DUSHANBE, June 18, 2012, Asia-plus  - Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has departed for Brazil to attend the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

The president’s official website reports Foreign minister Hamrokhon Zarifi, State Adviser to the President for Foreign Policy Erkin Rahmatulloyev, Minister of Lad Reclamation and Water Resources Rahmat Bobokalonov, Head of the State Committee for Investments and State-owned Property Management Davlatali Saidov and the Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations Sirojiddin Aslov are accompanying President Rahmon on his trip to Brazil.

The United Nations will convene the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio 2012 or Rio+20, hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, as a 20-year follow-up to the historic 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) that was held in the same city. The conference is organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The decision to hold the conference in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro was made by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/64/236 on December 24, 2009

Rio+20 is a key milestone in a series of major United Nations conferences, in which the 1992 Earth Summit / United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was the centerpiece, putting sustainable development as a top priority on the agenda of the United Nations and the international community.

The conference has three objectives: securing renewed political commitment to sustainable development; assessing the progress and implementation gaps in meeting already agreed commitments; and addressing new and emerging challenges.

The conference has two themes agreed upon by the member states: 1) green economy within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and 2) institutional framework for sustainable development.

High-profile talks will be held from 20–22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The conference is expected to draw 50,000 participants, including delegates, environmental activists, business leaders, and indigenous groups. Additionally, about 130 heads of state from around the world will be present for the final three days of the summit.