News
Sustainable consumption in limbo, as UN fails to reach agreement.
17 May 2011
Civil society has reacted with dismay and disappointment as the
19th session of the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development ended without agreement in New York in the early hours
of 14 May.
CI was heavily involved in the negotiations at CSD-19, as member
states came together for one of the final UN discussions on
sustainability before the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June
2012.
CSD-19 was a crucial meeting for the future of sustainable
development, with member states, civil society organizations and
related UN agencies working on the issues of transport, chemicals,
waste management, mining and - of great interest to the consumer
movement - the 10 year framework of programmes on sustainable
consumption and production.
Unfortunately, at the very end of these negotiations (Friday
13th), with many of the thematic policy recommendations
already agreed - the policy text for the 10-year framework of
programmes among them- member states were not able to achieve a
final consensus regarding a particular issue and this policy cycle
ended with no substantive results.
This lack of consensus among governments and the consequent
failure of CSD 19 becomes a complicated precedent for the
negotiations of the Rio+20 earth summit and it certainly represents
a bad sign for civil society organisations working for many years
on this issue - CI among them - because it generates a significant
gap in the process towards the achievement of the required global,
regional and national policies, measures and actions to address the
current patterns of production and consumption in a more
sustainable manner.
For a detailed analysis of CSD-19, and the possible implications
of its failure, download the IISD's Earth Negotiations Bulletin.