DRAFT
Report of the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
I.

Matters calling for action by the Secretariat or brought to its attention
1.
The Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) adopted the Report of the Asianand Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for UNCSD and agreed to provide the
Asian and Pacific Regional Outcome on Sustainable Development as an input to the
UNCSD.

II.

Proceedings of the Meeting
A. Sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific:

Key challenges andopportunities

2.
Under agenda item four on Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, theSecretariat provided an overview of programme for the Meeting and procedures,
followed by reports from a number of subregional, regional and global meetings related
to UNCSD.
a) H.E. Mr. Fa’amoetauloa Taito Faale Tumaalii, Minister of State, Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa presented the outcomes of the Rio+20 Pacific Preparatory Meeting: Joint Ministerial Meeting, held 20 - 22 July
2011 in Apia, Samoa. His Excellency indicated that the Pacific has adopted the“green economy in a blue world” theme for Rio+20 as the smallness andisolation of the Pacific population does not allow sufficient human capacity tobuild resilience. Therefore, capacity building remains a key issue for sustainable
development and the management of the global commons of the world’s largest
ocean. Small island developing countries need additional and considerable
external financing and seek agreements with the international community to
improve access to funds.
b) Mr. Ramakrishna, Kilaparti, Director of ESCAP’s Subregional Office for East andNorth-East Asia presented the outcome of the Sixteenth Senior Officials Meetingof the North-East Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation(NEASPEC), which was held 1-2 September 2011, in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The meeting of Northeast Asian countries exchanged the view that there was aneed to reinforce political commitment to sustainable development. In thisregard, countries in North-East Asia expressed the view that the UNCSD shouldhave a concise political declaration and a focused political document on the two1themes of Rio+20, which could provide meaningful insights to formulatinginternational development goals after 2015 by sharing its vision for sustainable
development. The Meeting also heard the views of member states on the issuesof “the principle of common but differentiated responsibility”, “human security”,
and “green protectionism” with regard to the global discussion on a green
economy.
c) Mr. La Yifan, Deputy Director General of the Department of International
Organizations and Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China provided an
overview of the High-Level Symposium on the United Nations Conference onsustainable Development, held 8-9 September 2011, in Beijing, China. Mr. La
expressed that Rio+20 should be action-oriented and consensus-based and notrenegotiate or retract agreed instruments, principles and outcomes of major
summits on sustainable development. The international community shouldmake provision for technology, finance and capacity building for sustainable
development. To facilitate this, renewed political commitment is essential forincreasing the integration of all three pillars of sustainable development. M. La
indicated that a green economy could be a good instrument to achievesustainable development. However, strengthened governance in all three pillars
as well as improved integration among the three pillars is essential, and theUnited Nations should continue to play a key leading role.
d) Mr. Dana Adyana Kartakusuma, Assistant Minister, Economy and Sustainable
Development, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia presented the key highlightsof the High-Level Dialogue on an Institutional Framework for Sustainable
Development, which was held 19-21 July 2011, in Solo, Indonesia. This meetingproduced seven key messages, specifically (1) the need for renewed politicalcommitment for sustainable development and a translation of this commitment
into implementation; (2) the need to ensure that the three pillars of sustainable
development work together, (3) at the international level, the need for an
organization to enhance the integration of sustainable development, (4) at thenational level, the need for more integrated support for national strategies; (5)the need to strengthen UNEP; (6) review and support of sustainable
development governance at the local, national and regional level; and (7) theneed for new and additional financing to enable implementation for capacity
building and technology transfer.
e) Vice Minister Ruslan Bultrikov, of the Ministry of Environment Protection of
Kazakhstan delivered a presentation on the progress made on the developmentof the Green Bridge Partnership Programme of the Astana Green Bridge
Initiative. Based on the Initiative, the Green Bridge Partnership Programme wasdeveloped requiring a multilateral, long-term partnership and more stable basis
for green investments, and a technology transfer mechanism for green
technologies and innovations. The programme aims to ensure free assistanceand advice to countries and intuitions on new technologies or innovation, but
2also to use other countries’ experiences in reforming policies to attract green
investment. For this programme, Kazakhstan welcomes strong partners withexperience.
f) Mr. Rajneesh Dube, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest, India,
presented the outcome of the Dialogue on “Green Economy and Inclusive
