Intro to the Rio+20 Earth Summit
Rio+20, taking place from June 20-23, is the United Nation’s 20th anniversary of the first Earth Summit that occurred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 (hence the term Rio+20). Originally called the UN Conference on Environment and Development, this Earth Summit coming up has been titled the “UN Conference on Sustainable Development” due to the emphasis placed on the theme of establishing an Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD or “governance”). However a second theme has emerged with equal precedence in the form of the green economy in the context of sustainable and poverty eradication (simply known as the Green Economy). Rio+20 will evaluate the progress made since the first Earth Summit and will bring over 130 heads of state to negotiate new international policies to promote global sustainable development.
My name is Siiri Bigalke and I am a student studying Government and Environmental Science & Policy at Smith College in the USA. Following up to the conference I have been working with the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Major Group for Children and Youth, as well as the Five College Consortium community (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, University of Massachusetts, and Smith College) trying to inform civil society about the conference as well as ensuring that the Youth have a voice in the negotiating process. I will be working with Youth across the world as well as students in the US - particularly the delegation of students from Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College.
I will be posting blogs and photos on the Youth Blast Conference, various side events, and the actual negotiations themselves. Furthermore I have included some background information on the Earth Summit conferences as well as a place where anybody an summit their ideas on what a sustainable future looks like! Click the "Share Your Ideas" tab.
Follow my journey throughout the Rio+20 process as I collaborate with other Youth across the globe to ensure that the outcomes of this Earth Summit promote and guarantee “The Future We Want”!
My name is Siiri Bigalke and I am a student studying Government and Environmental Science & Policy at Smith College in the USA. Following up to the conference I have been working with the Natural Resource Defense Council, the Major Group for Children and Youth, as well as the Five College Consortium community (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, University of Massachusetts, and Smith College) trying to inform civil society about the conference as well as ensuring that the Youth have a voice in the negotiating process. I will be working with Youth across the world as well as students in the US - particularly the delegation of students from Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College.
I will be posting blogs and photos on the Youth Blast Conference, various side events, and the actual negotiations themselves. Furthermore I have included some background information on the Earth Summit conferences as well as a place where anybody an summit their ideas on what a sustainable future looks like! Click the "Share Your Ideas" tab.
Follow my journey throughout the Rio+20 process as I collaborate with other Youth across the globe to ensure that the outcomes of this Earth Summit promote and guarantee “The Future We Want”!
Other Resources:
-Check out another blog I am contributing to for the Five College Consortium community: 5collegesrio20.weebly.com
Contributors to this blog includes students from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College as well as my contributions for Smith College.
-Additionally, check out summitwatch.org - an initiative by the Natural Resource Defense Council which I helped with at the March Intersessional and April Informal. This website serves as a transparency mechanism to show civil society which Heads of State have committed to attend Rio+20 as well as whether their respective countries have committed to any Sustainable Development goals following up to the Conference.
Contributors to this blog includes students from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College as well as my contributions for Smith College.
-Additionally, check out summitwatch.org - an initiative by the Natural Resource Defense Council which I helped with at the March Intersessional and April Informal. This website serves as a transparency mechanism to show civil society which Heads of State have committed to attend Rio+20 as well as whether their respective countries have committed to any Sustainable Development goals following up to the Conference.