Rio +20 and the illusive search for accountability in Sustainable Development

One of the biggest concerns surround the Rio+20 process is how to hold the “world” accountable to the many commitments made during past and previous negotiations. Various proposals have been floated over the years and some, like the “SDGs“, are quite controversial. Most have stirred up more confusion than concrete dialogue.

Recently a new proposal has gained attention and support from important delegations like the United States and also has the backing of the Secretary General. The proposal doesn’t have an official title but it is being referred to as a “compendium of commitments”. The idea behind the compendium is two-fold:

1. Synthesize and collect all of the major goals and targets for global sustainable development that countries have agreed to over the past 20 years of the Rio process and streamline them into a single document that even non-diplomats can understand

2. Keep countries, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society groups accountable to the the commitments they have made by publishing their names together with the targets and goals they have committed to on a public website where they can be seen everyone in the global society (similar to this forum already up and running on the Rio +20 website)

The proposal is popular among countries interested in determining for themselves which parts of Rio they are willing to freely commit to and which parts they want to avoid. The compendium provides somewhat of a “third-way” between a total lack of accountability and the movement to establish an entirely new institutional regime to enforce and sanction those countries which do not comply with the targets identified in Rio.

View online at: https://c-fam.org/turtle_bay/rio-20-and-the-illusive-search-for-accountability-in-sustainable-development/

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