Securing a commitment to develop Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which would succeed the Millennium Development Goals set to expire in 2015, would represent a significant outcome from the Rio+20 Conference.
The Conference marks 20 years on from the landmark Earth Summit in Rio in 1992.
In its Rio+20 policy manifesto, Unilever urges full collaboration between policymakers, business leaders and civil society to develop SDGs.
The company believes business has a key role to play in the creation, design and delivery of SDGs to ensure the best chance of success.
five key areas
Unilever has also set out five key areas, where business and government can achieve progress by working together. At Rio+20, Unilever is calling for collaborative approaches to urgently address:
- Deforestation
- Food security
- Water, sanitation and hygiene
- Waste and recycling
- Sustainable consumption
Unilever believes that SDGs should have a 2030 deadline and a clear outline for measuring and reporting progress.
“We urge the UN Secretary General to ensure businesses and civil society are fully integrated within the process to create Sustainable Development Goals,” said Jonathan Tench, Unilever’s Global Advocacy Manager.
"Only through working together can we achieve a sustainable and equitable economy that meets people’s everyday needs within the planet’s environmental limits.”
More than 100 heads of state and government ministers, along with thousands of policymakers and business and civil society leaders will attend Rio+20 to shape new policies which aim to create a more prosperous, equitable and sustainable world.
The United Nations conference on Sustainable Development is being held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil from 20 June to 22 June.