UNITED NATIONS -- A U.N.-sponsored group meeting in Istanbul last week voted for a declaration that urges action this summer in Brazil that would put poverty reduction and social outreach on equal footing with agreements on climate change or other environmental concerns.

The wording of the declaration reflects a theme that continues to appear in the run-up to the Rio de Janeiro sustainable development conference, called Rio+20. The move was led by developing countries pressing for the elevation of social and economic issues at the summit.

That push became clear this week, when diplomats gathered in New York repeatedly said they were concerned a proposed "final outcome" document for Rio still in the draft stage might emphasize the environmental end over the economic.

Alberic Kacou, U.N. resident coordinator in Tanzania, said many officials from Africa are fighting the impression back home that sustainable development talks are less about doing business than they are about making sure developing nations don't pollute more than they should.

"We should not be made to pay for unsustainable practices that have helped other countries to develop," he said during a pre-Rio forum hosted by the Permanent Mission of Mexico.

In Istanbul, in what was billed as the first-ever Global Human Development Forum, the declaration that emerged after two days of talks stressed the elimination of "social inequities" as part of the Rio objectives. Such talk of a "social dimension" has been just as prevalent as talk of greenhouse gas emissions or water pollution during a number of events on the Rio conference here.

'Equal emphasis' on hunger, poverty and disease

Any agreement to emerge from Rio should place "strong emphasis on social inclusion, social protection and equity, in recognition of the fact that economic development has too often gone hand in hand with environmental degradation and increased inequality," the Istanbul document said.

A U.N. memo attached to that agreement explained that developing nations want "equal emphasis" placed on social concerns such as hunger, preventable disease and endemic poverty. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon took up the same thread in his address to the Istanbul summit, which was hosted by the Turkish government.

"Sustainable development recognizes that our economic, social and environmental objectives are not competing goals that must be traded off against each other, but are interconnected objectives that are most effectively pursued together in a holistic manner," he said, adding that any pact from Rio must take into account all these concerns.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan chimed in along the same lines.

"As long as development and the economy do not progress at the same pace, it is difficult to achieve prosperity," he said in remarks to the Istanbul gathering, which brought together more than 200 leaders from government and civil society.

Among the proposals that continue to appear is a European idea to measure growth not through gross domestic product but through other means that would take into account a sustainability index. Ideas along these lines, as opposed to eliminating fossil fuel subsidies or attaching a price to carbon, seem to have more momentum, with many developing nations arguing that specific issues like climate change should be debated through their separate consultation process.

An effort to harness social media

In other words, many thought leaders heading into Rio appear to want it to be more people-oriented and not about abstract concepts that may not appeal to mainstream observers. Rebeca Grynspan, associate director of the U.N. Development Programme, last week said all development policies to emerge from Rio should be "with and for the people, equitable, inclusive and human-rights driven."

Consistent with this emphasis is an effort to make this year's conference a bit sexier than past U.N.-backed conferences. The U.N. Foundation recently said it plans to focus on a side event at Rio, Rio+Social, that will coordinate social outreach through the online news site Mashable, the 92nd Street YMCA, Ericsson and EDP to "create South America's first-of-its-kind in-person gathering and global, online conversation on the potential of social media and technology to power a more innovative and better future for our world."

The idea is to make sure the issues talked about in Rio find their way to a wider audience through social media. Kathy Calvin, CEO of the U.N. Foundation, said social media at the conference could open doors for "new, young voices to participate in and shape the ongoing international development debate."

Rio+Social is modeled on the Social Good Summit, which last year was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York. The summit is held during U.N. week in September, when many world leaders descend on New York. Among the innovations at the summit is a digital media lounge meant to give bloggers and social media professionals better access to U.N. events, news and officials, for distribution globally.

In Rio, Brazilian businesses plan to participate in the social media outreach effort through a company called LiveAD, which recently won a Facebook studio award for online marketing. São Paulo-based LiveAD broadcasts in Portuguese and English.