# Chapter 1 Current Situation of Japan and the World

Section 1 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development: Rio+20

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, Rio+20) is scheduled to take place June 20-22, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Rio+20 name was chosen because it will be the twentieth year since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Earth Summit) was first held in 1992. Heads of state and national leaders are scheduled to participate in Rio+20, in addition to individuals and groups representing a variety of viewpoints, including local governments, businesses, and NGOs.

At Rio+20, global initiatives to achieve sustainable development will be discussed. The conference will summarize past initiatives for achieving sustainable development and the progress that has been made towards achieving targets. In addition, the event will work on building shared recognition of the challenges that need to be tackled and the goals that need to be achieved. Furthermore, the conference has defined one of its goals as being to create political documents that will establish an international agreement for future initiatives. Rio+20 is expected to bring effective results for: (1) the Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (2) institutional frameworks for sustainable development.

This section examines sustainability-related movements in the international community, “the Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication” and “institutional framework for sustainable development” as themes of the conference, as well as institutional frameworks, while providing an overview of the bigger picture of Rio+20 (e.g., past discussions and the perspectives of Japan and other stakeholders).

## 1 Roadmap to Rio+20

“Sustainable development,” the theme of Rio+20, can be considered to be a common challenge that the whole world must achieve. The term sustainable development became generally and widely known with the publication of the Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, the Brundtland Commission) in 1987. This report defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” and defined key policy targets as being: growth recovery; quality improvement; fulfilling fundamental and essential needs of human beings such as the need for employment, food, energy, water, and sanitation; controlling population; conservation of resource bases; changing the direction of technology; risk management; and integration of the environment and the economy. This served as the catalyst for establishing shared recognition among countries around the world on agreements covering the environment and development. Based on this shared recognition, UNCED was convened in 1992.

Leading up to the popularization of these development-related concepts was a drastic increase in the environmental impact of civic life and business activities associated with accelerated socioeconomic activities. As a result of the excessive pursuit of economic efficiency in the globalized economy, lifestyles and economies of mass production and mass consumption became widespread, while overuse

Table 1-1-1 Primary Agenda of Rio+20

The Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication	The goal is to reach effective agreements to solve various challenges on the way to achieving sustainable development through specific policy statements regarding achievement documents.
Institutional framework for sustainable development	Deliberations on essential challenges, such as the establishment of an international body for handling environmental issues, and strengthening Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Source: Ministry of the Environment based on UN resolution 64/236

Table 1-1-2 Major International Actions toward a Sustainable Society

Year	Name of the Treaty, Conference, or Documents and Publication	Summary
1972	The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Declaration)	First large-scale international conference that worked with the general issue of the environment. Adopted the Declaration on the Human Environment, and an Action Plan. Agreed to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
1972	The Limits to Growth (Club of Rome)	Warned of resource limitations arising from human activity, on sources like iron, oil, and coal, as well as environmental loss and food shortages due to rapid economic growth and population expansion
1980	The Global 2000 Report to the President (United States Government)	Created on the order of then President Carter. Reported serious impacts of population, economic growth, and resources due to environmental impacts expected during the 20 years until 2000
1987	Our Common Future (World Commission on Environment and Development)	Report by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, a special committee set up after Japan's proposal. Initiated the concept of "sustainable development", regarding the relationship between the environment and development as satisfying the needs of the current generation without losing those of the next generation
1992	The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit: Rio Conference)	Global conference that dealt with sustainable development. About 180 countries attended. Achieved many international agreements such as the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21
Adopted the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)	Main objectives are to protect biodiversity, to use biodiversity without destroying it, and to share any benefits from genetic diversity equally
Adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)	The ultimate objective is stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system
1997	The 3rd conference the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change	Adopted the Kyoto Protocol, obliging quantitative reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by Annex I countries (developed countries) in the First Commitment Period (2008-2012)
2000	The United Nations Millennium Summit	Wide-ranging discussions about conflict, poverty, the environment, and fortifying the UN, under the theme the role of the United Nations in the 21 century. Adopted an United Nations Millennium Declaration. Set up an unified framework of international development goals called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
2002	The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg Summit: Rio+10)	Convened in the 10th year after the Earth Summit. Adopted the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, a Political Declaration, and a Record of Commitments/Partnerships. Designated the 10 years from 2005 as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, proposed by Japan
2010	The 10th Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)	Adopted and agreed to the Aichi Targets on biodiversity from 2011 onwards and the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing
2012	The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) (Rio+20)	Convened in 20th year after the Earth Summit. Will create a political paper under the themes of (1) the Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication (2) institutional framework for sustainable development

Source: Ministry of the Environment

of the environment (e.g., destruction of tropical forests) continues in developing countries. There is a widening gap among developing countries between semi-developed countries (including resource-rich and newly industrialized countries), and the so-called poorest countries (the south-south issue). In these areas, unsustainable development is rapidly spreading due to the spiraling influence of poverty, population growth, and food insecurity.

Since this situation stems from worldwide structural problems, it is critical for every country to make efforts to resolve these problems in line with their diverse perspectives. As we move forward in time, environmental issues become a key challenge that must be overcome by the world as a whole, since the issue has spread in terms of space (as one world) and time (an impact lasting for generations).

At the Earth Summit, participants deliberated on specific methods for working through various conflicts between developed and developing countries. As a result of the conference, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development was to be observed by countries and international organizations, while Agenda 21 was adopted as a set of action principles aimed at achieving the declaration. Furthermore, the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) began as a way to reconfirm that promoting sustainable development is the road to a safe and prosperous future for humankind.

To further ensure the achievement of the goals of Agenda 21 and other environment-related treaties, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) was newly established under the United Nations Economic and Social Council to conduct follow-up activities. In 2002, a decade after the Earth Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg Summit, Rio+10) was held, and indicated an international agreement for promoting specific initiatives based on achievements following the formulation of Agenda 21.

In September 2007, at the UN General Assembly, the Brazilian government made a proposal to hold a follow-up meeting to the Earth Summit in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro—two decades after the Earth Summit in 1992. In response, UN resolution 64/236 was adopted in 2009 to convene the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, Rio+20) in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro.

The resolution defines the objectives of Rio+20 as being to secure a renewed political commitment to sustainable development, to assess progress towards internationally agreed-upon sustainable development goals, and to address new and emerging challenges. As previously described, Rio+20 requires effective achievements to be made regarding: (1) the Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (2) institutional framework for sustainable development.