Milestones to Rio+20

24^th December 2009: The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution with unanimous approval to hold a conference on sustainable development in 2012 at the ‘highest level possible’. The resolution builds on the previous resolution tabled by the Chair of G77 to the 63^rd session of the General Assembly in 2008, and has been enhanced significantly through consultation, debates and submissions since the idea for a Rio+2O Summit in 2012 was first proposed by President Lula da Silva of Brazil in 2007.

22nd November 2009: Representatives of civil society organsiations across the Commonwealth have emphasised their support for a Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012. At the Commonwealth Civil Society Forum, held ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port of Spain, civil society groups issued a statement endorsing the Summit, which included a call for ‘the Green Economy to be the major focus of a Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012'.

14th November 2009: The governments of Brazil and France released a joint statement today outlining a common position on climate change, within which they also called for the establishment of an international organization devoted to environment and sustainable development at the Earth Summit 2012 conference.

4^th November 2009: Sudan, on behalf of the G-77 and China, has produced a draft resolution for the UN General Assembly addressing the Earth Summit in 2012, Implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

3rd November 2009: In a statement to the UN Committee II Daniel Hirsch of the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations has recognised the opportunity that a new Earth Summit could present. He noted in particular that a high level event might provide the momentum for reform of the International Environmental Governance system.

November 2009: India has roundly endorsed the idea of a new summit and in a statement to UN Committee II said "In this regard we also support the holding of a 'Rio+20' event in Brazil in 2012 to comprehensively review progress made in implementing the sustainable development agenda."