Please see copy of a draft Framework for Sustainable Development for  Ireland. The draft Framework which was recently approved by Government for publication for public consultation, was prepared under the auspices of a High Level Cross Departmental Group on Sustainable Development which was chaired at Assistant Secretary level by this Department.

The Framework document will be Ireland’s main contribution to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. This major conference marks the 20th anniversary of the ‘Earth Summit’ held in that city in 1992. The outcomes of an earlier public consultation process on the Rio + 20 themes formed the second part of Ireland’s contribution to the Rio process and a report on this was formally submitted to the United Nations in October 2011.

The formal period of public consultation will run to 29 February 2012; part of this process will involve a specially organised seminar for stakeholders to be held in the Aviva Stadium on 24 January next.  Details of the public consultation plus documents are available on the sustainable development page of www.environ.ie.