Rio 20 Conference

UN member states agreed on Saturday to begin negotiations on a treaty to protect marine biodiversity in ocean areas extending beyond territorial waters, in a move heralded by environmental organizations.

Coming as it does 20 years after the Earth Summit held in the same city in 1992, the United Nations conference on sustainable development is commonly referred to as Rio+20.

UN member states agreed on Saturday to begin negotiations on a treaty to protect marine biodiversity in ocean areas extending beyond territorial waters, in a move heralded by environmental organizations.

Coming as it does 20 years after the Earth Summit held in the same city in 1992, the United Nations conference on sustainable development is commonly referred to as Rio+20.