Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Henley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 March 2011.

UN Summits

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their main objectives for Rio Earth Summit 2012; what preparations they are making for the summit; which departments are involved in preparing papers and briefings; and how many staff are working full-time on preparations.

Answer: Rio+20 offers a good opportunity to deliver our objectives on the two themes of the meeting: the green economy, in the context of sustainable development and poverty reduction, and the institutional framework for sustainable development. We want Rio+20 to agree specific measures which will contribute to low carbon, resource efficient and climate resilient growth. We are working with our EU partners to strengthen the arrangements for sustainable development and international environmental governance. We will be consulting Parliament and interested parties as we develop the UK's objectives. An inter-departmental group, chaired by Defra, is charged with the preparations for Rio+20, and includes members from FCO, HMT, DECC, DfID and BIS. In Defra there are currently two full-time equivalent employees working on Rio+20.

Secondary information