Rio de Janeiro, 19 August 2013 - A new set of sustainability measures to support the greening of the Rio Summer Games were agreed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee, as part of an implementation agreement signed by both organizations, Monday.
UNEP will support the process by providing expert technical advice and through the facilitation of multi-stakeholder dialogues and action.
UNEP will also support the further development and implementation of the Rio 2016 Sustainability Management Plan in partnership with local and national government in Brazil.
A sustainability logo was also unveiled by the Organizing Committee and will be placed on relevant products and information materials.
"Sports can and should play a leading role in the promotion of a more sustainable world," said the Rio 2016 President, Mr. Carlos Arthur Nuzman. "Since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, the Olympic movement's environmental awareness has grown. Our goal is to integrate sustainability into all dimensions of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics Games and thus create a legacy for all society."
Denise Hamú, UNEP's Representative in Brazil said, "Sports and the environment are powerful tools for sustainable development and so UNEP has worked in partnership with the Olympic Movement over the last two decades. She added, "An event the size of the Olympic Games is an excellent opportunity to implement and disseminate sustainable practices. This is the first time that the Olympics will be organized in South America, a crucial region for biodiversity conservation that has a vocation for developing low-carbon economies."
The Rio 2016 Games are organized around four principles for managing sustainability in events: responsibility, inclusion, integrity and transparency. These principles were set forth in the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games Candidate Application, which served as a starting point to develop the Sustainable Management Plan.
The bid application for the games identified three pillars for sustainability: Planet, People, Prosperity. Each pillar consists of the following nine themes:
Planet (Reduced Environmental Footprint): Transport and Logistics, Sustainable Design and Construction, Conservation and Environmental Restoration, Waste Management
People: Engagement and Awareness, Universal Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion
Prosperity: Sustainable Supply Chain, Management and Reporting
In 1999, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced its own Agenda 21 to integrate sustainability principles into its operations.
UNEP has a longstanding collaboration with the IOC in the greening of the Games that spans Athens 2004, Torino 2006, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.
UNEP has also provided a raft of recommendations to the Organizing Committee of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games to provide guidance on the integration of environmental considerations in the preparation and staging of the games.
Note to Editors
The complete version of the Olympics and Paralympics Sustainability Plan can be found at:www.rio2016.com/en/sustainability
Images of the launch event can be downloaded from the Rio 2016 website's press room (registration required):http://www.rio2016.com/en/press/press-roo
