Appendix 2—Government response to
Outcomes of the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit
Background
1. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published
its report on the outcomes of the Rio+20 Earth Summit on 14 June
2013.[15] The Committee
identified the purposes of its inquiry as being: examination of
the Government's contribution to the conclusions of the summit
and the actions the Government should be taking to implement those
conclusions where the UK has particular commitments and responsibilities.
This document sets out the UK Government's response to the recommendations
in the report.
2. This inquiry and its report are the second linked
to Rio+20. An EAC report entitled Preparations for the Rio+20
Summit was published on 26 October 2011.[16]
The Government's response to that report was published on 16 January
2012.[17]
Introduction
3. The Government welcomes the EAC's report on the
outcomes of Rio+20. The report highlights that Rio+20 was intended
to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development
and find a way to put the world back on a sustainable path.
4. As the Deputy Prime Minister told the House shortly
after returning from the summit, important progress was made in
setting direction and renewed commitments from Governments, businesses
and civil society to sustainable development. Although not as
ambitious in some areas as we had hoped it would be, Rio+20 importantly
made progress on key areas such as agreement to develop Sustainable
Development Goals, promotion of corporate sustainability reporting,
and GDP+ (the concept of moving away from using Gross Domestic
Product as the sole indicator of progress in government accounts).
5. One of the key outputs from Rio was the agreement
by Member States to launch a process to develop a set of Sustainable
Development Goals, which would build upon the Millennium Development
Goals and converge with the post 2015 development agenda. The
Prime Minister has played a leading role in taking this agenda
forward through his role as co-Chair of the UN Secretary-General's
High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The Panel's
report, published in May 2013,[18]
concluded that there should be a single set of goals, centred
on poverty eradication which integrates sustainable development
as the means to achieving it. The High Level Panel also set out
the need for 'five transformational shifts'. These are: Leave
No One Behind; Put Sustainable Development at the Core; Transform
Economies for Jobs and Inclusive Growth; Build Peace and Effective,
Open and Accountable Institutions for All; and Forge a New Global
Partnership. The UK is actively engaged in Rio+20 follow-up including
in the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable
Development Financing.
The Government's role at Rio+20
6. The UK delegation was led by the Deputy Prime
Minister, accompanied by the then Defra Secretary of State Caroline
Spelman as well as Ministers from Scotland and Wales. The Deputy
Prime Minister, the then Defra Secretary of State, the then DFID
Secretary of State and other Ministers agreed a cross-Government
strategy for Rio+20, developed in close consultation with the
Cabinet Office, DFID, DECC, FCO, UKTI, BIS and the Treasury. The
Government also worked closely with businesses and civil society
in preparing for Rio+20. These groups played an integral role
in developing the Government's approach and senior representatives
from both business and civil society were part of the UK delegation.
7. Early identification of UK priorities meant that
resources could be focused more sharply on achieving stronger
outcomes in these areas. The UK secured agreement at the Environment
Council on 9 March 2012 to an EU position which provided the basis
for the EU's negotiating position at Rio+20, where the EU negotiated
as a block. The UK was fully engaged in developing the EU's position
and also in the New York-based preparatory meetings. This meant
that the Government was in a strong position to take advantage
of the opportunity at Rio+20 to demonstrate its commitment to
the sustainable development agenda.
RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation 1: With the Rio+20 Summit now
behind us, the Government should establish permanent mechanisms
to continue its engagement on the sustainable development agenda
and post-Rio commitments with a wider range of NGOs and businesses.
That continuing engagement should also bring in civil society
groups and the public, particularly to help shape the UK's contribution
to the Sustainable Development Goals over the next two years.
