Statement of Non-Governmental Major Group
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and participants on the panel.
On behalf of the Non-Governmental Major Group, we welcome the Secretary General’s
Synthesis report and the statements made, particularly on the need for improved implementation
and accountability. We would like to urge action on 4 points:
1. The Sustainable Development agenda often remains separated from the core of policy
formulation.
2. Monitoring and enforcement of agreed sustainable development strategies are weak, at the UN
as well as at national levels.
3. Some sectors and policies remain almost untouched by sustainability concerns, in particular
the financial sector.
4. Transparency and stronger disclosure of information is needed.
Responding to these shortcomings, Rio+20 provides an extraordinary opportunity to finally close
the implementation gap and upgrade sustainability commissions and committees at all levels, so
that they can actively engage and have an impact in all policy making. Their work needs to be
independent of short-term political processes and be given significant resources. Adding an
Ombudsperson-mandate would strengthen their power, make policy-making accountable and
improve citizen participation. Also, coordination between local, national and international
bodies should be improved.
Given the threat of the financial crisis to sustainable development, the General Assembly
Working Group on the Financial Crisis should be mandated to continue its unfinished work and
to feed into the Rio+20 and all relevant multi- lateral processes.
In addition, information access and disclosure policies in all UN and Bretton Woods institutions
need to be improved. We also urge the effective implementation of Rio Principle 10 into national
laws and the development of regional conventions to implement it. Would the panelists agree to
develop other regio nal conventions with the Aarhus convention as a model?
Only if we guarantee a strong impact of sustainable development institutions can we govern a
green, just, and steady state economy. In particularly and above all, the financial sector needs
fundamental reform. We therefore fully support the call from the panel to upgrade the CSD so it
can effect more influence in the UN System and also can support the necessary improvements on
national and local levels.
Thank you.
