ICE Coalition & Stakeholder Forum Rio +20 Conference With support from DLA Piper

Date: Wednesday 26^th October 2011

Context

Prior to the deadline for submissions into the final outcome document of the ‘Rio+20’ summit known as the ‘zero draft’, the ICE Coalition and Stakeholder Forum hosted an all day conference to provide an opportunity for different groups to discuss their proposals and seek support for them.  It allowed distinguished speakers to stimulate further discussion on the two themes at Rio, the green economy and the institutional framework of sustainable development; and allow for the ICE Coalition to show how an International Court for the Environment would complement the institutional framework for sustainable development.

Conference Objectives

To provide an opportunity for discussion around the themes of the Rio 2012 summit, in particular

• To provide a forum for distinguished speakers from a range of backgrounds and professionalisms to stimulate discussion on the Rio 2012 themes
• To enable UK NGOs concerned about the outcomes of the Rio 2012 summit to seek support for their contributions to UN zero draft
• To launch the BOND DEG contribution to the UN zero draft for Rio 2012
• To build a wider understanding of the importance of the Rio 2012 summit.
• For the ICE Coalition to garner support for the proposal for an International Court for the Environment

Audience

A wide range of representatives of the UK Government and Parliament, environment and development NGOs, environmental lawyers and business/industry leaders with an interest in environmental issues attended the conference.

For more information please download the conference summary notes and speaker presentations below:

For Conference Summary Notes click here.

Speakers

Panel Session: NGOs discuss their policy priorities for Rio with time for discussion and questions and opportunities for participants to sign up to the policy narratives that they support.

• Gita Parihar & Pascoe Sabido (Friends of the Earth)
• David Banisar (Article 19)
• Polly Higgins (Ecocide)
• Nicolo Wojewoda (Peace Child)
• Alice Vincent (World Future Council, Ombudspersons for future generations)
• Sue Riddlestone (BioRegional) 

Presentations:

• Farooq Ullah (Stakeholder Forum) – Discussion of BOND-DEG/UK NGO Rio Narrative
• Lord Anthony Giddens (LSE)  – The Politics of Climate Change (See Summary Notes)
• Dr Bob Bloomfield (Natural History Museum) – Biodiversity and Rio 2012 (See Summary Notes)
• Kirsty Schneeberger (Stakeholder Forum) – Global Transition & UNEP FI
• Joan Walley (Chair, Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee) – EAC Rio+20 Inquiry & report (See Summary Notes)
• Stephen Hockman QC (ICE) – International Court for the Environment (See Summary Notes)

Other Supporting Documents:

• Ombudspersons for Future Generations: Tackling Sustainability Implementation Gaps
• Population and Sustainability Network Rio+20 policy narrative
• ICE COALITION: The Case for an International Court for the Environment
• Summary Submission by Wild Law UK to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development