The Major Groups
The Major Groups, established during the Rio 1992 Earth Summit, are composed organizations and members of civil society who represent a certain interest. Nine Major Groups exist including: Business and Industry, Children and Youth, Farmers, Local Authorities, Indigenous People, NGOs, the Scientific and Technological Community, Women, and Workers and Trade Unions. Although these Major Groups do not have official standing within the negotiating process, they still add valuable participation to the sustainable development process by lobbying delegates and recommending policy .
The Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY)
The Major Group for Children and Youth is composed of young people from around the world who are striving to ensure that their values and priorities are reflected in the negotiations of the conference. The MGCY is the official voice of the Youth at Rio+20.
There will also be a MGCY Conference prior to the actual negotiations from June 20-22. This Conference, entitled the Youth Blast, is being held June 7-12 in which the first two days are for Brazilian Youth while the 10-12 are for international youth. The conference will empower and train youth as leaders to take an active role in the negotiations. Strategizing for the Negotiations as well and informing participants will also occur during this time.
For additional information look at the MGCY website: http://www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org.
There will also be a MGCY Conference prior to the actual negotiations from June 20-22. This Conference, entitled the Youth Blast, is being held June 7-12 in which the first two days are for Brazilian Youth while the 10-12 are for international youth. The conference will empower and train youth as leaders to take an active role in the negotiations. Strategizing for the Negotiations as well and informing participants will also occur during this time.
For additional information look at the MGCY website: http://www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org.