PM Lukšić attends opening of UN Rio+20 conference on sustainable development

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (21 June 2012) – Prime Minister Igor Lukšić attended the opening of the United Nations Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, the most significant event in this area, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro on 20 – 22 June.

The conference was opened by the President of Brazil and Chairman of the Conference Dilma Rusef and the UN Secretary - General Ban Ki-moon.

The conference agreed to establish the high intergovernmental political forum which will replace the previous institutions in the field of sustainable development and reinforce the global institutional system in this area. It was also agreed to define the Sustainable Development Goals, which will contribute to more efficient monitoring of sustainable development at the countries level and globally. The UN Programme for Environment was strengthened, and the green economy was defined as one of the mechanisms for achieving sustainable development.

It was recommended to include private sector in the implementation of sustainable development policies in particular through the corporative reporting on sustainable development, and to boost ties between science and defining and implementing policies. The conference adopted the Ten-Year Programme for Sustainable Consumption and Production.

The respective UN institutions were obliged to define broad measure for VAT growth, which Montenegro, as an ecological state, strongly supports. The institutions were also obliged to adopt a new strategic framework for financing sustainable development at the UN level. The partnerships with all social stakeholders were rated as key models for the decision making process and the implementation of principles and standards of sustainable development.

Montenegro takes part in the global gathering on sustainable development for the first time and has an opportunity to present its national institutional system for sustainable development and strengthen international cooperation in this area.

As part of UN Secretary – General’s initiative, Montenegro will be represented at the conference through official UN publications.

The members of the Montenegrin delegation, including the NGO representatives engaged in the area of sustainable development, are directly involved in the negotiations and the events organised on the sidelines of the conference.

The three - day event brings together leaders from throughout the world with the aim of renewing political support to sustainable development. The summit will assess the results achieved in the implementation of the recommendations and adopt the Final Document which will include measures for joint action with regard to current challenges in this field.