Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said on Wednesday that maintaining economic growth while protecting the environment is possible and called for countries to commit to sustainable development goals.

She said Brazil is honored to host the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), also known as the Earth Summit. The last round of negotiations for the main summit started on Wednesday.

The Brazilian leader expressed hope that important goals for the future of the planet would be established in the summit.

"In this city a poet once called wonderful, we will watch, over the next few days, the discussion about the future we want for our children and grandchildren, and the present which we have the responsibility to transform," she said.

The president said Brazil is fully capable of maintaining a sustainable economy, due to its high rate of renewable energy sources and the sustainability potential of its agricultural sector.

According to her, sustainability is one of the main pillars of Brazil's conception of development.

She also highlighted Brazil's advances in environmental protection, such as the creation of several environmental protection areas since 2003 and the 75 percent reduction in the Amazon rainforest deforestation in the past eight years.

Rousseff said discussions on environmental protection cannot be restricted to the richer countries, and must include Latin America, Asia and Africa. She also said that the economic crisis should not be the excuse for forgetting about environmental protection.