The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, will be held from 13 to 22 June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro. It is known as Rio +20 because it marks the twentieth anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio-92), and should help define the sustainable development agenda for the coming decades.

Brazil's petition to host Rio +20 was approved in the 6th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in 2009.

The objective of the conference is to renew political commitment to sustainable development, through the assessment of progress and gaps in the implementation of decisions made at the major summits held on the subject, and through the discussion of new and emerging issues. 

The Conference will have two main themes:

• Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication,
• And the institutional framework for sustainable development.

Rio +20 consists of three stages. In the first few days, between June 13 and 15, the Third Meeting of the Preparatory Committee has been scheduled - in it, government representatives will meet to negotiate the documents to be adopted at the Conference. Subsequently, events with civil society are scheduled for June 16 - 19. The High Level Segment of the Conference is scheduled for June 20 to 22; attendance by several Heads of State and Government of United Nations member countries is expected.

Conference preparations (PrepComs)

UN General Assembly Resolution 64/236 has determined the holding of the conference, its purpose and themes, and has established a schedule of Preparatory Committee ("PrepCom") meetings. The Committee has been holding annual sessions since 2010, as well as "inter-session meetings", important in driving negotiations forward.

In addition to the "PrepComs", many countries have been holding "informal meetings", to enhance opportunities for the discussion of Rio +20 issues. The preparatory process is conducted by the UN Undersecretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, and future Secretary-General of the Conference, Ambassador Sha Zukang, of China. The Conference Secretariat also has two Executive Coordinators: Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, former Minister of Energy and Environment of Barbados, and Mr. Brice Lalonde, former Minister of the Environment of France. Preparations are supplemented by the Rio +20 Board of Directors, which meets regularly in New York to decide upon issues concerning the organization of the event. The Board of Directors is made up of representatives of the five UN regional groups. It is co-chaired by Ambassador Kim Sook, of South Korea, and Ambassador John Ashe, of Antigua and Barbuda. As Conference host, Brazil also sits on the Board of Directors.

Member States, civil society representatives and international organizations had until the 1st of November to submit proposals to the Conference Secretariat, in writing. Based on these contributions, the Secretariat will prepare a zero draft for Rio +20, which will be negotiated in meetings throughout the first half of 2012.