Last year, people from across the globe came together at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and agreed on a broad range of measures to achieve a more sustainable future. Celebrating the one-year anniversary of Rio+20, DESA is bringing together a high-level panel of participants to share their views on the developments since Rio+20.

The main themes for the Google+ Hangout will be the Sustainable Development Goals currently being developed by the General Assembly’s Open Working Group, the High Level Political Forum, the engagement of Major Groups and other Stakeholders in the follow up processes of Rio+20, and the Voluntary Commitments registered on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.

The panellists will also answer questions submitted via social media in the course of a 20-minute live Q&A session. Tweet your questions for panellists to @SustDev using #SDinAction.

The event will feature the following panellists:

• Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director of DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development and Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat
• Mr. Brice Lalonde, former Executive Coordinator of Rio+20 and Special Advisor on Sustainable Development to the UN Global Compact
• Ambassador Csaba Kõrösi, Permanent Representative of Hungary and Co-chair of the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals
• Ms. Sabá Loftus, Organising Partner, Children and Youth Major Group
• Ms. Sascha Gabizon, Organising Partner, Women Major Group
• Mr. Riccardo Mesiano, First Economic Affairs Officer, Productive Sectors Section, Sustainable Development and Productivity Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA)

The event will be moderated by Ms. Chantal-Line Carpentier, Sustainable Development Officer & Major Groups Programme Coordinator, DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development

The second in a series of Google+ Hangouts will take place on Tuesday, 26 March at 1 PM EST (5 PM GMT), featuring key experts and stakeholders on Rio+20 and sustainable development from the Major Groups and civil society.

The second Google+ Hangout will highlight the successes of the Major Groups and other stakeholders at the Rio+20 conference and the views of civil society on the positive and concrete outcomes of the conference, as well as the Major Groups’ ongoing follow up of the conference. This Hangout will be hosted on the United Nations Google+ account.

The Google+ Hangout will also feature a 20-minute live Q&A session with the panelists. Questions can be tweeted to @SustDev using #SDinAction, or they can post questions on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform Facebook page or register for one of our Sustainable Development Action Networks to join the conversation there.

Panellists for the second “Sustainable Development in Action” Google+ Hangout include Chantal Line Carpentier, Major Groups Programme Coordinator at UNDESA’s Division for Sustainable Development; Farooq Ullah, Director of Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future; Maruxa Cardama, Former Secretary General of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (NRG4SD); Jeffery Huffines, Organizing Partner of the NGO Major Group; and will be moderated by John Romano, Social Media Focal Point for UNDESA’s Division for Sustainable Development.

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio+20 - took place in June last year and resulted in a focused political outcome document which contains clear and ambitious measures for Member states, UN System, and Major Groups to collectively implement sustainable development and achieve The Future We Want. As part of the ongoing follow-up of Rio+20, the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development and UNDESA will host a Google+ Hangout on Tuesday, 12 February at 12 PM EST, featuring key experts from the UN system and civil society on Rio+20 and sustainable development. The first in a series of Google+ Hangouts aim to highlight major outcomes of the Conference, and the key processes that follow.

Panellists for the first “Sustainable Development in Action” Google+ Hangout include Nikhil Seth, Director of the UN’s Division for Sustainable Development and Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat; Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Coordinator for the Rio+20 conference; Kimo Goree, Vice-President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services (IISD); and Jacob Scherr, Director of global strategy and advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC.)

The Google+ Hangout will also feature a 20-minute live Q&A session with the panellists. Tweet your questions for panellists to @SustDev using #SDinAction, post your questions on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform Facebook page or submit your questions below by signing in on the right side of this page.

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Nikhil Seth

Nikhil Seth is currently the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and he was also Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat. As Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat, he spearheaded the preparations for the UNCSD Conference in Rio. During his career with the United Nations since 1993, Mr. Seth has served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, as Secretary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second Committee of the General Assembly, and as Director of the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination.

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Elizabeth Thompson

Ms. H. Elizabeth Thompson, a former Minister for Energy and Environment of Barbados, was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as Executive Coordinator for the UNCSD Rio + 20 Conference. Ms Thompson also served as Minister for Physical Development and Minister for Health. Ms. Thompson was appointed to the Barbados Senate and was a practising attorney as well as a journalist.

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Kimo Goree

Kimo Goree currently serves as Vice-President of International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services. Mr. Goree co-founded IISD's flagship product, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) in 1991, while the director of a Brazilian NGO in the Western Amazon, and joined IISD in 1993 when ENB became an IISD publication. He manages the Reporting Services program and is responsible for building and maintaining the relationships between IISD and the various programs and agencies of the United Nations and other multilateral organizations.

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Jacob Scherr

Jacob Scherr is the director of global strategy and advocacy for NRDC in its Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Scherr has responsibility for overseeing international activities throughout the organization, including preparations for the Rio+20 “Earth Summit. During his long career with NRDC, Mr. Scherr has served as director of the organization's international program and has addressed a range of pressing global environmental challenges. In 1993, Mr. Scherr founded Earth Summit Watch to monitor the implementation by governments of the treaties, plans of actions, and other commitments made at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Mr. Scherr also leads NRDC’s efforts to follow up on the Rio+20 through the organization’s “Cloud of Commitments” registry.