Growth”, held 3-4 October 2011, in New Delhi, India. Mr. Dube indicated thatmany in the dialogue considered the principle of common but differentiatedresponsibilities to be crucial in the context of reinvigorating Agenda 21, andacknowledged poverty eradication as an important benchmark for green
economy policies. It was reiterated that there should be recognition of national
priorities and conditions that define the nature of the policies and strategies
adopted by each country to green their economies. There is the need for creatinga “Sustainable Development Fund” at the global level to enable the transition to agreen economy. The Dialogue also called for a green economy roadmap with atool box of flexible policies, instruments and best practices.
g) A representative from Brazil briefed the Meeting on the status of preparations
for UNCSD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and expressed his expectation for active
participation of all government and major group representatives in the
Conference.
3.
Key outcomes and recommendations from a number of stakeholder meetings
were presented, as follows:a) Ms. Chee Yoke Ling, Director of Programmes, Third World Network, presented astatement from the ‘Road to Rio+20: Charting our Path’, held 17-18 October
2011, in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She indicated that while the environmental
dimension of sustainable development has remained weak, the economic
dimension characterised by market liberalism, privatisation and deregulation
has resulted in global financial instability. Employment and livelihoods, therights of women, indigenous peoples, youth and other vulnerable groups havesuffered for this. There is concern that the preparatory process has not
sufficiently looked into the gaps over the past 20 year. They emphasized that thefocus should be on the integration of the three pillars of sustainable
development rather than Green Economy or Green Growth. There is a basic
right to natural resources that should be used in a sustainable manner.
Regarding the institutional framework for sustainable development, the creationof a sustainable development Council at the General Assembly is recommended,along with enhancing UNEP coordinated with system wide reforms.
b) Mr. Bruce McKellar, Chair of the ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and thePacific provided an overview of issues raised during the ICSU-UNESCO Rio+20
Science and Technology Workshop held in Kuala Lumpur, in April 2011. The
Meeting recognized that the continued use of the earth’s resources and3ecosystems in an unsustainable manner will lead to the situation where theplanet will not support us, recognized already by the number of people living in
extreme poverty. A green economy coupled with a clear commitment to poverty
reduction is a practical way to achieve sustainable development, for which theindicators of sustainable development should be fully utilized. With regard to
institutional reform for sustainable development, there is a need to integrate theenvironment, society, and economics, and the natural and social science andtechnology in a holistic manner.
c) Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, Chair of the Board of Directors, Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES), summarized the outcomes of the International
Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific, held July 2011, in Yokohama, Japan.
The key messages were that ‘Resilience’ is a key factor for pursuing sustainable
development; a Green economy is an important interim milestone for shifting towards
sustainable development; and a better institutional framework for sustainable
development is one of the necessary conditions that support efforts by all
stakeholders at all levels. With regard to the institutional framework, universal
membership for UNEP should be realized and at the regional level, there needs to bestrengthening and coordination of existing institutions and networks.
d) Mr. Paul Lagoy Quintos, Programme Manager, IBON International, reported on
the meeting Towards a People-centered Sustainable Development which washeld August 2011, in Bangkok, Thailand. In their statement, they called upon
governments and the UN system to deliver on the promises and commitments
made in Rio twenty years ago, and asked for that they reaffirm andoperationalize the principles of Rio. They expressed concerned that the Green
Economy theme chosen for the Rio+20 does not fully or holistically address thesocial, economic and ecological challenges of sustainable development today.
Instead, they requested governments to look at people-cantered sustainable
development supported and promoted by an enabling environment. Regarding
the institutional framework for sustainable development, Rio+20 should work
towards the establishment of a broad inclusive multi-stakeholder consultative
body or network tasked with supporting the promotion and implementation ofAgenda 21 and Rio+20 resolutions.
e) Ms. Daphne Dolot Roxas, Executive Director and Co-convener, Asian Women’s
Network on Gender and Development presented the outcome of the Asian
Women’s Forum on Gender Justice and the Green Economy: Special focus onwater, energy and food security, which was held 12-16 September 2011 in
Bangkok, Thailand. Key recommendations from this meeting include the needfor recognition of gender inequity and an integration of gender perspectives inplanning, decision making and implementation of programmes and projects inwater, energy and food security. With respect to these three sectors, they
concluded by calling for a rights-based approach to development and women’s
empowerment, gender mainstreaming to include sex disaggregated data, gender4

