A one-day stakeholders workshop aimed at making meaningful inputs on a draft National Assessment Report on Ghana’s Achievements in Sustainable Development goals and targets was on Tuesday organized in Accra.

The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), was to secure a renewed political will, address new and emerging challenges and to focus on a green economy and institutional framework for sustainable development, well ahead of the Rio+20 Conference of Heads of States scheduled for Brazil on June 2012.

Mr Rudolf Kuuzegh, Director of Finance and Administration at the MEST, said the conference would discuss Ghana’s success stories and new and emerging challenges such as climate change and the effects of the recent global economic meltdown that had militated against effective implementation of Agenda 21.

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be pursued globally, nationally and locally by organisations of the United Nations system, governments, and major groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

Agenda 21 was adopted by more than 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, from June 3 to 14, 1992.

The full implementation of Agenda 21 and the programme for further implementation of the Agenda 21 were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002.

Mr Kuuzegh was optimistic the participants, mainly government representatives, financial experts, scientists, academicians and civil society organisations, would contribute to enrich the drafted Assessment Report on Ghana’s Achievements of Sustainable Development Goals and Targets for Rio+20 Conference.

Dr Kwabena Twerefou, a Researcher, Economist and Consultant for the Assessment Report Project, told participants the objective of the Conference was to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and also address new and emerging challenges.

He said the Conference would focus on two themes, namely, a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and the institutional framework for sustainable development.

Dr Twerefou, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, said world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, were expected to brainstorm on proactive strategies to adopt to reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.

The Rio+20 Conference, which is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, is expected to produce a focused political document.**