Rio+20 Conference

Rio+20 Conference

The U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (often referred to as Rio+20) will take place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil June 20-22, 2012. Rio+20 will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The objective of the conference, as stated by the UN conference Secretariat, is "to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges.”

The two main themes for Rio+20 are:

• a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and
  
• the institutional framework for sustainable development.
  

Member countries, including the United States, have been engaged in preparations for Rio+20 since 2010. The UN held Preparatory Committee meetings in May 2010 and March 2011. The third and final Preparatory Committee meeting will be held in May 2012, the week before the Conference.

EPA is actively engaged in the United States government preparations for Rio+20, in partnership with a range of U.S. agencies. The EPA is also reaching out to civil society and the private sector, and is involved in the State Department stakeholder outreach process as a part of preparations for Rio+20. Our shared goal is to advance the objectives of the Conference and make Rio+20 an inclusive Conference that engages stakeholders from across civil society and the private sector.

Useful Links:

• Rio+20 Fact Sheet from the Department of State (PDF) (2 pp, 955 K,  About PDF Files)
• UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Official site of Rio +20)
• EPA's work with the UN Commission on Sustainable Development