With Rio+20 just eight months away, the UNDESA will officially launch a new UN Office for Sustainable
Development (UNOSD) in Incheon, Republic of Korea on 19 October 2011. The Office, housed in Yonsei University, is co‐sponsored by the UNDESA, the Korean Ministry of Environment, the City of Incheon and Yonsei University.

It will serve as training and research institution and a centre for pooling together all knowledge on sustainable development. In addition, it will provide a sustainable development knowledge portal uniquely integrating the three pillars of sustainable development?economic growth, improving the quality of life, and protecting the environment.

As a resource center, it will also provide training and capacity building by organizing training programmes for national representatives and major groups from developing countries to advance the sustainable development agenda and enhance the implementation of sustainable development goals and targets.

The event will be attended by Mr. Sha Zukang, Under Secretary‐General, UNDESA and Rio+20 Secretary‐General and Ms. Yoo Young Sook, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea and other high‐level officials.