Green Economy Popular Initiative: Federal Council Passes Indirect Counterproposal – The Federal Council aims to protect natural resources and at the same time strengthen the Swiss economy. For this reason, at its meeting on 27 February 2013, it mandated the DETEC to prepare the necessary revision of the Environmental Protection Act. These changes in the law constitute a direct counterproposal to the popular initiative “For a sustainable and resource-efficient economy (green economy)” which is rejected by the Federal Council (Federal Office for the Environment, 27.02.2013).
Green economy: a dialogue between the state and the economy - Speech from Dr. Bruno Oberle, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment at the Swiss Green Economy Symposium (18.01.2013).
World Summit on the Environment in Lausanne – The University of Lausanne (UNIL) will host the fifth annual Summit International student on the environment (World Student Environmental Summit – WSES), from 5 to 8 September 2012. On this occasion, nearly 80 delegates from around the world will be present to define a course of action together face the challenges posed today by the universal degradation of the environment (World Student Environmental Summit, 9.7.2012).
We can work with the Rio+20 outcome – Interview with Hans R. Herren (Biovision, 28.6.2012).
Rio+20: green economy added to the sustainable development agenda- The UN member states renewed the global commitment to sustainable development with their acceptance of a closing document at the UN Conference on Sustainability in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Switzerland was represented at the conference by Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard. The Rio resolution marked the introduction of the green economy to the global policy agenda (Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, 23.6.2012). More.
Rio+20: Final Business Forum Text Packed with Commitments and Innovations Presented to UN Secretary-General at Rio+20 – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today accepted the full set of outcomes from the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, including a listing of more than 200 business commitments (United Nation Global Compact, 21.6.2012)
Statement by Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard at the Plenary Meeting of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, 21 June 2012 - «We have come together here in Rio to deliberate nothing less than the future we want and the future we need. The motto of this conference reflects the fact that everything we do, and everything we fail to do, will have consequences for the future. A society lives sustainably when it creates solid foundations for future generations.» (Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, 22.6.2012). More.
Women leaders in Rio call for action to prioritize gender equality for a sustainable future – Call to action signed by women heads of state and governments at Rio+20 (UN Women, 21.6.2012)
Rio+20: «Sustainable dinner» for a change of direction in food production – Yesterday in Rio de Janeiro, representatives of the entire food production chain took part in a very special dinner at the invitation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Swiss Biovision Foundation and the Millennium Institute (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 21.06.2012).
Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (supported by Switzerland) – From Sao Paolo to Hong Kong, Inspiring Examples Demonstrate SPP Benefits to Economy, Communities and the Environment (UNEP, 20.6.2012). To the press conference about SPP with Bruno Oberle, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment, State Secretary.
Rio+20 seen as an important step in the right direction for sustainable agriculture – The declaration of the Rio+20 conference due to be endorsed by Heads of State and Governments over the next two days marks an important step in developing a sustainable agriculture that can feed the world without destroying the planet (Biovision, 20.6.2012).
Rio+20: Mountain Partnership – Today the Mountain Pavilion at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable development, Rio+20, was officially opened. The Pavilion, which is hosted by Peru in partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and other actors, calls attention to the specific concerns of mountain regions and their partnership (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 20.6.2012).
Biovision demands for Rio+20 on home straight – The draft text for the Earth Summit in Rio agreed today largely includes the demands of Biovision foundation for a sustainable agricultural policy and global food security. It is widely assumed here in Rio that the heads of state and government leaders will adopt the text at the summit starting tomorrow, getting the key concerns of Biovision across the finish line (Biovision, 19.6.2012).
Swiss Re at Rio+20: setting a sustainable standard – Swiss Re signs the UN Principles for Sustainable Insurance, further showing that addressing global sustainability challenges is part of our DNA. The Principles for Sustainable Insurance, a global sustainability framework and initiative for the world’s re/insurers to manage various global challenges, was launched 19 June as part of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20) (Swiss Re, 19.6.2012).
President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf will not participate in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro – Due to the developments in Europe, several heads of state and heads of government will not participate or only briefly participate in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro. The President of the Swiss Confederation will thus not be able to keep planned meetings with heads of state and heads of government. President Widmer-Schlumpf has thus decided not to travel to Rio de Janeiro (Federal Department of Finance, 18.6.2012). More.
Biovision Demands are retained in Brazilian Draft Text for Rio+20 – Sustainable agriculture ensuring global food security is retained as a goal in the new Brazilian draft proposal to be adopted by the Rio+20 conference. Biovision Foundation’s key concern has taken a crucial hurdle, but now it needs to survive the detailed negotiations of the next few days (Biovision, 17.6.2012).
