Policies covering the safety of chemical usage, waste management, and transport and mining practices will be among the main concerns at the annual meeting of the United Nation's Commission on Sustainable Development this year.

The commission is a 53-member body reporting directly to the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council. This year, at its 19th session, it is expected to come up with a policy framework that will support countries toward sustainable consumption and production, Sha Zukang, U.N. undersecretary general for Economic and Social Affairs said.

Mr. Sha said such an initiative would send the right message and generate positive momentum towards a successful outcome at next year's annual conference, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also known as "Rio+20." Rio+20 will mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Agenda 21, the blueprint for sustainable development that was agreed to at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.

"Globally, unsustainable consumption and production threatens to exceed the carrying capacity of life support systems," Mr. Sha said. "This imbalance is obvious - whether measured by greenhouse gas concentrations, by the number of endangered species, by rates of deforestation, or by decreases in fish stocks."

Close to 1,000 representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations and other parts of civil society are attending the commission's two-week meeting. (EcoSeed Staff)