RIO + 20
"The future we want"
Draft Declaration from the 210 international NGOs,
Members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges
Of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe,
We, international NGOs, members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe,
Bearing in mind the missions and action of our members working in the fields of human rights, democracy planning and spatial development, local development, environment, landscape, culture and health,
Referring to the principles of the Council of Europe on human rights, democracy and the rule of law,
Considering the specific assets brought by the texts, conventions, charters and partial agreements of the Organisation, among which the Bern Convention on biodiversity, the European Landscape Convention, the Faro Convention on cultural heritage, the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent issued by the Conference of Ministers responsible for spatial development (CEMAT) and the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA).
Considering the pioneering inputs for citizens’ participation made, after the first Rio convention, by UNECE through the Aarhus Convention in 1998, and the Council of Europe through the participatory status delivered to INGOs in 2003
Noting that all the scientific reports on the state of biodiversity, water resources, soils, food supply and climate change remain alarming and that these phenomena have added to the financial crisis increased migrations, urbanisation, polarisation of population, of richness and poverty, with a failure to integrate environmental, social and cultural priorities into most national economic and development policies,
Reaffirm the commitment made jointly, on 28 April 2010, by the Conference of INGOs, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in the frame of the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted in Rio in 1992, through the joint declaration “Working together for biodiversity, protection of natural areas and the fight against climate change”
Acknowledge UNEP’s action of the past twenty years and the impulse these have given at global, regional and national levels
Share the overarching goals of the Zero draft and agree on the relevance of the main items developed through the document, stressing nevertheless the necessity of revising the structure of the three sustainability pillars - economic, social and environmental as defined twenty years ago, into four integrated pillars together with culture
Stress that human rights must be at the basis of sustainable development in all aspects of life
Agree with the recognition that a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development is broad public participation in decision-making
Urgently request the Heads of States and Governments
Members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges
Of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe,
We, international NGOs, members of the Committee on Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe,
Bearing in mind the missions and action of our members working in the fields of human rights, democracy planning and spatial development, local development, environment, landscape, culture and health,
Referring to the principles of the Council of Europe on human rights, democracy and the rule of law,
Considering the specific assets brought by the texts, conventions, charters and partial agreements of the Organisation, among which the Bern Convention on biodiversity, the European Landscape Convention, the Faro Convention on cultural heritage, the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent issued by the Conference of Ministers responsible for spatial development (CEMAT) and the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA).
Considering the pioneering inputs for citizens’ participation made, after the first Rio convention, by UNECE through the Aarhus Convention in 1998, and the Council of Europe through the participatory status delivered to INGOs in 2003
Noting that all the scientific reports on the state of biodiversity, water resources, soils, food supply and climate change remain alarming and that these phenomena have added to the financial crisis increased migrations, urbanisation, polarisation of population, of richness and poverty, with a failure to integrate environmental, social and cultural priorities into most national economic and development policies,
Reaffirm the commitment made jointly, on 28 April 2010, by the Conference of INGOs, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in the frame of the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted in Rio in 1992, through the joint declaration “Working together for biodiversity, protection of natural areas and the fight against climate change”
Acknowledge UNEP’s action of the past twenty years and the impulse these have given at global, regional and national levels
Share the overarching goals of the Zero draft and agree on the relevance of the main items developed through the document, stressing nevertheless the necessity of revising the structure of the three sustainability pillars - economic, social and environmental as defined twenty years ago, into four integrated pillars together with culture
Stress that human rights must be at the basis of sustainable development in all aspects of life
Agree with the recognition that a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development is broad public participation in decision-making
Urgently request the Heads of States and Governments
- to promote human rights, democracy, solidarity and quality of life in each and every item,
- to support the right to a healthy environment is an integral part of human rights and take the necessary measures to ensure its translation into positive law
- to promote the necessity of using new index of sustainability to measure well-being, (such as Human Development Index already adapted to local level) replacing or at least amending economic indicators such as GDP
- to interlink the mentioned key issues, whilstintegration is axial in this document. (e.g. food security and energy, forest and climate change)
- to consider essential goods and security as common goods (biodiversity, water, landscape, land, soils, prevention against industrial and natural risks, etc.) that are not marketable
- to consider essential services as a fundamental duty for the States and local authorities towards their citizens in order for them to live in dignity
- to decline an exclusive and excluding list of essential services identified as key issues and left up to the governments
- to ensure that measures adopted reflect the need for territorial and social cohesion at both local and global level and that solidarity between North and South, rich and poor, find expression in equitable policies and measures based on the concept of public good;
- to give green economy a key importance and a holistic influence on all economic activities, assigning it a role as protective of the planet and of discriminated populations as well, remaining aware that it cannot be considered as a panacea
- to promote a truly sustainable use of renewable energy sources and avoid “green wash”
- to agree that human diversity as a part of biodiversity directly linked to culture (including cultural heritage, cultural diversity, landscape and territorial development) and not only to languages as stated in the draf
- to consider the heritage value of ecosystems services when drawing up policies, programmes and measures to be adopted
- to introduce long term into any planning and programming, bearing in mind the climate change and the finiteness of the one planet and its resources
- to acknowledge the importance of collecting and making publicly available geo-information in support of awareness raising of issues and positive decision making at different scales
- to frame and provide appropriate funding for policies and practical measures, including education, to protect and improve biodiversity, restore the functioning of degraded ecosystems, adapt to climate change and mitigate the anthropic impact on climate change factors, at the level of both the urban and rural environment
- to promote a world organisation clustering all environmental conventions
- to transform UNEP into a UN specialised agency for the environment with a revised and strengthened mandate, operating on an equal footing with other UN specialised agencie
- to invite public authorities and economic decision-makers to add an ethical dimension to their action and policies.