(Paragraph 21)
8. We agree with Recommendation 1. Ministers
were clear from the start that the Rio+20 process should be open
and collaborative. From as early as October 2011, the Government
held extensive consultations with stakeholders. This included
meetings with Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister,
the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
and the Secretary of State for International Development. There
were frequent meetings at official level, including working groups
on food, energy and sustainability reporting. At Rio+20 the Government
scheduled regular briefing sessions with UK stakeholders. Stakeholders
played an integral role in informing the UK position and the Government
delegation benefitted from the insights offered by civil society
and business. The official UK delegation included CEOs and other
senior leaders from Oxfam, WWF, Aviva Investors and Unilever.
9. The Government has actively maintained its stakeholder
engagement in Rio+20 follow-up. The Prime Minister was instrumental
in ensuring that the High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development
Agenda listened to what people living in poverty themselves say
is important to them. The Panel heard directly from hundreds of
thousands of people from all over the world, in face-to-face meetings
and through surveys, community interviews, and polling over mobile
phones and the internet. This included the ongoing MY World
survey and the Participate research programme. They heard
from over 5,000 civil society organisations in about 120 countries
across every region of the world, from 250 companies in 30 countries,
experts from multilateral organisations, national governments,
local authorities and the academic and scientific communities.
10. Since Rio+20, the UK branch of the international
coalition of NGOs on the post-2015 agenda ("Beyond 2015")
has been instrumental in informing the Government's position and
its engagement with the EU and UN. Meetings with other external
stakeholders also take place on a regular basis. We welcome opportunities
for such outreach and recognise that such stakeholder engagement
will be invaluable to shaping and delivering the post-2015 development
agenda. We agree that it should continue.
Taking forward the Rio+20 commitments
11. The Government is actively engaged in taking
forward commitments made at Rio+20.
12. The key outcome was the agreement to develop
Sustainable Development Goals. The UK is of the view that these
Goals should build upon the Millennium Development Goals to converge
into a single set of global goals which are centred on poverty
eradication and which integrate sustainable development as the
means to achieving it. The Government further believes that these
goals should include the critical elements that were missing from
the Millennium Development Goals, such as good governance, effective
institutions and stable and peaceful societies. The report of
the High-Level Panel is a central input to this process. Through
its five "transformative shifts" the High Level Panel
has put forward an ambitious, practical and coherent future agenda.
And, through its illustrative goal framework, the Panel has provided
a compelling example of what a single set of future goals could
look like. This sets a high level of ambition for the negotiations
on the post-2015 development framework.
13. The UN Open Working Group was established at
Rio +20 to provide proposals on goals by September 2014. The UK
shares a seat on the Open Working Group with the Netherlands and
Australia and is also represented on the Intergovernmental Committee
of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, tasked with designing
options for a finance strategy to underpin these goals. The presence
of UK representatives on these two groups makes us well-placed
to help shape the post-2015 agenda and drive forward the level
of change necessary to realise the ambition of the High Level
Panel's report. The UK is arguing that the UN General Assembly
special event on the Millennium Development Goals in September
should establish a clear process for the next two years that brings
together all the various strands and culminates in a Summit to
agree the next goals in 2015.
14. The second substantive outcome at Rio was the
agreement to reform and strengthen the institutional framework
for sustainable development. The UN Environment Programme's Governing
Council met in February with universal membership for the first
time. The UK is working closely with EU and international partners
to further strengthen the organisation. The High Level Political
Forum to replace the Commission on Sustainable Development has
been established and will convene for its inaugural meeting at
the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2013.
15. The UK has been instrumental in taking forward
other key Rio+20 commitments:
- supporting the 10-Year Framework
Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production, including
by promoting waste reduction through the Waste and Resources Action
Programme and the effective use of product standards;
- playing a pro-active role within the EU and UN
to take forward work on the conservation of marine biodiversity,
including in areas beyond national jurisdiction;
- mandating listed companies to report on their
greenhouse gas emissions with regulations to take effect from
1 October for 2013 annual reports. We continue to encourage voluntary
sustainability reporting by all companies;
- incorporating natural capital into our national
accounts to complement GDP by 2020—a key element of what
is meant by GDP+. The EAC's report recognises the UK as a leader
in this area. The UK is working with the UN to ensure that international
standards build upon the UK's experiences on this.
