Expectations are running high, that by the time the curtain comes down on Rio+ 20 on Friday night, world leaders would have chartered a way forward for the planet that ensures, that as far as is humanly possible, an ecologically sound and environmentally realistic path is designed.
That is the prospect Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart, holds for the much touted United Nations (UN) Summit on Sustainable Development which began in earnest today.
And, according to him, such an outcome could only be realised if concrete proposals, advanced by key committees that have been working behind the scenes, were adopted and seriously implemented within specific timeframes. “Time is running out on us, if we do not act and act quickly,” he cautioned.
The Prime Minister is heading the Barbados delegation to the global summit, that also includes Minister of the Environment, Dr Dennis Lowe, and key government technocrats, to what he termed “a meeting that holds much significance for the future of mankind and his survival.”
However, before the final declaration is worked out and issued, observance of the usual formalities that precede such conferences will get under way this evening in a ceremony that officials in Rio de Janeiro estimate will attract many thousands. These will include over 130 world leaders from the developed and developing world; representatives of UN agencies, private foundations, non-government organisations (NGOs), think tanks, environmentalists, conservationists, and private individuals who have been championing the relevant issues over the years. (GIS)
