United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has formed a high-level panel on global sustainability to be headed by Presidents Tarja Halonen of Finland and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
The panel is tasked to find ways to lift people out of poverty through sustainable and environmentally friendly initiatives, according to a U.N. press release.
Representatives from the government, private sector and civil society in rich and poor countries will comprise the 21-member panel. Among the members are former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N. Susan E. Rice and other former top government officials, environment ministers and climate change representatives.
The new body is expected to submit a final report by the end of 2011 ahead of the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development scheduled for 2012 and the annual conferences of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