16. As the EAC's report highlights, Rio+20 also recognised
the importance of the green economy for poverty eradication and
sustainable growth. The Government recognises the importance of
a green economy. In 2011 it published 'Enabling the Transition
to a Green Economy[19]'
which set out the broad approach and policy direction being carried
through today. Our aim is to focus on growth while simultaneously
improving the environment. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Businesses should take the lead on innovation and drive the change
to a more sustainable economy; the role of Government is to provide
the right policy frameworks and support. Many UK businesses are
already leading the way.
RESPONSE TO RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendation 2: The Government should take
full advantage of the Prime Minister's position at the heart of
the Post-2015 Development Agenda to provide international leadership
in this area. It should set out its strategy for formulating
the UK contribution to the design of the Sustainable Development
Goals and Post-2015 Development Goals, and the roles of particular
departments in that process. The Government should also engage
businesses, NGOs, civil society groups and the wider public in
developing a UK perspective on the desired design of those Goals,
to form the basis for the Government's engagement with the European
Union and the UN in the lead up to 2015. (Paragraph 39)
17. We agree with recommendation 2 that the
Government should continue to provide international leadership
in taking forward Rio+20 commitments. The High-Level Panel has
produced a report that is bold and optimistic in its vision for
the post-2015 development framework. It shows in practical and
concrete terms how it is possible to bring people and planet together
in one single agenda for post-2015. It sets out a universal agenda
with a role for everyone: government, citizens, communities, business
and civil society must all be involved. This report can provide
a source of inspiration and ideas for the discussions to come
and the challenge for the international community is to agree
something even better in 2015.
18. The Prime Minister has asked the DFID Secretary
of State, working closely with DEFRA and other government departments,
to lead the UK's work on the Post 2015 Development Agenda in the
various UN, EU and other international processes. The Prime Minister
and Deputy Prime Minister will maintain a close interest. We want
to build on the High Level Panel report and secure international
agreement on a simple and compelling new framework. This should
contain a single set of goals, centred on poverty eradication,
which embraces key missing elements from the Millennium Development
Goals and integrate sustainable development as the means to achieving
this.
19. Within the EU the UK has negotiated with other
Member States a set of Council Conclusions on Rio+20 follow-up
and the post-2015 development agenda which were adopted on 25
June 2013. The conclusions set out the need to bring the
work to develop the Sustainable Development Goals together with
the work to agree a successor framework to the Millennium Development
Goals into a single coherent agenda. This is consistent with the
UK's objective. The Conclusions also welcomed the work of the
High-Level Panel and its input into the elaboration of the post-2015
development framework.
20. The Conclusions provide a high-level structure
to guide the interventions of Member States within the various
processes taking forward Rio+20 outcomes and the post-2015 development
framework, including the UN special event in September that will
focus on accelerating progress on the MDGs but also consider the
process to agree a new agenda.
21. As set out earlier, the UK will continue to ensure
stakeholders have the opportunity to engage in developing our
approach to the various international processes, as well as engaging
directly in the processes themselves. This includes our commitment
to maintaining a close dialogue with civil society and parliament.
Examples include the DFID Secretary of State's forthcoming meeting
with Beyond 2015 in early September, the Open Working Group where
the UK has promoted the engagement of experts to inform the UN
membership on the range of issues identified by the Rio+20 outcome
document, and our sponsorship of MyWorld and Participate to ensure
that the voices of citizens, including poor people themselves,
are heard in the debate.
Recommendation 3: The Government should examine
the scope for introducing mandatory sustainability reporting for
the private sector, going beyond the current emissions reporting
requirement, along the lines already applied to its own departments.
