Clinton part of U.S. team for Rio+20

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WASHINGTON, June 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be part of the U.S. delegation at a sustainability conference set for next week in Brazil, the government said.

Brazil is the site for an international conference on sustainable energy developments. The theme of the Rio+20 Conference, which begins June 20, is the promotion of a green economy and building an institutional framework for sustainable development.

The U.S. State Department announced Clinton would be part of the U.S. delegation alongside key administration officials, including Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and the country's special envoy on climate change, Todd Stern.

Jackson is to serve as the chief negotiator for the United States.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said economic uncertainty meant participants at the conference needed to find a way to embrace a low-carbon economy in a way that won't only protect the environment but also lift people from poverty.

Ban said global sustainability depends on good resource management.

"Unless we change our land-use practices, we face the prospect of diminishing and inadequate water supplies, as well as more frequent and intense droughts," he said.