analysis, gender action plans, monitoring and evaluation, gender indicators,
gender budget audits, and support to women’s leadership in all levels ofdecision-making.
4.
The discussion covered the topic of a green economy in the context of poverty
eradication and sustainable development; institutional framework on sustainable
development and stakeholder perspectives, the highlight of which have been compiled in
the Chairperson’s summary, attached as annex one to this report.
B. The Asian and Pacific Regional Outcome on Sustainable Development
5.
The Asian and Pacific Regional Outcome on Sustainable Development “the Seoul
Outcome” as attached in annex two, was provided as an input to the UNCSD.
C. Other matters
6.
A number of participants expressed their appreciation to the Government of the
Republic of Korea for their generosity in hosting this event. Several participants also
expressed their appreciation to the organizers and partner organizations for their supportin attending the meeting.
D. Adoption of the Report of the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory
Meeting
7.
The Report of the Asian and Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for UNCSD
was adopted on 20 October 2011.
III.

Organization of the Regional Preparatory Meeting
A. Opening session
8.
The opening session included seven statements from distinguished speakers,organizers, partners, the host government and the UNCSD Secretariat.
a) The Secretary-General of the UNCSD Secretariat, Mr. Sha Zukang, opened thesession with and overview of Asia and the Pacific, which represents morethan half of humanity, and has much to contribute to a sustainable future
considering its great progress in reducing poverty and protecting
ecosystems. Mr. Sha emphasized that Rio+20 must start with areaffirmation of the Rio principles and the need to renew andreinvigorate political will and commitment. In this connection, hehighlighted that a green economy could be a vehicle for integrating thethree pillars of sustainable development and a way of reinforcing
coherence among economic, environmental and social policies, and that5the discussion on institutional framework for sustainable development
has been gaining importance and interest.
b) Mr. Nessim Ahmad, Director of the Environment and Social Safeguards
Division of the Asian Development Bank, followed with remarks as acollaborating partner to the meeting by stating that almost two billion
people live without proper safe sanitation in Asia and nearly half ofbillion do so without safe drinking water. Rising food prices continue toplace pressure on Asia’s poor. Mr. Ahmad indicated that green policy
measures and new green market opportunities may increasingly became
key drivers for growth in the region.
c) Mr. Young-woo Park, Regional Director and Representative for Asia andPacific for United Nations Development Programme (UNEP) noted thepotential for Rio +20 to contribute to the evolution of sustainable
development in a way that recognizes and values Asia-Pacific’s assets andpriorities. Regarding a green economy, it was noted that the concept is an
instrument to achieve sustainable development and that a green
economic would contribute to income generation, job creation, andpoverty reduction. It was noted that to achieve sustainable development,
all three pillars of the international framework for sustainable
development- environment, social and economic- must be mutually
supportive and reinforcing.
d) In His Excellency Mr. Henri Djombo, Minister of Sustainable Development,
Forest Economics and Environment from the Republic of Congopresented the perspectives of the African region in the lead-up to the
UNCSD, and stressed that the Asia-Pacific region and Africa share acommon destiny in the context of sustainable development, in particular,
through Rio+20 and beyond. He called for that Rio+20 should present theopportunity to catalyze a paradigm shift in growth in the 21 the century
and strengthen cooperation between developed and developing countries
to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
e) Representing the UNCSD Bureau, Ambassador Kim Sook indicated that agreen economy has particular relevance to the Asia-Pacific region and canprovide an alternative development path for sustainable growth andenvironmental protection, which will ultimately contribute to eradicating
poverty. A transition to a green economy requires strengthening strategic
partnerships between developing and developed countries, and utilizing
public-private partnerships where possible. Institutional mechanisms tofacilitate financial assistance and technology transfer to developing
countries will have a significant impact on the success of Rio+20. In thiscontext, strengthening the mandate of regional commissions should also
be examined.
6f) As the organizers of the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting, Mr. Shunichi Murata, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP highlighted that theregion has plenty of home-grown innovative approaches that support thedevelopment of a green economy, since the region pioneered its foresightby adopting a ministerial declaration that identifies the need to shift
towards a green growth at the 5th Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific in 2005. He
expressed his expectation that, based on its rich experiences, the AsiaPacific region could embrace this unique opportunity to formulate aneffective and powerful regional voice, so that the region could play a keyrole in the development of a Global Partnership for green economy.
g) Finally, in the keynote speech, the host of the event Her Excellency Dr. YooYoung-Sook, Minister for Environment of the Republic of Korea
welcomed delegates with the perspective that there is a broad consensus
that a green economy can provide an alternative development model bymaking the economy work for the environment. In this regard, Her
Excellency emphasized that the opportunities and benefits of a green
economy must be maximized through effective policies that also promotesocial equity. However, she warned that the transition to a green
economy will be a huge challenge for the international community, which
will need to work together to make a country-specific models for building
green economies and narrowing implementation gap.
B. Attendance
9.
The Meeting was attended by 41 member and associate member states of ESCAP,
specifically: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam,
Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Marshall Island, Mongolia,
Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, thePhilippines, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Samoa, the Solomon Islands,
Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet
Nam.
10.

The non-member states of the Republic of Congo and Finland were also present.

