“The message from the countries of Asia and the Pacific is that getting it right means that Rio+20 must rebalance the pillars of sustainable development – ensuring that people are placed more firmly at the centre of the post-Rio+20 agenda,” Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) told an audience that included heads of State and Government and senior Ministers at a Rio+20 side event focused on regional approaches to sustainable development.

"We are in a race against time. Persistent poverty, inequality, hunger, unemployment, ever-shrinking natural resources, increasing stress on our ecosystems and climate change are among the most urgent issues being addressed at Rio+20. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform ideas and aspirations into bold action," stated Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of ESCAP at the Rio+20 high-level meeting that opened today.

Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, UN Under Secretary-General, proposed today a five point call for action, urging media to use their skills and resources to create greater impact on sustainable development, the single most important challenge in Asia Pacific, and ensure more people benefit from development.