The second day of the Preparatory Committee continued where the rounds of negotiations left off yesterday. Working Groups comprised of country delegates focusing on issues such as Food Security, Agriculture, Gender Rights, and the Green Economy met throughout the day to ensure that the negotiating text would be completed and ready for the rounds of high-level negotiations with heads of states on June 20-22. 

Today many amendment priorities of the Major Group for Children and Youth were lobbied to country delegates - in particular, the task force on Employment under the Green Economy was successful at discussing MGCY objectives with members from delegations such as the US. The Education task force worked at including text that addressed "formal" and "informal" education. Lobbying for this amendment is underway  and the Youth are working hard to obtain this important addition to the negotiating text. 

Furthermore, youth from the US met as a collective body to discuss how this contingency can collaborate to more effectively promote sustainable development priorities here at Rio+20. Especially exciting is the joint initiative composed of Chinese and US youth to collaborate on a Sustainable Development goals document that addresses the needs of both of these economic powerhouses. An event on the 17th will bring these two constituencies together to discuss these goals in an open format as well as generate ideas on how the two counti

Check out this Youtube video with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's comments on Rio+20:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDNDTThxjPY&feature=youtu.be
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On a different note, I attended a side event put on by the UK's Royal Society, entitled "People and the Planet". This panel of population science experts - including a representative from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) - highlighted the highly influential role that population plays into sustainable development and even climate change. In specific, the UNFPA Representative stressed the concept that the world in bound together by environmental and population dynamics, not simply finance as commonly perceived. He also noted that UNFPA is not promoting population control necessarily, but rather a greater presence of strong human rights population options, access to daily planning, and perhaps most importantly greater access to education for women.

In order to create a more sustainable future, Rio+20 must encourage sustainable production and consumption as well as address demographic change. As population is directly linked to consumption, it is logical that both issues must be monitored in order to create "The Future We Want" - that is, a more sustainable and equitable well being for all. 

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development officially began with it's first day of Preparatory Committee Negotiations. These negotiations will last from June 13-15, will be followed by the Rio+20 Dialogue Days, and then finally the High-Level negotiations with the Heads of States from June 20-22. 


My day began by arriving early at RioCentro (the massive, monolithic venue of Rio+20), entering security, and registering for my badge. Once that was completed, all of the Major Groups attended a briefing session in which UN Major Groups Liaisons informed the participants on the process and logistics of the negotiations for the next three days. However, my work REALLY began with the Major Groups for Children and Youth's (MGCY) Green Economy Task Force meeting following the briefing. The Green Economy Task Force is responsible for following the negotiating text regarding the Green Economy as well as making amendments on behalf of the Major Groups. These amendments are made to reflect the concerns and priorities of the MGCY. Once these amendments are agreed upon, then delegates from targeted countries are lobbied to support our amendments. The process seems rather complex - however it is an integral part of the MGCY's presence at Rio+20 and ensures that the Youth's concerns are reflected in the final negotiating document!