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Rio+20 Outcome and Migration: Including all stakeholders in the future we want

Date: 22 August 2012
Venue: Conference room 6 (NLB), United Nations Headquarters, New York

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil from 20 to 22 June 2012, provided a crucial opportunity for the world to move the sustainable agenda forward.The conference, attracting global leaders, development experts, bankers, academics and activists, observed the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit of 1992, and focused inter alia on challenges of fostering sustainable development, including its economic, environmental and social synergies as well as a green economy and eradication of poverty agenda. The Outcome of the Rio +20 Conference highlighted the need for “a common vision” to reach “the future we want”[1]. To this end, Rio+20 called for a renewed commitment to sustainable development for ensuring “the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations”.
 
Therefore, an important element of Rio+20 is the commitment for an inclusive sustainable development, requiring the meaningful involvement of all levels of decision-making: international, national, regional and local, and with all organizations, groups and stakeholders including those who often are marginalized and vulnerable like migrants. Further, the common vision seeks to promote policies and programmes to protect human rights and freedoms of all people, regardless of their migration status, to bring about a future for sustainable development that we all want.[2] 
  
In view of the significance for achieving the Future We Want, the half day workshop examineed the challenges that migrants face from economic, social and environmental perspectives. In this sense, it covered the potentialities of green economy and inclusive growth and the impact on migrants. The workshop took into account the economic and social challenges that migrants face to move out of poverty and to find economic security while at the same time hoping to avoid environmental vulnerabilities.

[1] GA A/66/L.56 (24 July 2012) Distr.: Limited 12-43688. Sixty-sixth session. Agenda item 19, Sustainable development. Draft resolution submitted by the President of the General Assembly: The future we want.
 
[2]Id. para. 157.
 

To watch the webcast, please click here.

 

Information note and agenda

 

Presentations:

Challenges of Urban Sustainability and Migration by Cecilia Martínez, Director, UN-Habitat New York Office

Migration, Urbanization and Sustainable Development by Daniel Schensul, Ph.D., Population and Development Branch, UNFPA

Environmental Migration by Mary Jo Toll, UN representative for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

The Power of Green Jobs by Kevin Cassidy, Communication and External Relations Officer, International Labour Organization (ILO), New York Liaison Office

Green Economy and Inclusive Growth by George B. Assaf, Director and Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), New York Office