Twenty years on from the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development), world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. The event, which takes place from from 20 to 22 June 2012, will discuss how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet.

The official discussions will focus on two main themes: How to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development and lift people out of poverty, including support for developing countries that will allow them to find a green path for development; and how to improve international coordination for sustainable development.