Local Authority statement on the institutional framework for
sustainable development during the Rio2012 PrepCom II
Delivered by Susanne Salz, ICLEI – Local Governments for
Sustainability, on 8 March 2011
Thank you, Chair.
Local Authorities welcome the opportunity to discuss the institutional
framework for sustainable development. We hope significant and
necessary improvements can be achieved at the occasion of Rio 2012.
One of the issues we urge UN member states to consider in this context
is the multiplicity of actors in the world today. In Rio in 1992 the
concept of the nine Major Groups was introduced. The world has
changed since 1992, and actors that are not national governments have
continued to increase the roles they play in an ever-more interconnected
world. The governments of the world’s sovereign states and the United
Nations system continue to be the primary actors in the field of
sustainable development governance.
At the same time, they can draw on important support by other actors,
such as business, local government and civil society. These non-state
actors significantly contribute to sustainable development. The
institutional framework for sustainable development should take this
into consideration. Non-state actors need to have a place in the
institutional framework for sustainable development alongside national
governments and UN entities.
As the discussions continue and sharpen on the road to Rio, the Local
Authority Major Group looks forward to considerations on the best ways
to include actors such as business, local government and civil society in
the future institutional framework for sustainable development.
