Rio de Janeiro, 20/06/2012 – Yesterday, the European Commission and the Government of the United Kingdom organised a side-event at the Rio+20 Conference to present the European Report on Development (ERD) 2011/2012 and discuss its findings in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. Following the launch of the report in Brussels in May, a number of other events have been organised throughout Europe to present and debate its findings on national level, involving civil society, governments and media. The series of events led to the Rio+20 Conference.

The presentation took place in Riocentro Conference center and was attended by a panel of experts on the subject, including the chief scientist of the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Professor Sir Bob Watson, for whom “the European Report on Development, rightly identifies food, water and energy as fundamental and inter-related issues and dealing with any of them in isolation is fruitless.” The program included the presentation of findings by the research team and renowned speakers such as Andrew Steer, World Bank Special Envoy for Climate Change and Gyan Chandra Acharya His Excellency, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations and Chairman of the LDC Group.

For Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Environment, also present at the Rio +20 Conference, this report is related to the ongoing work within the framework of a “resource efficient Europe” and “stresses the importance of a global governance approach for sustainable resource management”.

Funded by the European Commission and seven Member States, this annual independent report sheds light on the most important development concerns from a European perspective. This third edition examines the pressing issue of water, energy and land constraints and how they interrelate. It looks at how these resources can be managed effectively with the ultimate aim of promoting growth that is both socially inclusive and sustainable.

The pressure on resources is increasing as the demand for water and energy is expected to rise by 40% and for food by 50% by 2030. Under the title “Confronting scarcity: managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth”, the European Report on Development looks at the roles of the public and private sectors in managing natural resources for inclusive and sustainable growth.

In the framework of the UN Rio+20 Conference on sustainable development the report urges the international community to change its approach to managing water, energy and land resources. A crucial role is suggested for the public sector in creating the right framework, and developing appropriate policies. The private sector is urged to adopt more sustainable business models.

The report calls on the EU to adopt an ambitious integrated approach to the management of the “Water-Energy-Land Nexus” that addresses the wide-ranging impacts stemming from specific actions.

Finally, the report highlights the potential that innovative solutions can have. One such solution are so-called payments for ecosystem services, e.g. for activities that benefit or protect environmental resources.

With the European Report on Development, Europe provides a platform for discussion and contributes to building common ground between various stakeholders from around the globe on pressing issues of development. It is an independent report, its recommendations are the result of academic research.

The 2011/2012 edition was written by a team led by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), in partnership with the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), and the German Development Institute (Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik) (DIE). The report is the main output of the “Mobilising European Research for Development Policies” initiative supported by the European Commission and seven EU Member States, namely Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

For more information, to download the report or its executive summary available in more than 20 languages, please consult: www.erd-report.eu