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The Club de Madrid moves forward along with the International sustainable development agenda

April 26, 2011

The Club de Madrid welcomes the progress achieved during the last round of international climate negotiations that took place in Bangkok, Thailand, 3-8 April, where an agreement on the agenda for the negotiations towards COP17 in Durban, South Africa, at the end of 2011, was reached. The next Climate Talks will take place in Bonn, Germany, on 6-17 June 2011, and the Club de Madrid, plans to organise a side event where the messages for an equitable and fair post-2012 climate regime are strengthened, including the support to the most vulnerable countries and the advocacy for the missing Millennium Development Goal “universal clean energy access”.

In addition to Durban, the next key step in the international agenda on sustainable development is the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 4-6 June 2012. This event will focus on two key themes: (a) a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication ; and (b) the institutional framework for sustainable development.

Within the preparatory process of Rio+20, the Secretary General of the Club de Madrid, Carlos Westendorp, met with Mr. Brice Lalonde - Executive Coordinator for Rio+20 and Mr. Tariq Banuri – Director of the Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) / UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) Secretariat.

It was in this framework that the UN Secretary-General launched the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) which main objective is to reflect on and formulate a new vision for sustainable growth and prosperity, along with mechanisms for achieving it. The Club de Madrid very much welcomes that two members of the GSP are Club de Madrid members and key renowned figures on sustainability issues, Han Seung-soo (Prime Minister of Korea, 2008-2009) and Gro Harlem Brundtland (Prime Minister of Norway, 1986-1989 / 1990-1996). The Club de Madrid will work with them and its other Members to support this process and ensure a meaningful contribution to the outcomes.