Business, social reforms the core issues at Rio+20

The 100-day countdown to the United Nations conference on sustainable development that will be held in Brazil in June has kicked off with a call to governments, businesses and civil society to make sustainability a core issue for the future. Sustainability as a strategy in development and economic growth is now standard practice in most developing economies with East Africa taking a lead in sub Saharan Africa that is only second to Pretoria.In Rwanda, improvement in the business environment has it score several first; business registration has now been reduced to only six hours; it is the only country in East and Central Africa to be certified as a most favourite tourist destination and it has always ranked top in the least corrupt countries in Africa.Indeed, as Zimbabwean MP Thabitha Khumalo commented when the Rwanda Development Board unveiled its new business registration regime last Friday, Africa now has a reference point when implementing their reforms in their commercial sectors. But as the South African legislator B.L Mashile put, the business cycle will only be complete if the rules of closing down businesses are also reduced from the current two months to a shorter period taking into account the legal implications involved.In highlighting and achieving these goals the role of the social media as a source of feedback and accountability cannot be underestimated.During the past months, the United Nations has consistently highlighted sustainable development as a priority issue for the UN, arguing that the upcoming conference, known as Rio+20, will help pave the way for a new social contract for the 21st century, chart a development path that leads to greater social justice and help create ‘the future we want.’“The stakes are rising,” UN chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. “One hundred days to a once-in-a-generation opportunity. We must agree on sustainable solutions to build the future we want.” In celebrating the 100-day mark, expected participants of the Rio+20 forum, including global stakeholders and UN system partners, will take to social media (future we want) and share messages of support and highlight the more important issues and objectives of the summit, slated to take place in Rio de Janeiro from 20 to 22 June. Sha Zukang, who is Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the Rio+20 conference, also applauded the integration of new media as part of the countdown to the event. “Through social media, we hope to reach an ever-growing number of people about the importance of the conference and the need to take action now to advance sustainable development,” he said, adding that the involvement of civil society was “critical for the success of Rio+20.” More than 100 heads of State, along with thousands of parliamentarians, mayors, UN officials, CEOs, and civil society leaders will come together at Rio+20 to shape and adopt new policies and measures to promote prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.