BRICS countries played a leading role not only in sustainable development negotiations but also in providing monetary support, said Amina Mohamed, UN assistant secretary-general and deputy director of the UN Environment Program.

In the Rio+20 summit last month, China supported the process as part of the G77 and China, and at the end, it supported the outcome "in real time with money", Mohamed said in an interview on Friday.

China and Brazil were the only two countries to announce the donation of a concrete amount to support the program in promoting sustainable development at the Rio meeting. The developed countries were reluctant to contribute against the backdrop of economic recession.

The $6 million donation from the Chinese government will be disbursed in three parts to the program’s trust fund for projects and activities that help developing countries raise their capacity for environmental management and sustainable development. The Brazilian government will donate another $6 million as well, she said.

China and UNEP will strengthen cooperation in addressing environmental deterioration as well as in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture and renewable energies, she said.

Beijing also announced that it will give 200 million yuan ($31 million) for a three-year project to help small island nations, as well as least developed and African countries, to address climate change.

There was a very big boost in Rio to recognize the green economy as a tool for sustainable development. "A lot of people had expected that the conference could deliver much more, but we have achieved a lot," she said.