A survey was sent out in August 2011 to 135 United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) to collect information on how the United Nations at the country-level supports Member States to further the Rio+20 themes - green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development.
While many types of activities are being supported, environment seems to be the most frequent point of departure, suggesting more work is needed to ensure a balance among the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. A number of suggestions to improve country level service delivery were identified by respondents. Key challenges and gaps that hinder supporting sustainable development themes were also cited.
The survey highlighted a number of key areas that warrant further consideration and action. For example, the significant association of Rio+20 themes with mainly the environmental dimension reveals a weakness in the understanding and implementation of sustainable development activities and points to a need for greater coordination at both UNCT and government levels to ensure multi-sectoral, cross-government and UN system-wide approaches.