ENVIRONMENT: Rio to Have Permanent Sustainable Development Forum

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava

RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 19 1997 (IPS) - The mayor of this city, Luiz Paulo Conde, offered the city as sit for a permanent centre for debate and studies on sustainable development Wednesday, whilst participating in the closing session of the Rio plus Five forum.

This proposal was warmly received by Maurice Strong, president of both the Forum and the Earth Council – a non governmental organisation (NGO) which promoted the week-long meeting of nearly 500 delegates, who discussed how the world has gone “from the agenda to action,” five years after the Earth Summit here.

Rio is now practically a synonym for sustainable development as a result of its hosting the 1992 environment conference, and according to Strong, this led to its choice as the site for the Rio plus Five forum.

But despite claims of satisfaction at the contributions made, this new NGO meeting, attended by representatives of international organisms and National Sustainable Development Councils created after 1992, ended without producing a final document.

The report of recommendations to be taken to the United Nations Sustainable Development Council next month, was not approved by the participants of several groups working on regional and thematic issues.

“It did not reflect the conclusions of the debates,” and it was not possible to overcome the discrepancies in a plenary meeting on this last day, said delegates. As a result a commission will try to rewrite the report, with e-mail contributions to the Costa Rica based Earth Council.

The dissemination of the 18-point draft Earth Charter, and the speech by Brazil’s President Fernando Cardoso formed a premature climax to the forum on Tuesday, leaving the Rio plus Five to go out distinctly without a bang this Wednesday.