.0.1.1\shared\PROJECTS\Earth Summit 2012\GA Resolutions\GA Final Resolution Report of Committee II to UN GA 64.pdf)
The resolution calls for an Earth Summit in 2012 and was passed by the General Assembly on 24th December 2009.
BACKGROUND TO EARTH SUMMIT 2012 (NEW PAGE, INCLUDED IN DROP-DOWN MENU FOR ‘ABOUT EARTH SUMMIT)
On 24th December 2009 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution agreeing to hold a ‘Rio+20’ Earth Summit in 2012.
The resolution places great emphasis on the follow-up of previous international commitments on sustainable development, and also outlines the thematic focus of the Summit, which will cover the following areas:
· Green Economy in the context of Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development
· Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development
· Emerging Issues
The resolution was welcomed by governmental and non-governmental stakeholders alike, many of whom had been advocating for a Rio+20 Summit for over a year. Below Stakeholder Forum has listed in chronological order all the major milestones and developments in the run-up to the General Assembly resolution that agreed to hold a Summit in 2012.