(Paragraph 47)
The Government's response[20]
to the EAC's report of 14 June 'Embedding Sustainable Development:
An Update',[21] explains
that we have no plans to extend mandatory reporting beyond greenhouse
gas emissions. The Government has recently introduced regulations
requiring UK quoted companies to disclose their greenhouse gas
emissions. This follows a significant amount of consultation with
the business and investment community and civil society organisations
over the last couple of years. The Government continues to encourage
voluntary sustainability reporting by all companies. This encouragement
includes the recent publication of updated guidance for companies
on how to measure and report their environmental impacts.[22].
The Government also looks to civil society and the business community
itself to continue to encourage and promote the benefits of reporting.
We have taken account of the need to balance the
benefits of mandatory sustainability reporting with the additional
burden it would impose on companies. In light of the action being
taken on voluntary reporting as well as the recent consultation,
we have no plans to extend mandatory reporting requirements at
present.
Recommendation 4: The Government should remind
schools of the scope for addressing sustainable development in
their learning plans and encourage them to set themselves up as
'sustainable schools' to promote such learning through the practical
activities that that entails. The Government should also encourage
schools to impart an understanding of the UN and other international
bodies that are charged with setting out a sustainable development
path. (Paragraph 55)
22. We agree with recommendation 4 about the
importance of sustainable development and preparing young people
for the future—building on the aspiration set out in the
Natural Environment White Paper of seeing every child in England
given the chance to experience and learn about the natural environment.
23. We want schools to make their own judgements
on how sustainable development should be reflected in their ethos,
day-to-day operations and through education for sustainable development.
Those judgements should be based on sound knowledge and local
needs.
24. The Government has developed support materials
to help schools implement sustainable development principles in
their ethos. This includes a set of Top Tips on Sustainability
in Schools which suggests practical ways for schools to become
more sustainable whilst at the same time saving money. The Government
is committed to saving resources such as energy and water, in
turn saving schools significant sums of money that can be used
for other things. We are also helping schools by working with
the Sustainable Schools Alliance, which provides a clear and compelling
offer of support to all schools in the country.
25. With support from Defra, the Natural Connections
Demonstration Project aims to support schools to become the catalysts
for local action. Evidence shows that teachers face very local
challenges and by addressing these local challenges we hope to
encourage a change in the way schools are supported to think about
and use learning outside the classroom in natural environments.
Many of our NGO partners, including the National Trust and the
Bristol Natural History Consortium, are also playing a key role
in this area.
26. Some schools may choose to set themselves up
as Sustainable Schools or incorporate the study of UN institutions
into their teaching of sustainable development issues. We do not
believe that the Government should intervene in such decisions.
Recommendation 5: The Government should revisit
its Aid Environment Strategy in light of the Rio+20 commitments.
It should set out a commitment to play a full role in developing
new sources of international sustainable development finance,
and build in an explicit objective of promoting 'GDP-plus' metrics
and natural capital accounting (paragraph 32) in aid-recipient
countries, as well as private sector incentives to support a green
economy. (Paragraph 59)
27. In line with the 'Supporting a Healthy Environment[23]'
strategic document DFID is already actively engaged in delivering
programmes designed to encourage new sources of international
sustainable development finance, including private investments
in climate-friendly projects such as renewable energy and water
resources management. DFID is also helping to promote the adoption
of GDP+ metrics and natural capital accounting in our role as
a principal donor to the Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of
Ecosystem Services (WAVES) programme led by the World Bank. This
engagement is taking full account of Rio+20 commitments.
28. The Government supported the development of recommendations
made by the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on the post-2015
development agenda and is participating in the Intergovernmental
Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing called
for by Rio+20. It fully supports the Rio+20 recognition that
the fulfilment of all Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments
is crucial. The UK will be the first G8 country to meet its target
of providing 0.7% of Gross National Income for ODA to developing
countries—ahead of the 2015 goalpost, and we will push other
donors to meet their commitments.
