UN Secretary General Trusts Brazil”s to Successfully Run Rio +20

Brasilia, Mar 9. – The Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, Sha Zukang, said today that Brazil is qualified to ensure the success of the event to be held in June.

"You (Brazil) have performed better than most nations, have strong leadership and authority," said Zukang at a public hearing of the Federal Senate on Rio +20, according to a report by Agencia Brasil.

I am the secretary general, but the real leader is Brazil, which has the responsibility to ensure that the conference is a success, he said, adding that about 45 thousand people must participate in the discussions and the organization of the meeting, which takes place two decades after the Earth Summit Río'92.

Now, Rio +20 seeks to define an international model for the next 20 years that has as its cornerstone the preservation of the ecosystem and, in turn, produce a better quality of life for people and the eradication of poverty through social programs.

In this regard, Zukang said that "there are three pillars: economic, social and environmental issues, integrated in a coherent manner. Without a good environment you cannot develop anything."

Meanwhile, the under-secretary general of Rio +20, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, said that the summit is a renewed commitment to multilateralism by the South American giant as a legitimate solution of global problems.

Federal Senate President Jose Sarney, who received Zukang in his office, said that Brazil is mobilized to ensure the success of the Conference and hoped that the meeting constitutes a breakthrough in environmental protection.

In the meeting between Sarney and Zukang, Fernando Collor de Melo, former Brazilian president and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federal Senate, also participated, along with Senators Cristovam Buarque and Rodrigo Rollemberg.(Prensa Latina)