New PCCA briefing following the 2nd round of Rio+20 informal negotiations
11 May 2012
Source: PSN / Population and Climate Change Alliance
Following on from the second round of informal Rio+20 negotiations which came to a close at the UN in New York last week, the PCCA has issued a briefing and our latest suggested text and amendments for the draft outcome document.
United Nations, NYC
Negotiations are worryingly slow
Representing the Population and Climate Change Alliance (PCCA) at the informal negotiations were staff members from PSN, Sex & Samfund and IPPF.
Unfortunately disagreements amongst member states are still strong, including on major topics including the Green Economy, the future of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the overall institutional framework, where the EU, G77 and the US currently are very far from each other. Even in other areas of the text there is little consensus; new text was still being inserted and contested without agreement being reached.
As a conclusion it was decided to introduce an extra, third round of informal negotiations before the summit; from 29 May – 2 June at the UN in New York. It is still doubtful if this extra week of negotiations will lead to any significant agreements, and it is now more likely that Brazil - the host - will in the end have to come up with a short text in the last days of the negotiations in Rio.
Reproductive health and rights and population dynamics
Considering the point of departure – namely no mention of reproductive health and rights and very little focus on population dynamics and trends in the Rio zero draft text, we have come a long way. At the informal negotiations there were two readings of the proposed health and population section under Chapter 5.
To inform the negotiations PCCA circulated to delegates and key stakeholder groups our document setting out recommended text and suggested amendments on reproductive health and rights, population dynamics and related issues, which we issued a revised version of during the second week in response to changes made during the first reading of the text. This text is being circulated widely by PCCA members and other SRHR advocates.
As the text stood at the end of the second round of informal negotiations on Friday 4 May, reference to population dynamics and reproductive health was included in the text, meaning that in a broader sense the document does now acknowledge that these are important factors for sustainable development. While still bracketed, we are pleased that it looks likely that commitment to implementation of ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action (among many other international commitments) will be reaffirmed. However; there is still much work to be done to clarify the link between sustainable development, population dynamics and reproductive health in the text, to strengthen the commitments on these issues and of course to ensure that focus on these areas are not lost.
UN launch of Royal Society People and Planet report
On 1 May PCCA members attended a side-event People and the Planet: The Priorities for Rio+20, held at the informal negotiations by the UNFPA and the Royal Society.
At the event UNFPA's Executive Director Babatund Osotimehin and Nobel Laureate Sir John Sulston presented the findings from the major report investigating the links between global population and consumption, and the implications for a finite planet and discussed implications of the report for the upcoming Rio+20 Conference.
Following the event, you can read a release from a press conference at the UN and an article published in the stakeholder magazine Outreach.
Further information
If you would like a copy of the full briefing from the PCCA sharing more detailed analysis on population and SRHR issues following the second round of informal negotiations, and a copy of our recommended text and revisions for the draft outcome document, please contact Sarah Fisher, PSN Research and Communications Officer.
To stay up to date and share infomation about the latest Rio+20 developments relating to population and SRHR issues you could join the PCCA Rio+20 egroup. Contact Sarah Fisher if you are interested in joining.
UPDATE 30 May 2012
In response to a new draft of the outcome document prepared by the co-chairs and released 22 May, PCCA has issued a revised set of recommendations and suggested text.