100 Days to Rio Conference on Sustainable Development
Posted on | March 12, 2012 by Stefano Gennarini, J.D. |
Today UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (SG) spoke at a High Level meeting in the ECOSOC Chamber of UN Headquarters, organized by the Economic and Social Council with the Breton Woods Institutions to outline strategies in financing for development.
The SG used the opportunity to make his Rio + 20 pitch. “now is the moment for decisive action. We are 100 days from Rio, a once in a generation opportunity… Help make Rio + 20 a success!”
He pleaded with the delegates of UN member states and the World Bank and IMF representatives to Stem the tide of climate change. He requested 100B a year for remedial and renovation initiatives.
UN insiders are aware that the SG is in his second term, and they suspect the SG’s push is both a result of the Obama administrations emphasis on the “green economy”, as well as the SG’s own need to establish a legacy.
The SG is not finding a receptive audience. Developing countries will take some convincing before they get on board with the new green economy program. Most developing countries, led by China, resent the SG, US and EU emphasis on green economy at the expense of economic and social development. All three are the “pillars” of sustainable development under the original Rio Declaration from 20yrs ago. For the developing countries the green agenda is crippling economies.
Today in the high level meeting, Algeria (on behalf of the group of 77 and China), as well as Jamaica (for CARICOM) and Mexico (largest Spanish speaking country in the world) told the ECOSOC gathering that “green” development is great, but from their perspective, any economic and social development is good.
Algeria, speaking for G77 and China, pointed out that the World Bank and the IMF are heavily influenced by the US and the EU at the expense of the G77 and China, and that they are pushing green development at the expense of other forms of development, and called for the creation of a new multilateral financing mechanism that would not be controlled politically.
