* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
By Quamrul Chowdhury, Bangladesh climate change negotiator
The paradigm shift towards sustainable development envisaged in the historic Agenda 21 adopted at the first Rio conference in 1992 and confirmed in the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation is missing in the “zero draft outcome document” for June’s U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as the Rio+20 summit.
In effect the document now being negotiated focuses more on the concept of the green economy. It doesn’t say much on implementation, and it waters down issues of finance, technology transfer and capacity building. It lacks high levels of political ambition.
This outcome document has already come under fire at the initial discussions on it in New York from Jan. 25-27, among negotiators of 195 countries. It is now set to go through intensive rounds of talks from March to mid-June, before finally being inked in Brazil by heads of state and governments.
The concept of “green development” is fast gaining credence around the world. In theory, it is anchored in sustainable development and low-carbon economic growth, and aims to protect the planet. It is development with a green face because it halts natural resource depletion. It is growth with a human face because it reduces poverty and raises living standards.
But it runs the risks of both misinterpretation and misuse. Critics say the pursuit of green growth could lead to job cuts and higher costs, at least in the short run. But if followed prudently, it will make energy cheaper and generate new employment.
The political economy of green development is now being debated in the consultations ahead of Rio+20, and looks pretty much set to knock “sustainable development” off its perch 20 years after it was first held up as a global goal.
What role should Bangladesh play in this Rio+20 process? As a natural leader among the world’s 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Dhaka can push for green human development to set the global agenda for action in the next ten years.
Bangladesh should raise her voice to ensure that green growth doesn’t turn into green protectionism. And that it isn’t used by developed countries and multilateral development institutions to set new “green conditionalities” on countries like Bangladesh.
NEED FOR CONCRETE ACTIONS
The road to this June’s summit will surely be a rocky path as long as the draft outcome document fails to outline a new global roadmap, concrete actions and means of implementation.
Sha Zukang, Rio+20 secretary-general, noted at the New York meeting that "the outcome of Rio+20 should be strong in will and strong in action. Only then will (it) be a historical and ground- breaking conference.”
The Group of 77 countries and China, among others, want the vision and declaration of renewed political commitment to green development to be accompanied by a set of agreed actions. Some call it a framework for action, others a plan, and yet others a roadmap.
Some, including the United States, are pushing for actions to be voluntary and listed in annexes or as a compendium, rather than being negotiated.
During the debate, much stress has been placed so far on accountability for delivery on commitments, whether negotiated or voluntary. But surprisingly it has been almost glossed over in the zero draft document.
There is strong support in various quarters for agreeing on a 10-year framework of programmes to promote sustainable consumption and production. Cross-cutting issues like gender equality, social equity and protection, education, access to technology and finance, and capacity building are also being discussed.
The LDCs are calling for urgent and substantial increases in financing to developing countries for sustainable development, as well as more power in the institutions that decide how it will be spent. Funding for the U.N. system also needs to be significantly enhanced for it to fulfill its sustainable development mandate.
That is because the existing institutional framework for sustainable development falls short, and does not adequately represent the constraints and priorities of the LDCs.
As a major player in that grouping, Bangladesh needs to forge a national position, based on wide consultation, to help achieve sustainable development across the country and negotiate effectively at the global level to craft a balanced, fair and robust political outcome at Rio+20.
Quamrul Chowdhury is a veteran of the Rio process, and a climate change negotiator for the LDCs and G-77 group of countries. He can be contacted at: quamrul2030@gmail.com
