Ghana vows to take strong position at Rio+20 Summit
Ghana would take a strong position on three priority areas, namely Natural Capital Conservation, Natural Resource Efficiency and means of implementing Sustainable Development at the Rio+20 Conference slated for June 2012.
Ghana would convince the conference to back her demands for proactive measures to be adopted to conserve biodiversity and to reduce its losses, as well as how to harness clean and modern technology to enhance Sustainable Development.
Mr Rudolf Kuuzegh, Director of Finance and Administration, Ministry of Environment Science and Technology (MEST), disclosed this at the opening ceremony of an orientation programme organised in Accra on Thursday for Ghana’s delegates to the Rio+20 Conference to be held in Brazil.
He said Ghana’s delegation which includes a technical team, made of 18 technocrats, drawn from the various Ministries, Department and Agencies, would also lead the bloc of developing countries known as the Group of 77 to discuss issues on desertification, forestry and energy.
According to Mr Kuuzegh, the meeting would discuss Ghana’s success stories, new and emerging challenges such as climate change and the effects of the recent global economic meltdown that had militated against effective implementation of Agenda 21.
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be pursued globally, nationally and locally by organisations of the United Nations system, governments, and major groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
Agenda 21 was adopted by more than 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, from June 3 to 14, 1992.
The full implementation of Agenda 21 and the programme for further implementation of the Agenda 21 were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002.
The Rio+20 Conference, which is also the United Nations Conference of Heads of States on Sustainable Development, is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development.
It would also be used to assess up-to-date progress and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and also address new and emerging challenges.
The Conference would focus on two themes, namely, a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and an institutional framework for sustainable development.
Source: GNA