6^th- 7^th Sept 2009: In a statement issued after a State visit by France to Brazil on 6^th – 7^th September 2009, Nicolas Sarkozy has announced France’s support for an Earth Summit in 2012. The statement welcomes the strengthening in relations between Brazil and France, with both countries as actors in a ‘new global governance’. In this spirit, the statement highlights the opportunity afforded by an Earth Summit in 2012 to address global environmental governance.  

21st September 2009: In a joint letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy have suggested that the ‘broad lines of agreement’ for Copenhagen need to be ‘clarified’. In particular they call for consensus on limiting global temperature increase to below pre-industrial levels, cutting GHG emissions by 50% on 1990 levels by 2050.

29^th September 2009: A number of prominent civil society organisations have come together to deliver a letter to President Obama urging him to support the current proposal before the United Nations to host an Earth Summit in Brazil in 2012. Representing more than a million Americans, the group has invited Obama ‘to see the Summit as an opportunity to consolidate the gains made in your first Administration towards sustainable development and to catalyze actions worldwide to build a new green global prosperity’.

1st – 2nd October 2009: Together with the European Economic and Social Committee, Stakeholder Forum hosted a two-day multi-stakeholder conference on Earth Summit 2012 in Brussels. It was the first major event to be held in Europe to discuss a possible Rio+20 conference in 2012.

In a joint statement from the Third European Union-Brazil Summit in Stockholm, the EU has welcomed the Brazilian Government's offer to host a United Nations high-level event on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Both parties shared the view that the 'Green Economy' should be one of its main focuses.

22nd- 24th October 2009: Stakeholder Forum facilitated two workshops to discuss the themes and focus of the proposed Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012. The workshops sought to address the issues that will need to be addressed if the UN General Assembly agrees to a Summit. The workshops were designed for government participation only, and were made possible with the generous support of the Governments of Switzerland and France, and Skanska.

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."

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.