One critical outcome of the Rio+20 Conference was the decision to establish a universal intergovernmental high-level political forum. The forum is to follow up on the implementation of sustainable development. It is to build on the strengths, experiences, resources and inclusive participation modalities of the Commission on Sustainable Development, and subsequently replace the Commission. It is to avoid overlap with existing structures, bodies and entities.

Heads of State and Government also outlined that the high-level forum could:

1. Provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development;
2. Enhance integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in a holistic and cross-sectoral manner at all levels;
3. Provide a dynamic platform for regular dialogue and for stocktaking and agenda-setting to advance sustainable development;
4. Have a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda, ensuring the appropriate consideration of new and emerging sustainable development challenges;
5. Follow up and review progress in the implementation of sustainable development commitments contained in Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the Barbados Programme of Action, the Mauritius Strategy and the outcome of the present Conference and, as appropriate, relevant outcomes of other United Nations summits and conferences, including the outcome of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, as well as their respective means of implementation;
6. Encourage high-level system-wide participation of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and invite to participate, as appropriate, other relevant multilateral financial and trade institutions and treaty bodies, within their respective mandates and in accordance with United Nations rules and provisions;
7. Improve cooperation and coordination within the United Nations system on sustainable development programmes and policies;
8. Promote transparency and implementation by further enhancing the consultative role and participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders at the international level in order to better make use of their expertise, while retaining the intergovernmental nature of discussions;
9. Promote the sharing of best practices and experiences relating to the implementation of sustainable development and, on a voluntary basis, facilitate sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned;
10. Promote system-wide coherence and coordination of sustainable development policies;
11. Strengthen the science-policy interface through review of documentation, bringing together dispersed information and assessments, including in the form of a global sustainable development report, building on existing assessments;
12. Enhance evidence-based decision-making at all levels and contribute to strengthening ongoing capacity-building for data collection and analysis in developing countries.

Member States also agreed to launch an intergovernmental and open, transparent and inclusive negotiation process under the UN General Assembly to define the format and organizational aspects of the high-level forum with the aim of convening the first high-level forum at the beginning of the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly.

The General Assembly, in its resolution 67/203, called for the negotiation process on the high-level political forum to start in January 2013 at the latest and to aim to conclude by May 2013 so as to provide enough time to prepare the first high-level forum to be convened at the beginning of the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly. The President of the General Assembly appointed the Permanent Representatives of Brazil and Italy to lead the negotiation process.

Subsequently the Permanent Representatives of Brazil and Italy convened a first open-ended informal meeting for 30 January 2013. The meeting will allow Member States to share views on main issues related to the format and organizational modalities of the forum namely:

• Institutional format; positioning of the Forum within the UN system and its institutional relation with other UN organs and bodies; related procedural rules;
• Timing, periodicity, duration of meetings and related preparatory process
• Level of participation;
• Modalities of participation of UN agencies, funds and programmes and other relevant multilateral institutions and treaty bodies;
• Modalities of enhanced consultative role and participation of Major Groups and other relevant stakeholders;
• Nature of outcomes of the Forum.

Resolution 67/203 also mandates the Secretary-General to submit a focused and concise report on lessons learned from the Commission on Sustainable Development to inform the negotiations on the forum. The report is to compile relevant existing information and be prepared in consultation with Member States. It is also to benefit from the inputs of major groups and other stakeholders. It is will be issued shortly.