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In an effort to provide a range of different voices and views on key issues as momentum builds towards the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as “Rio+20,” NGLS is pleased to share with readers the third edition of its “Road to Rio” e-newsletter. Readers will find a range of opinion pieces, interviews and thought-provoking articles on some of the main issues at hand, as well as reports and resources from the UN system and civil society. Comments and suggestions are welcome at ngls@unctad.org and ngls@un.org.

**The opinions, views and ideas appearing in “Road to Rio” are those of the authors and do not represent an endorsement by NGLS or any other part of the UN system.

Political momentum continues to build towards Rio with the 1 November submission deadline come and gone and the December Intersessional fast approaching. The Rio+20 Secretariat is compiling ideas and recommendations from the submissions into a compilation document that will serve as basis for the preparation of the zero draft outcome document.

The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination submitted a common statement ahead of the 1 November deadline in which they call for Rio+20 to foster renewed commitment and urgent action to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development while recognizing that the world has changed in fundamental ways.

On 31 October the world reached a population of seven billion people. To better understand the economic, social and environmental challenges as well as the opportunities that arise with a world population of seven billion people, NGLS interviews UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin.

The UN has launched “Rio+20: The Future We Want,” a campaign that raises global awareness on key issues in relation to sustainable development and engages people in a global conversation on the kind of communities they would like to live in twenty years from now.

All five RPMs have been held since September, for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Europe. These meetings offered a forum for deliberation and consensus building on issues and priorities reflecting the regional vision of the objectives and themes to be addressed in the June 2012 Conference.

In this interview, Juergen Maier, Executive Director of the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, provides his perspectives on the EU position in the lead-up to Rio.

At the request of the Secretariat of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, NGLS conducted a civil society consultation in November that aimed to gather relevant considerations for the GSP before the final meeting of the Panel, taking place 13-14 December 2011.

In this interview, NGLS speaks with Michael K. Dorsey, Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College and Director of Dartmouth’s Climate Justice Research Project, about his experience in Rio in 1992 during UNCED and how he is now engaged in the current Rio process.

In the past two decades, world population increased by 26% reaching 7 billion by the end of October 2011. At the same time, the number of people living in cities has grown by 45%. UNEP’s report notes that these growth rates have brought new and emerging social, economic, geopolitical and environmental challenges.

People under 25 constitute half of the world’s population and often bear the brunt of the economic, environmental and social crises. In the lead up to Rio+20, youth are actively coordinating and mobilizing at a global level and have been voicing their opinions. This section looks at youth participation.

On 3-5 October 2011, OHCHR organized the 2011 Social Forum under the theme: “The promotion and effective realization of the right to development, in the context of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development.” Paul Quintos’ address to the Social Forum focused on the Right to Development in the context of sustainable development.

On 10-11 UNRISD organized a conference, entitled “Green Economy and Sustainable Development - Bringing Back the Social Dimension,” where a wide range of stakeholders explored the social dimensions surrounding global policy actions for sustainable development.

The international UN-Water Conference, “Water in the green economy in Practice: Towards Rio+20,” held in Spain in October, highlighted best practices in implementing water and green economic policies.

In November, following three years of extensive global research, involving hundreds of experts, UNEP released its flagship report Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication – a key contribution to the Rio+20 process and towards poverty reduction.

UNDP’s 2011 Human Development Report explores the intersections between sustainable development and equity. It shows that environmental degradation can intensify inequality in human development and vice versa; and argues that environmental sustainability can be most fairly achieved by addressing health, education, income, and gender disparities together with the need for global action on energy production and ecosystem protection.

The report Decision Making in a Changing Climate outlines suggestions to national governments regarding policy and planning in the context of ongoing and projected climate change. Resulting from WRI’s extensive research processes, the publication includes 12 illustrative case studies building upon research from 100 experts in 35 countries.

From 12-15 December 2011, the Eye on Earth Summit will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Featuring prominent speakers from the worlds of philanthropy, business, government, data engineering and technology, the Summit will discuss ways to ensure effective access to the world's expanding pool of environmental and societal data by all of those who need it.