One year to Rio+20, UK urged to show leadership

06.06.2011

With the crucial Rio+20 Earth Summit only a year away, today a group of organisations from civil society, including BioRegional, wrote to the UK's Prime Minister David Cameron urging the UK government to show leadership to help ensure that the meeting is a success.

Dear Prime Minister,

In June 2012 leaders from around the world will convene for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil. ‘Rio+20’ will take place twenty years on from the ground-breaking 1992 Rio Earth Summit– an event that marked a watershed in international collaboration on social and environmental issues. The UK government has an international reputation for championing development aid and playing a critical role on climate change. With just a year to go before Rio+20, there is a real opportunity and need for the UK to show similar leadership for sustainable development, and for you, as Prime Minister, to publicly demonstrate your commitment to ensuring a successful Summit.

Rio+20 takes place at a time of increasingly urgent global challenges. There exists massive inequality between rich and poor countries - just 20% of the global population consumes 80% of the world’s resources. Almost 1 billion people go hungry every day despite enough food being produced in the world, and we currently face the second food price crisis in three years. Ecosystem degradation, climate change and increasing natural resource scarcity threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor people around the world, as well as compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Such challenges also threaten to undermine the entire global economy.

These multiple, interconnected issues demand an ambitious global response that addresses poverty, climate change and sustainable development simultaneously. We need a green and just transition – achieving prosperity and resilience for all within the ecological limits of the planet. Developed countries must lead the way by addressing unsustainable consumption and production patterns and promoting international co-operation for a more equitable distribution of the world’s finite resources. This transition requires a fundamental rethink of progress - moving beyond a narrow focus on GDP growth towards broader and more meaningful measures of productivity and well-being.
We ask the UK government to demonstrate leadership towards Rio+20 by:

• Pledging that you, the Prime Minister, will attend Rio+20.
• Appointing an Ambassador or Envoy on Rio+20, tasked with generating a coherent vision across government, ensuring effective engagement with UK civil society, and taking a leadership role in dialogue with other countries.
• Playing a leading role in the preparatory process for Rio+20. For instance, by hosting a High Level Policy Dialogue on a prominent issue – such as green jobs and skills, low carbon development or sustainable food systems - ahead of the next intersessional in December.

UK civil society is ready to play its own role in contributing to these endeavours. We look forward to hearing your Government’s plans for comprehensive engagement with civil society and action on the Rio+20 agenda between now and June 2012.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Bain, Director
CAFOD

Matthew Frost, Chief Executive
Tearfund

David Woollcombe, Director
Peacechild International

Simon Trace, Chief Executive
Practical Action

Jake Leeper and Hannah Smith
Directors
UK Youth Climate Coalition

Karen Newman, Director
Population and Sustainability Network

Paul Valentin, International Director
Christian Aid

Halina Ward, Director
Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development

Camilla Toulmin, Director
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

Sue Riddlestone, Chief Executive
BioRegional

Andy Atkins, Executive Director
Friends of the Earth

Brendan Barber,
General Secretary
Trades Union Congress (TUC)

Felix Dodds, Executive Director
Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future

David Norman, Director of Campaigns
WWF-UK

Sharifin Gardiner, Chairman
Sushila Dharma International Association

Nick Roseveare, Chief Executive
Bond

Caryll Stephen, Chair
Commonwealth Human Ecology Council (CHEC)

Christine Allen, Executive Director
Progressio

Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive
Oxfam GB

Stephen Hockman QC, Director
ICE Coalition (International Court for the Environment)