The document provides background information on the Rio+20 process and framework. It discusses the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), which is responsible for sustainable development within the UN and serves as a forum for issues related to the three dimensions of sustainable development. It notes that CSD was established after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio to follow up on Agenda 21 and was given an updated mandate by the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg. It also outlines the major stakeholder groups that participate in the Rio+20 process, including governments, UN agencies, and civil society groups. Finally, it lists the upcoming meetings in the Rio+20 process leading up to the June 2012 conference in Rio.

1. Part 2:
The Rio+20 Process and Framework
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2.  § 5. Reiterates that the Commission on
Sustainable Development is the high level body
responsible for sustainable development within
the United Nations system and serves as a forum
for the consideration of issues related to the
integration of the three dimensions of
sustainable development,
 and underlines the need to further support the
work of the Commission, taking into account its
existing mandate and the decisions taken at its
eleventh session;
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3.  Established after Rio in 1992 UNCED) to
follow up the political process on Agenda
21 and sustainable development
 Was given a new and updated mandate
at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development, Johannesburg, 2002
 A standing committee under ECOSOC
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4.  Developed the modalities for its process
based on the mandate given CSD by WSSD –
the Worlds Summit on Sustainable
Development, Johannesburg 2002, and gave
the Major Groups their position in
relationship to the official delegates and the
UN system
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5. A forum for a broad discussion
 on sustainable development issues
 on overarching or cross cutting issues
 on normative issues
 on issues that have direct relevance for
work on local, national and regional
level
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6.  The governments, delegations, civil
servants
 The intergovernmental organisations,
UN agencies
 Members of civil society, and as decided
by UNCED in 1992, they are known as
the 9 Major Groups
 Sometimes, Ministers
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7. A BIT OF HISTORY
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8.  The UN Charter formally recognises only
3 entities as accepted actors:
 official national delegations,
 intergovernmental organisations
 non-governmental organisations-NGOs.
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9.  The legal basis for NGO participation at the
United Nations is Article 71 of the UN
Charter. This allows ECOSOC to entertain
consultative relationships with NGOs.
 It is the NGO committee within ECOSOC*
that sets the rules of accreditation, and this
body formally issues the letters of
accreditation to NGOs.
*ECOSOC, The Economic and Social Council, one of
the 5 permanent UN bodies.
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10. We are all invited to contribute
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11.  runs the process leading up to the conference,
 has been selected by the UN General Assembly
 The African Group: Egypt and Botswana;
 The Asian Group: Pakistan and South Korea;
 GRULAC (Latin American and Caribbean Group):
Argentina and Barbuda;
 CEIT (Countries with Economies in Transition):
Croatia and the Czech Republic;
 WEOG (Western European and Others Group):
the US (first half of the period) Canada (second
half of the period) and Italy;
 ex officio: Brazil.
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12.  “all stakeholders, - governments,
intergovernmental agencies and civil society
including the major groups, to contribute to a
working document which will be the basis for
the outcome document of the upcoming UN
Conference for Sustainable Development to
be held in Rio in June 2012 called Rio + 20.”
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13.  Now – in 2011-2012 - the major groups
and civil society are written directly into
the Rio plus 20 resolution
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14. You have all been invited to contribute....
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15. Accountability Ownership
Effectiveness Participation
Equity Partnership
Flexibility Societal Gains
Good governance Strengthening
Inclusiveness institutions
Learning Transparency
Legitimacy Voices, not votes
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16.  Dialogues
 Consensus-building
 Decision-making
 Implementation
 Monitoring & evaluation
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17.  Discuss what can make a successful
partnership, keeping the integrity of various
stakeholders intact
 Identify good practices that could be
replicated
 Identify policy practices impairing
partnerships and processes from being
developed
 Identify a framework for developing
partnerships and processes
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18.  Raise issues and bring them to the
table, and thus help influence the
agenda
 Keep the issues of
participation, accountability and
transparency alive and relevant
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19. There are a number of them.....
