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| United Nations Conference on Environment and Development secretariat | |
|---|---|
| Name | United Nations Conference on Environment and Development secretariat |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Founder | United Nations |
| Type | United Nations secretariat body |
| Headquarters | Rio de Janeiro (temporary for conference); New York City (coordination offices) |
| Region served | Global |
| Leader title | Executive Secretary |
| Parent organization | United Nations Environment Programme; United Nations Department of Public Information |
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development secretariat The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development secretariat served as the administrative and technical hub for planning the Rio Earth Summit and for coordinating global negotiations among states, intergovernmental organizations, and non-state actors. It supported multilateral processes that produced landmark instruments such as the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, while interfacing with bodies including the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme.
The secretariat emerged from mandates given by the United Nations General Assembly and preparatory committees following the Brundtland Commission report "Our Common Future" and recommendations from the World Commission on Environment and Development. It was operationalized through coordination among United Nations Environment Programme offices, the Department of Political and Security Council Affairs (United Nations), and the United Nations Department of Public Information to organize the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The secretariat brought together expertise from institutions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The secretariat's mandate included servicing preparatory committees under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly, facilitating negotiations for treaty text among parties including members of the European Union, the Group of 77, and the G77 and China, and organizing the conference logistics with assistance from host state authorities like the Government of Brazil. It drafted background papers referenced by the United Nations Development Programme, advised delegations from Small Island Developing States, coordinated side events with the World Health Organization, and enabled participation by civil society organizations such as Greenpeace, World Wide Fund for Nature, and Friends of the Earth.
The secretariat was led by an Executive Secretary appointed in consultation with the United Nations Secretary-General and worked closely with commissioners and chairs of preparatory committees drawn from representatives of delegations including United States Department of State envoys, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brazil) officials, and envoys from India and China. It maintained liaison units with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The structure featured technical divisions handling climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development policy with inputs from experts affiliated with the Inter-American Development Bank, African Union, and the Asian Development Bank.
The secretariat organized multi-stage preparations including the work of Preparatory Committee (Rio Conference) sessions, negotiation rounds involving representatives of the Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC) predecessor groups, and coordination of contributions from organizations like the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. It managed submissions from national delegations, supervised the drafting of the Agenda 21 action plan, and arranged major plenary sessions where leaders from Brazil, the United States of America, Germany, Japan, South Africa, and France addressed participants. The secretariat also supervised logistical operations with local agencies in Rio de Janeiro and organized public forums that included representatives from Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Americas, youth movements, and women’s networks.
Key activities included drafting negotiating texts for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, preparing technical assessments for the Convention on Biological Diversity, and compiling scientific syntheses in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The secretariat facilitated capacity-building workshops for representatives of Least Developed Countries, organized partnership initiatives with the Global Environment Facility, and supported the launch of voluntary mechanisms such as the Commission on Sustainable Development. It coordinated media outreach with the United Nations Department of Public Information and engaged non-governmental networks including Civil Society Organizations, indigenous organizations, and academic centers like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Oxford.
The secretariat acted as a nexus between the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and regional organizations including the European Commission, the African Union, and the Organization of American States. It arranged inter-agency meetings involving the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and UNESCO to ensure coherence across instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UNFCCC. The secretariat liaised with multilateral environmental agreements secretariats and funding entities like the Global Environment Facility to align technical assistance and implementation support.
The secretariat's work underpinned institutional legacies including the establishment of processes that evolved into recurring forums such as the Conference of the Parties mechanisms for the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and informed capacities of regional bodies like the European Union and the African Union. Its facilitation contributed to mainstreaming sustainable development across agencies including the United Nations Development Programme and influenced the agenda of subsequent summits such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The secretariat's coordination legacy persists in ongoing collaborations among international financial institutions, multilateral environmental agreements, and networks including Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Sustainable Development and academic research centers.