11.
Four members of the UNCSD Secretariat and three of the UNCSD Bureau werealso present.
12.
Representatives of the following United Nations bodies and specialized agencies
were present: the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations
Environment Programme, the United Nations Centre for Regional Development of the United
Nations Development Programme,, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster7

Reduction, the United Nations Office for Project Service, the United Nations University, and theWorld Health Organization.

13.
Representatives from the following intergovernmental organizations and otherentities also attended: the Asian Development Bank, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat,
the Global Green Growth Institute, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, theInternational Institute for Sustainable Development, the South Asia Co-operative Environment
Programme, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

14.
The following non-government organizations and civil society groups also
attended: Croplife Asia, the Global Compact Local Network Korea, Homeplus Co. Ltd.,
Honam Petrochemical Corporation, Korean Metal Workers’ Union (on behalf of the
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and International Trade Union Confederation),Asia-Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty, the Asian non-government Organization
Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, the centre for Community
Economics and Development Consultants Society, the Indonesia Farmer’s and Fisher’sSociety Organization, the Indonesia Peasant Alliance / Asia Pacific Network on Food
Security (Indonesia Chapter), the Peasant movement of the Philippines, the Pesticide
Action Network for Asia and the Pacific, the World Farmer’s Organization, the Asia
Indigenous People’s Pact, the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy
Research and Education, the Island Sustainability Alliance CIS Incorporated, the City
Government of Dipolog, ZDN, the Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia, theInternational Council for Science (ICSU) for Asia and the Pacific, ICSU Office for Asiaand the Pacific, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, the Asia Pacific
Forum on Women, Law and Development, Asian Women’s Network on Gender andDevelopment and Helena Benitez Global Forum, Philippine Women’s University,
Development Alternatives with Women for a new era, Korean Women’s Association
United, the National Network on Gender, Energy and Environment, the Social Ecofund,the South Asian Women’s Network and Chintan Environmental Research and Action
Group, Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resources
Management, the Environmental Challenge Organization, the Freedom from debt
Coalition and Jubilee South Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development, theNational Federation of Youth Organizations in Bangladesh, the Project Survival
Media/Advocates for Youth, the UNEP Tunza for Asia and the Pacific, Youth with a
Mission (Samoa), the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration, the Asia
Pacific Research Network, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population andDevelopment, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, the Center for Development
Program, the Centre for Environment and Development, Centre for Environment andSustainable Development India, the Earth Council Asia-Pacific Incorporated, the Forumfor Nature Protection, the Good People International, the Greeneration Indonesia,
Geenovation Hub/Chinese Civil Climate Change Action Network, Greenpeace, IBONInternational, the International Green Purchasing Network, the Korea Federation forEnvironmental Movements, the OLE Siosiomaga Society Incorporated, the Society of
Catholic Medical Missionaries, the Stakeholder Forum for Sustainable Future, theThailand Environment Institute, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia, the8World Society for Protection of Animals, the Third World Network, Vaagdhara, theWorld Wildlife Fund (Heart of Borneo Initiative), the World Wildlife Fund International.
15.
Observers from the Asian Institute of Technology / United Nations Environment
Programme RRCAP and the United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace
were also present.
C. Election of officers
16.

The Meeting elected the following officers to the Bureau:a) Chairperson:
H.E. Mr. Yoon Jong-soo (Republic of Korea)b) Vice-Chairs:
Mr. Yifan La (China)
Ms. Anna Klyukhina (the Russian Federation)
H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi (Thailand)
Mr. Dana Adyana Kartakusuma (Indonesia)
Mr. Rajneesh Dube (India)
Mr. Golam Kibria (Bangladesh)
H.E. Mr. Ruslan Iskanderovich Bultrikov (Kazakhstan)
Mr. Sangov Odil (Tajikistan)
Ms. Christine Deborah Schweizer (Australia)
H.E. Mr. Fa’amoetaula Taito Faale Tumaalii (Samoa)
Mr. Asif Qayyum Qureshi (Pakistan)c) Rapporteur:
Mr. Atsushi Suginaka (Japan)
D. Agenda
17.
The Meeting adopted the agenda EDD/UNCSD/RPM/1 with a slight modification
to agenda item five :91.

Opening of the Meeting.

2.

Election of officers.

3.

Adoption of the agenda.

4.

Sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific: Key challenges andopportunities:

10

(a)

Review of the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme forFurther Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Plan of
Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (Johannesburg Plan of Implementation) in Asia andthe Pacific;(b)Green economy in the context of sustainable development andpoverty eradication;(c)Institutional framework for sustainable development.

5.

Asian and Pacific regional outcome on sustainable development.

6.

Other matters.

7.

Adoption of the report.

8.

Closing of the Meeting.