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20. The Secretariat is the permanent body that supports
the work of the convention between meetings and
does the logistical and secretariat work for the event
and during it. The Secretariat will have a role that
includes:
 Preparing the background papers
 Producing or updating a website for the meeting
 Analyzing the national reports
 Producing promotional material for the meeting
 Producing negotiating text arising from the discussions
 Making available all official documents
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21.  Committee of the Whole (COW): the formal
sessions governed by rules of procedure and
are simultaneously translated in all of the six
UN languages.
 Contact Groups: resolve a particular issue of
disagreement. The members of the group are
typically drawn from the governments who
disagree.
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22.  Friends of the Chair/President: – where the
Chair invites a few prominent negotiators to
form a group called Friends of the
Chair/President to help informally in
developing consensus.
 Informals: a subsidiary body of the working
groups and are set up when there is a set of
critical issues that needs to be addressed.
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23.  Working Groups: are subsidiary bodies of
the COW. At any one time, usually no more
than two will be meeting. Joint Working
Groups come together when there are cross
cutting issues the two working groups can be
brought together to deal with them.
 Ministerial Round Tables are when Ministers
want to discuss an issue but are not yet ready
to make a decision
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24. And you’re off....
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25.  To influence the text that will be negotiated;
 To build and cultivate alliances for future
work;
 To showcase studies of successes that your
organization has achieved;
 To learn about how intergovernmental
negotiations work;
 To get to know your government
 To raise funds for your work
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26.  Meet with key parliamentarians before leaving
– initiated a debate in parliament
 Set up a rapid response mechanism in the
capital in case you need it
 Try to get an NGO on delegation and to be
allowed to attend pre inter-departmental
meetings before the event
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27. At the UN event, your organization should:
 have a photo booklet of key negotiators and UN
staff so they are easy to find
 Designate point contacts for all key people e.g.,
G77, EU, US, key countries, Bureau members, UN
officials,
 Assign floor managers to each negotiation room
 Use coffee bar diplomacy, receptions
 Use any informal possibilities
drinks/dinner/dancing
 Spending no more than 20% of your time with
NGOs
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28.  Get access to the floor as an NGO (working
through NGO or stakeholder groupings)
 You might be able to “take the floor” as an
individual accredited organisation on some
occasions
 Have 200 copies of your intervention – give
copies to the UN staff for the interpreters and
to distribute
 Be focused and to the point
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29.  You will have access to the brief of your country;
 You may be able to sit in on delegation meetings
within blocks;
 You may be able to sit in on delegation meetings
between blocks;
 You will be able to push for the NGO or
stakeholder position during the appropriate
meetings of the delegation;
 You can be asked to act as the intermediary
between the NGOs and the government;
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30.  You will be aware of where there is
possible movement in a negotiation and
may
 be asked to draft text for your
delegation to put forward;
 You will be able to cultivate relationships
with the delegation for future work.
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31.  If you join a government delegation you will lose some
independence. Some governments require NGOs on a
delegation to sign an official document saying they
will not divulge what they have heard in delegation
meetings;
 You will have limited time available for being with
other NGOs if you are an active member of the
delegation;
 You may be seen as the doorkeeper for NGOs with the
delegation or you may be viewed as having ‘switched
sides’ and joined the government team
 You may not be allowed to speak publicly on a
position
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32. This is where we are....
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33.  November 28 – December 9, COP 17 (on
climate) in Durban, South Africa
 December 1 – 2, the Regional Preparatory
Meeting for the UN ECE
region, Geneva, Switzerland, (Mandated)
 December 15 -16, the second intersessional
for the Rio 2012 conference, discussions on
the compiled inputs so far, including the
structure of the outcome document, at
UN, New York, (Mandated)
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34.  January 16 - 18 informal informals to
discuss the content, UN, New York
(Mandated)
 February, 13 – 17, First informal
negotiating week on the Zero Draft of
the document, UN, New York
(Mandated)
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35.  Late June, third prep comm, Rio, Brazil
(Mandated)
 Days of informals between the third
prep comm and the UN CSD in Rio
(Mandated)
 June20-22, the Rio+20 conference
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36. End of session 2
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