Twenty years after the first "Earth Summit", Heads of State and Government, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – the Earth Summit 2012 or Rio+20 summit – which takes place from 20-22 June in Rio de Janeiro. It is expected to be another milestone in on-going international efforts to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development globally.

Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard will participate in various Rio+20 events from 19-21 June, including meetings with leaders of small island states (AOSIS) and least developed countries (LDCs) to discuss how to move forward in the climate talks under the UNFCCC.

On Tuesday 19th June, Commissioner Hedegaard will participate in a panel discussion at the UN Women's flagship event on women's empowerment for sustainable development. On Wednesday 20th, she will appear alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and IPCC Chair Rajendra K. Pachauri at the launch event of the Sustainia100 catalogue – Sustainia's guide to 100 sustainable solutions. On Thursday 21st, the Commissioner will participate in an event with other members of the UN Global Sustainability Panel established by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon - including South African President Jacob Zuma, former President of Finland Tarja Halonen and former Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland – to consider how the Panel's report 'Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing' can contribute to the Rio+20 follow-up work.

Read more:

• Rio+20 website
• UNFCCC
• UN Panel on Global Sustainability