Public discussion “Ukraine on the Eve to Rio+20: Setting Societal Agenda for Sustainable Development” was held on the 20^th of March, 2012 in Kyiv, aiming to analyze sustainable development policy in Ukraine, discuss key challenges and possibilities of the country’s transition to sustainable development and green economy, as well as to form a joint position document “Societal Agenda for Sustainable Development of Ukraine”.

This event was organized by the UNENGO “MAMA-86” and the Regional Representative Office of Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine. Representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Sources of Ukraine, experts, NGOs, scientists and representatives of business communities were involved in the discussion.

The meeting was opened by Anna Golubovska-Onisimova, Chair of the Coordination Board of the UNENGO “MAMA-86” and Galyna Meshcheryakova, research associate of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. In her greeting speech Anna Golubovska-Onisimova emphasized the importance of this year’s Rio conference for all over the world and our country in particular. “Ukraine hasn’t approved the sustainable development strategy, so this conference has to encourage government to create it”, noted Anna Golubovska-Onisimova. While discussing international society initiatives, which are submitted to the conference, she had also highlighted the importance of providing the independent agency status for UNEP, which would lead environmental questions on the integrated international level, and creating other effective institutional mechanisms for sustainable development implementation on the global and national levels, as well as complex actions, aiming to change the consciousness of managers, politicians and public.

Starting the 1^st Session “From Rio to Rio+20”, Zoryana Mishchuk, Executive Director of UNENGO “MAMA-86” made a brief excursion to the history of international sustainable development process, and presented the main tasks of this year’s Conference in Rio – renovation of political obligations regarding sustainable development, assessment of the achieved results and performance of previous obligations, as well as taking into account new challenges on the way to sustainable future. Zoryana Mishchuk also presented the most important initiatives, promoted by the civil society: adoption of Sustainable Development Goals, implementation of 10-years programs of sustainable consumption and production, development of new international agreement on access to information and public participation in decision making process concerning the environment (“Global Aarhus Convention”), creating the Sustainable Development Council within UN, introduction of future generations ombudsmen at global and national levels etc. She also emphasized the importance of consulting process with various stakeholders (major groups) during the preparation and holding the Conference, as well as developing the Final Document. The model of such consulting process should be also practiced at the national level, involving different sectors of Ukrainian society, NGOs, business society, scientists etc.

Volodymyr Bilokon, Deputy Director of the Department of National Environmental Policy and International Cooperation devoted his speech to the current state of implementation of sustainable development ideas in Ukraine. He reminded that there was a Complex Program for Realization at National Level of Decisions, Taken at the World Sustainable Development Summit for 2003–2015 accepted right after the Johannesburg Summit (Rio+10). This Program prioritized the tasks of poverty eradication, sustainable consumption and production models implementation, protection and regional use of natural sources etc. However, the real progress in sustainable development direction is accepting of the National Environmental Policy Strategy to 2020, which, within others, provides implementation of the key sustainable development principle — integration of environmental policy into the sector policies. Among the most important tasks Volodymyr Bilokon mentioned green public procurement, implementation of cleaner production principles, resource and energy efficiency, sustainable consumption and production. He also emphasized the role of NGOs in monitoring and assessment of national environmental policy.

Gennadiy Marushevskyy, Director of the Institute of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development, presented main obstacles in the direction of sustainable development at the national and international levels, particularly the problem of accountability and absence of responsibility for non-enforcement of decisions made at the sustainable development summits, as well as institutional barriers (absence of the relevant institution or agency, which would lead negotiations regarding sustainable development at the international level.

Zbigniew Bochniarz, Professor of Evans School of Public Affairs of the University of Washington told about the Central and Eastern Europe countries progress in sustainable development since 1992, while there was an acute environmental crisis observed. With a range of measures, e.g., refusal of subsidizing of environmental harmful economic activities, implementing the polluter-pays-principles, these countries had not only improved their environmental situations, but also got environmental benefits: there was a quick environmental market increase and environmental entrepreneurship development, a huge increase of environmental investments, creating green jobs, consumer and producer change of behavior, and, in overall, a significant progress in sustainable development.

Natalia Korzhunova, Leading Research Fellow of the Institute of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development of NASU and Gennadiy Statyukha, Director of Central-Eastern Institute of Sustainable Development (NTUU “KPI”) talked about the problems of implementations of sustainable development strategies at the national and international levels and the role of education in dissemination of sustainable development ideas.

The second session “Society as the Driving Force for Sustainable Development” was also devoted to the green economy perspectives and roles of stakeholders, in particular, of business society in Ukraine’s transition to sustainable development. Svitlana Berzina, Head of Environmental Organization “Zhyva Planeta” (Living Planet) highlighted the perspectives of green procurements in public, government and private sectors, providing the recommendations regarding the steps for this practice implementation. Maryna Saprykina, Director of Centre for Social Corporate Responsibility Development mentioned the role of business in promotion of sustainable development ideas and careful attitude to the environment, presenting an already developed project “Initiative 2020”, aiming to business-society cooperation for the social and environmental responsible entrepreneurship development. Tetyana Galushkina, Head of Department of Applied Problems of Region’s Economy Greening, Institute of Market Problems and Economy-Ecological Researches of NASU (Odessa) concentrated on the problems and perspectives of greening Ukraine’s economy during her speech.

During the further discussions representatives of environmental, youth and women NGOs, scientists, trade unions and business associations’ representatives presented their views regarding Ukraine’s transition to sustainable development and green economy implementation. The wide range of participants allowed to take a new look at the challenges facing society in implementation of sustainable development principles, as well as jointly looking forward their overcoming. Among the problems, mentioned by participants were the absences of the General Development Strategy of Ukraine, a weak interest from politicians and senior officials, lack of instruments for the integration of sustainable development to the state agencies and institutions activities, in particular, absence of coordinating mechanisms, absence of relevant planning, accounting and assessing of programs implementing mechanisms in Ukraine, rejection of sustainable development principles by the central government bodies, and by the Ministry of Economy above all, the problem of environmental funds distribution; mass media weak interest to this topic and non-use of educational possibilities for sustainable development promotion. Only union of all stakeholders — authorities, civil society, and business — for forming the national policy of sustainable development and by strengthening the ideas of sustainable development in societal awareness the real changes may be achieved.

The result of the work became developing and providing expert proposals for creating a joint positional document “Societal Agenda for Sustainable Development of Ukraine”.