HARMAN Adds Volume to the Voice of Rio +20

posted:

14/07/2012

The largest event ever organized by the UN, conference sound was provided by Hoffmann with products from AKG, JBL and Soundcraft

Live sound provider Hoffmann deployed a HARMAN audio system to support the debates of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio +20, held in the city of Rio de Janeiro from June 13-22. Hoffmann was responsible for the deployment of the system, which included HARMAN’s AKG microphones, JBL EON510 portable powered loudspeakers and a Soundcraft Vi1 console.

The biggest event ever held by the United Nations (UN), Rio +20 set the global sustainable development agenda for the decades to come. With an audience almost triple that of Rio 92, the conference attracted more than 45,400 accredited individuals, including members of delegations from various countries, representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society, media professions and security contingent.

Final Agreement
World leaders approved the outcome document for Rio+20, entitled “The Future We Want,”. In the months leading up to Rio+20, negotiations on the outcome document included several week‐long sessions and many long nights, but under the leadership of the Brazilian Government, a compromise was reached and agreement made by the 193 Member States of the United Nations.

“The outcome document provides a firm foundation for social, economic and environmental well‐being,” Mr. Ban said. “It is now our responsibility to build on it. Now the work begins.”

The document calls for a wide range of actions, among many other points, including:
• launching a process to establish sustainable development goals;
• detailing how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development;
• strengthening the UN Environment Programme and establishing a new forum for sustainable development;
• promoting corporate sustainability reporting measures;
• taking steps to go beyond GDP to assess the well‐being of a country;
• developing a strategy for sustainable development financing;
• adopting a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production;
• focusing on improving gender equality;
• stressing the need to engage civil society and incorporate science into policy; and
• recognizing the importance of voluntary commitments on sustainable development.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, concluding the Conference, told participants that the outcome document is a great step forward. “I am convinced that this Conference will have the effect of bringing about sweeping change.”

With 25 years of experience in the market, Hoffmann is a company dedicated to providing high-tech equipment to the events sector. Today, it is a world leader, especially in providing complete service to the audiovisual industry in Latin America with branches in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Brasilia and Buenos Aires.

HARMAN designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.