Recommendation 6: The results of Rio+20 should
be regarded by the Government as a starting point for sustainable
development in policy-making within the UK, as much as for global
initiatives. The Government should update the 2005 Sustainable
Development Strategy, informed by the commitments and recommendations
of Rio+20 as well as including targets linked to the Sustainable
Development Indicators. In the meantime, the Government should
establish forums for engaging businesses, civil society, educators
and the wider public in exploring the Rio+20 commitments for the
UK and how the Government could take those forward. And the Government
needs to set out a plan to bring its influence, and that of parliamentarians
across Europe (including through the regular meetings of environmental
committee members under the rotating EU presidency), to bear on
the Rio commitments at the key staging-points towards agreeing
the Post-2015 Development Goals. (Paragraph 65)
29. We agree with the Committee's emphasis on reaffirming
the Government's commitment to sustainable development and have
noted the Committee's specific recommendations. The Government
fully subscribes to the key message emerging from Rio+20: the
economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability
must be fully integrated. We would like to reassure the Committee
that the Government remains strongly committed to sustainable
development in terms of both domestic and international policy.
We are engaging broadly in taking forward this agenda including
through regular contact with the European Parliament.
30. As the report states, the Government has already
published its Vision for Mainstreaming Sustainable Development
in 2011.[24] This sets
out how Departments will make sustainable development a part of
how they make their policies, run their buildings and buy goods
and services. In May 2013 the Government published its own report
on progress made towards the Vision,[25]
and the Committee recognised the positive achievements made in
several areas. We will keep under review the need for further
improvements to the solid frameworks now in place for mainstreaming
sustainable development across Government. We will also continue
to work with Departments to make ongoing improvements to their
business plans and transparent reporting of sustainable development.
31. Key changes were made to the Sustainable Development
Indicators (SDIs) as a result of EAC and stakeholder feedback,
such as the development of an indicator on debt. However, as stated
in the Government's response to the EAC's inquiry into SDIs, published
in May 2013,[26] the
SDIs are not intended to be a target setting mechanism. The Government
has other mechanisms for setting key targets. For the majority
of SDIs we will present a traffic light assessment which, while
not an assessment of performance against targets, will help to
simplify interpretation of the data and will provide a clear,
quick summary of the general direction of travel on the indicators.
32. The principles of the 2005 Sustainable Development
Strategy remain sound and are referred to in the Sustainable Development
Vision, published in February 2011. The Government is focusing
effort on building sustainable development into departmental business
plans—allowing greater flexibility in developing policy
under the strategic direction of the overall coalition agenda.
33. We agree with the Committee's view on the importance
of civil society engagement. Already, DFID funds two complementary
citizen engagement initiatives—the MY World survey and Participate
research programme—as part of the post-2015 process. Both
initiatives' key findings and messages featured in the High Level
Panel report, ensuring that the Panel process gave citizens around
the world and the poorest and most marginalised communities an
opportunity to contribute to the post-2015 agenda. Forthcoming
work of these initiatives includes engaging the OWG process, a
side event at the UN General Assembly around the September special
event and four 'Ground Level Panels' (from Egypt, India, Brazil
and Uganda) comprised of marginalised community members. The Ground
Level Panels will deliberate on the High Level Panel report recommendations
and make their own recommendations based on their 'ground level'
experience.
15 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmenvaud/200/200.pdf Back
16
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/1737/1737.pdf Back
17
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/1737/1737.pdf Back
18
http://www.post2015hlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/UN-Report.pdf Back
19
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/Horizontal_Services_files/Enabling_the_transition_to_a_Green_Economy__Main_D.pdf Back
20
See Appendix 1 above. Back
21
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmenvaud/202/202.pdf Back
22
https://www.gov.uk/measuring-and-reporting-environmental-impacts-guidance-for-businesses Back
23
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/67354/supporting-healthy-environment.pdf Back
24
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/183409/mainstreaming-sustainable-development.pdf Back
25
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200134/pb13914-susdev-progress2013.pdf Back
26
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmenvaud/139/139.pdf Back
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