Rio+20 preparatory conference ends without agreement – The final preparatory conference for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development was forced to conclude without agreement on the night of Friday, 15 June. Negotiations will now continue under the aegis of Brazil. The commitment to sustainable development is due to be renewed and greater significance given to the green economy at the summit (Federal Office for the Environment, 16.6.2012).
Rio+20: Combating Poverty with the Help of the Private Sector – The Corporate Sustainability Forum (CSF), which brings together businesses committed to sustainable development, meets on 15-18 June in Rio de Janeiro, just prior to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. CSF input will then be included in the Rio+20 conference agenda. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) are both partners of the Forum (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 14.6.2012). More.
scienceindustries Sustainability Report – This report is designed to demonstrate the contribution of scienceindustries companies to sustaina-ble development in Switzerland. It particularly addresses the issues of the “green economy” with regard to the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012 and the “Strategic Approach to Chemicals Manage-ment” with regard to the SAICM ICCM-3 conference in September 2012 (scienceindustries, 14.6.2012).
New Poverty-Environment Partnership paper on «Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All» to be launched at Rio+20 - A transition to a green economy could lift millions of people out of poverty and transform the livelihoods of many of the 1.3 billion people earning just a US$1.25 a day around the world, but only when supported by strong policies and public- and private-sector investments (Poverty Environment Partnership, 14.6.2012).
More funds for promoting energy projects abroad – Switzerland is consolidating its international commitment to sustainable development. In the spirit of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, SECO and the SDC are together allocating an additional CHF 2 million to the REPIC Platform (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, 14.6.2012).
From 11 June onwards at www.rio20.ch: messages from well known Swiss on Rio+20 - From 11 to 19 June 2012, in a series of video messages on the Swiss internet platform www.rio20.ch, a number of famous people will be giving their views on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro. They include President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, Bertrand Piccard and skier Lara Gut (Federal Office for the Environment, 11.6.2012). More.
Rio+20 with Swiss President Widmer-Schlumpf and Federal Councillor Leuthard – On 8 June 2012, the Switzerland’s Federal Council appointed the Swiss delegation for the UN Conference on Sustainability from 20 to 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The federal government will be represented by Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. The conference should renew the commitment to sustainable development and provide a forum for discussing the green economy at the highest political level (The Federal Authorities, 8.6.2012). More.
Swiss know-how contributing to “green industrialisation” in developing countries - On the occasion of the visit of Kandeh Yumkella, Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), to Switzerland on 21 May, the Director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, signed a project agreement for 4.0 million Swiss francs to promote a more efficient use of industrial resources in Indonesia (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, 21.5.2012).
Difficult negotiations in advance of Rio+20 - Progress at the preparatory negotiations on the results of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June (Rio+20) was halting. The industrialised and developing countries remained very divided in their positions during the second round of negotiations, which were held from 23 April to 4 May 2012 in New York (Federal Office for the Environment, 4.5.2012). More.
Sustainable Development Report 2012 – 20 years of sustainable development in Switzerland since the Rio Earth Summit: a contrasting evolution - Living conditions in Switzerland are good and at a high level in international comparison. Inequalities persist, however, both at the national and international levels. The consumption of non-renewable resources does not make it possible to preserve available stocks for future generations (Federal Statistical Office, 30.4.2012). More.
Sustainability and green economy: progress at the Rio+20 negotiations halting - From the perspective of Switzerland a satisfactory outcome of the United Nations Rio+20 Conference on Sustainability remains out of reach. The countries participating in the first round of negotiations, held between 19 and 27 March 2012 in New York, were very far apart in their positions. The actual conference will take place from 13 to 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro (Federal Office for the Environment, 27.3.2012). More.
Federal Council issues negotiating mandate for UN «Rio+20» sustainability summit - Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainability, will take place in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from 20 to 22 June 2012. One of the aims of the conference is to define the contribution of a green economy to sustainable development and poverty eradication. The negotiations on the Rio+20 resolution will commence on 19 March 2012 in New York. The Swiss Federal Council issued its mandate to Switzerland’s negotiating delegation on 9 March 2012 (Federal Office for the Environment, 9.3.2012). More.
International Roadmap for a Green Economy – On 1 November 2011 Switzerland submitted its contribution to the paper which will form the basis of negotiations at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The submission includes a proposal for the adoption of an international roadmap towards a green economy. Information about the conference can be found on the website launched today: www.rio20.ch (Federal Office for the Environment, 3.11.2011). More.