Derek Osborn, CB, was Director General of Environment Protection in the Department of the Environment from 1990 to 1995. Subsequently he has been active nationally and internationally in the sustainable development field on behalf of governments and several voluntary bodies. In 1997 he co-chaired the UN negotiations for the Rio + 5 conference five years after the Earth Summit in Rio. He has been chairman of UNED UK Committee/Stakeholder Forum since 1997.