U.N. officials at an international conference in Turkey are floating two potential priorities for the Rio +20 conference on sustainable development this June: social justice and environment protection.
The international community, now more than ever, needs to work together to “place our societies on a more just and equitable footing and to “protect the resources and ecosystems on which our shared future depends,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message at the ongoing Global Human Development Forum in Istanbul.
Ban added that economic, social and environmental objectives should not be considered competing goals but rather interconnected ones that should be pursued in a holistic manner. The outcome from Rio+ 20 should reflect this thinking, he said.
The forum is hosted by the U.N. Development Program and the Turkish government. It is set to examine key economic, social and environmental challenges at present.
UNDP Associate Administrator Rebeca Gynspan also positioned the forum as an opportunity for the international community to debate the messages it wants to take to Brazil.
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About the author
Ivy Mungcal
As senior staff writer, Ivy Mungcal contributes to several Devex publications. Her focus is on breaking news, and in particular on global aid reform and trends in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. Before joining Devex in 2009, Ivy produced specialized content for U.S. and U.K.-based business websites.
