21 Jun 2012

BRAZIL / RIO +20 BAN OPENING

Addressing the opening of the Rio+20 morning session Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “we are now in sight of an historic agreement. Let us not waste this opportunity. The world is watching to see if words will translate into action. as we know they must”. UNTV

Posted at: June 21, 2012 1:16 pm

Duration: 02:23

Available in: SD

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Full script

STORY: BRAZIL / RIO +20 BAN OPENING
TRT: 2.23
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 20 JUNE 2012, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arriving at Rio + 20
2. Wide shot, conference
3. Med shot, Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"Twenty years ago, the Rio summit gave us a blueprint for sustainable development. Since then progress has been too slow. We have not gone near far enough down the road mapped out in 1992. Now we have been given a second chance. I am pleased that negotiations have reached a successful conclusion and I commend the presidency of Brazil for facilitating this result. We are now in sight of an historic agreement. Let us not waste this opportunity. The world is watching to see if words will translate into action, as we know they must."
5. Wide shot, audience applause
6. Wide shot, press conference
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"We are on a dangerous road. We cannot continue to burn and consume our way to prosperity at the expense of the world's poor and the global environment. Governments here have recognized this. They understand that we need Rio+20 to help to define a model for the 21st century, a model that rejects the myth that there is a trade-off between prosperity and the environment."
8. Wide shot, conference
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
"The outcome of this conference is so much more than a document. It is about extraordinary momentum that has already been generated. Rio+20 has served as a catalyst for global movement for change. This will be one of Rio's most lasting leagues. Rio+20 is a milestone. I believe it can also be a tipping point. My message to world leaders is clear: Sustainable development is an idea whose time has come."
10. Wide shot, end of press conference

STORYLINE:

More than 100 heads of state and government today (20 June) gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the start of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which seeks to shape new policies to promote global prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.

Addressing the opening of the morning session UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "we are now in sight of an historic agreement. Let us not waste this opportunity. The world is watching to see if words will translate into action, as we know they must".

After intensive and protracted informal negotiations on how to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development, 191 countries reached agreement on the conference's outcome document. The text will now be put forward for adoption by heads of state at the conclusion of Rio+20 on Friday (22 June).

Ban said he was pleased the negotiations had reached a "successful conclusion" and he commended the presidency of Brazil for facilitating this resolution.

More than 40,000 people – including parliamentarians, mayors, UN officials, chief executive officers and civil society leaders – are attending Rio+20 from 20-22 June. The event follows on from the Earth Summit in 1992, also held in Rio de Janeiro, during which countries adopted Agenda 21 – a blueprint to rethink economic growth, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.

Ban said "we have been given a second chance", adding that since the Earth Summit twenty years ago progress has been too slow, and much more needs to be done.

But he warned that "we are on a dangerous road", and said that "we cannot continue to burn and consume our way to prosperity at the expense of the world's poor and the global environment".

Rio+20's outcome document, entitled "The Future We Want," calls for a wide range of actions.

These include: beginning the process to establish sustainable development goals; detailing how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development; strengthening the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); promoting corporate sustainability reporting measures; taking steps to go beyond gross domestic product to assess the well-being of a country; developing a strategy for sustainable development financing; and adopting a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production.

It also focuses on improving gender equity; recognizing the importance of voluntary commitments on sustainable development; and stressing the need to engage civil society and incorporate science into policy; among other points.

In addition to the outcome document, there have been nearly 500 voluntary commitments on sustainable development activities by civil society groups, businesses, governments and universities. In addition, the UN's Global Compact initiative, which concluded its Corporate Sustainability Forum yesterday, announced more than 200 commitments to sustainable development by businesses.