Position Paper of the People's Republic of China At the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly - Views on the Rio + 20 agenda

Adapted from the Position Paper of the People's Republic of China At the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September 9, 2011)


Environment and Sustainable Development (Rio+20)

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012 represents an important opportunity to promote international cooperation on sustainable development. China supports the Conference and will work with other countries to comprehensively evaluate the progress made over the past 20 years and the remaining gaps in the field of sustainable development, reiterate political commitments and formulate action plans to coordinate the implementation of various commitments and promote global sustainable development.

For the Conference to achieve these goals, it is important that it:

- First, stick to the principle and goal of sustainable development, and coordinate economic, social and environmental factors.

- Second, stick to the principles adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, including the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities".

- Third, stick to the principle of diversity of development models, and respect the right of countries to independently choose their development paths and secure adequete policy space.

- Fourth, stick to the principle of consultation and consensus. The Conference should be action-orientied and focus on consensus-building. It should listen to the views of developing countries, set aside differences and expand consensus.

On green economy. Poverty reduction should be the top priority of developing countries in developing green economy. The international community should take concrete measures to oppose the practice of trade protectionism under the pretext of developing green economy or condition their overseas aid on the development of green economy. Developed countries should take the lead to change the unsustainable way of consumption and help developing countries grow their economy, including by providing funding, transferring technologies, building capacity and expanding market access.

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