Latin America, Caribbean Prepare for Rio+20 Summit
Santiago de Chile, Sep 10 (Prensa Latina) With an appeal for a global institutional mechanism to foster sustainable development, the Latin America and Caribbean regional preparatory meeting for of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio-20) came to a close Saturday.
Delegates from 28 Latin American and Caribbean countries and UN high ranking officials met for three days at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in the Chilean capital with the goal of finding common positions for the group summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012.
Participants at the event called for the creation of more efficient parameters for assessing a country’s wealth, so that they adequately indicate the three pillars of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental aspects.
Delegates assessed the achievements attained since the 1992 UN Earth Summit, and referred to continuing challenges in the region for sustainable development, most pressing for small island states in the Caribbean.
A continuing science and technology gap and a lack of financial resources are obstacles to sustainable development in the region, participants said.
They noted the high poverty rates in the region, home to some 180 million poor according to 2010 figures, with more than 100 million people living in slums without basic services or adequate medical care.
Forum participants also called for more South-South cooperation, and voiced their determination to continue efforts for sustainable development and more social equity.
Article originally published at Prensa Latina
