(RIO + 20 SUMMIT)

The Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Therefore it is also known as RIO
Summit. Rio+20 – the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development. It took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012. Since there is twenty years of
gap (2012-1992) between these two summits, the latest RIO Summit is nicknamed “RIO +20.”

Objectives

By this conference UN wanted to bring together governments, international institutions and

major (NGO) groups to agree on a range of smart measures for

1. poverty reduction
2. clean energy
3. Sustainable development. And this Sustainble Development has three pillers
1. economic development,
2. social development
3. environmental protection.

Themes

Official discussions will focus on two main themes

1. How to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development

2. How to lift people out of poverty, including support for developing countries for taking
‘green’ path for development.

Seven important areas of discussion:

Jobs: There is need to create more “Green jobs”= jobs in agriculture, industry, services
and administration that can save the environment.

Energy: Energy is essential for jobs security, climate change, food production or
increasing incomes. (poverty reduction).

Cities: Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social
development and much more. Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science,
productivity, social development and much more. But Common city challenges include
congestion, lack of basic services, poor hygiene and sanitation, unsafe drinking water.

Food: Climate change is putting even more pressure on food security. On earth there will
be additional 2 billion people by 2050. Right now, our soils, freshwater, oceans, forests
and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded to increase the food production. So Rio 20 is
the place to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food.
Water: There is sufficient fresh water on the planet. But due to bad economics or poor
infrastructure, every year millions of people, most of them children, die from diseases
associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Water scarcity, poor
water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood
choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world Drought afflicts
some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition. By 2050, at
least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring
shortages of fresh water.

Oceans: Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food,
and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by
the sea. Oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation. Careful
management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

Disasters: Disasters are caused by earthquakes, floods, droughts, hurricanes, tsunamis

etc. They have devastating impacts on people, environments and economies. Smart
choices help us recover from disasters, while poor choices make us more vulnerable.
These choices relate to how we grow our food, where and how we build our homes, how
our financial system works, what we teach in schools and more. Therefore RIO 20 aims
to change the way these choices are made.