CIRAD at the Rio+20 Conference

12/06/2012 - Article

One of the largest ever meetings of States and Heads of State to look at sustainable development will be starting in Rio in a few days' time. Since sustainable development is the very heart of its mandate, CIRAD will be there, in the France Pavilion, notably on 21 June, with a side event: "Rio+20: agroscience takes up the challenge".

Rio+20, agroscience takes up the challenge

What partnership structures are required to tackle the major issues: from Rio 1992 to 2012?

21 June, 11 am to 12:30 pm
France Pavilion (Parque dos Atletas, Barra de Tijuca)
Round table organized by CIRAD and INRA

The round table centres on three sessions on the topics of the environment conventions that arose from the first Rio Summit in 1992:

  • Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
    Moderator: Robert Habib (INRA)
  • Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
    Moderator: Etienne Hainzelin (CIRAD)
  • Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)
    Moderators: Patrick Caron (CIRAD) and Bernard Hubert (INRA, Agropolis International)

Each session will comprise contributions from CIRAD and INRA partners, followed by discussions with the audience.

A video of the round table will subsequently be available on the Agreenium, CIRAD, INRA and Agropolis International websites.

Other events in which CIRAD is participating

  • 20 June, 3:00 to 3:30 pm
    "Research and sustainable development: Allenvi as a tool for governance"
    Event organized by the Allenvi Alliance
    With the participation of representatives from CIRAD General Management.

  • 21 June
    XXth anniversary of the Rio conventions
    Rio Conventions Pavilion
    With the participation of Gérard Matheron, CIRAD President Managing Director
    More info at riopavilion.org

  • 22 June, 4:00 to 4:30 pm
    "Participatory science"
    Event organized by the Allenvi Alliance
    With the participation of representatives from CIRAD General Management.

For global orchestration of agricultural research

Agricultural research has to tackle increasingly globalized, complex challenges. How can it do this, given the emergence of a multi-polar, very varied agricultural research system and the growing gaps between countries?

To answer that question, CIRAD suggests establishing global orchestration of agricultural research for development (AR4D), centring on strategic intelligence compiled and shared by all the stakeholders involved. This means including the least advanced countries and building their research capacity.

The UN Rio+20 conference is an opportunity to promote that global orchestration of agricultural research , lay the foundations for a new type of scientific diplomacy, target agricultural research more effectively as regards tomorrow's challenges, and thus contribute to a new institutional framework for sustainable development.

CIRAD will be attempting to do this, in the France Pavilion , where it will be throughout the Rio+20 Summit as an official member of the French delegation.

The Report on Sustainable Land Use for the 21st Century

CIRAD participated in producing the United Nations Report on Sustainable Land Use for the 21st Century , as part of the Sustainable Development in the 21st Century Project (SD21).

Access the report

The SD21 report will be officially presented in Rio on 17 June.