Some of the main proposals in a draft text for negotiation at a U.N. sustainable development conference next month are being watered down at informal talks in New York, observers said on Tuesday, heightening fears the summit will fail to deliver.
The Rio+20 summit in Brazil from June 20-22 is expected to draw more than 50,000 participants from governments, companies and environmental and lobby groups.
It will try to hammer out sustainable development goals across seven core themes including food security, water and energy but is not expected to produce mandatory targets.
Informal talks are taking place in New York until Friday to shape the main negotiating text.
One area of discussion is how to measure economic growth to take into account the value of natural assets, such as water and forests, as well as innovative financing, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and a plan to help prevent ocean acidification.
Participants said there had been moves to water down a clause which would require companies to include sustainability information in their corporate reporting.
It is just another scam from the UN, just like everything else they do is. Why is it allowed to exist?
Could anyone figure out the cost to American taxpayers this rum-soaked conference is going to cost? Tax payers will foot the bills for government employees and NGO employees. It will be many millions.
“as well as innovative financing,…”
I translate this as ways to scheme more money out of the North.