Purpose / Background

The Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will take place at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Republic of Korea on 19 and 20 October 2011. It is being hosted by the Republic of Korea, and organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Asian Development Bank.

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (also known as the Rio+20 Earth Summit) will take place in Brazil on 4-6 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. The Conference aims 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. It will focus on two themes: (a) a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (b) the institutional framework for sustainable development.

Objectives

National governments, major group organizations and international and regional organizations will be participating to prepare an Asian and Pacific Statement to the UNCSD. The meeting will also help to build the capacity of regional actors to participate in the global process. It will result in a greater awareness of the unique challenges that face the Asian and Pacific regions, the progress made by the region, and the potential contributions of the region to the global debate. Regional institutions and other relevant bodies are invited to table specific initiatives that can be launched at United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development as the region's contribution.