The Future We Want from Rio

-By Abhishek Shrestha

In less than a two week’s time, for the historical UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), taking place in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, more than 140 heads of states/governments will be meeting to discussion on future of the planet earth, on the occasion of completion of 20 years of similar major summit on environment and development. Popularly known as Rio+20, this conference is an historic opportunity that will define pathways towards a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all.

In 1992 first Earth Summit- UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held in Rio where more than 19,000 government delegates and civil society members gathered to discuss on the creation of a sustainable future and eventually came up with a vision for sustainable world. The summit delivered six major outcomes - Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the Convention on Biological Diversity, Forest Principles, the Convention on Drought and Desertification, and the Framework Convention on Climate Change and lately also established the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The upcoming meeting in Rio from 20-22 June 2012 will reflect on the progress made over last two decades and identify areas that need to be addressed differently and efficiently. Rio+20 will focus on two themes Green Economy in the Context of Poverty Eradication and Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development for Poverty Eradication. It has three sets of objectives: to secure renewed political commitment, to assess progress and remaining gaps and to address new challenges. Ten years after the Earth Summit in 1992 came the Rio+10 Conference in Johannesburg, known as World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), that produced a follow-up document - the Johannesburg Programme on Implementation (JPOI) focusing on operational steps to ensure poverty eradication, change in unsustainable matters of consumption and production as well as protection of natural resource base.

Now the world focus is gradually moving towards Rio+20, which is expected to come up with an outcome document with clear mapping of timely plans and strategies to take us closer to sustainable development. Zero draft of the outcome document with the working title “The Future we want” is already released and been negotiated since January 2012the Zero Draft is consolidated document prepared considering over 860 inputs received from governments around the globe, civil society, NGOs, youth groups and several other stakeholders. The Zero Draft is expected to build upon the impact of previous agreements like Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (Rio+10). In its present form the Zero Draft contains a list of objectives, recommendations, and aspirations, which will guide the negotiations in Rio.

Rio+20 will decide our future and to reflect the voice of Nepali youth; youth have been carrying out activities focusing on Rio+20. To make sure young people voices will be heard in the summit youth have been organizing different programs at local and national level, thematic workshop on youth issues and interests like education for sustainable development, youth employment, green jobs and gender equity. Youth are taking action at communities and raising awareness to address the critical issues on Rio+20. Some are spreading the message via music, photo story, some preparing youth position on Rio+20 and providing regular feedback on the Zero draft document. Actions and activities are not limited at home; message and voices are being shared with millions of youth around the world via The Major Group of Children and Youth (MGCY). Nepali youth are closely working with MGCY which is one of nine groups that officially takes part in the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) sessions. Nepali youth have been very instrumental in lobbying and advocating the issues of youth and national priority and interest with focus on mountain issues in partnership with National Planning Commission as well as promoters like ICIMOD.

Similarly Government of Nepal is also working on Rio+20 with a set of objectives and targets. Government has prepared country status paper for Rio+20 and has been lobbying and raising voice of poor, vulnerable and marginalized community of mountains in different international forum and organizing national led initiatives. In April 2012 Government of Nepal hosted International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change to underscore issues in mountain climate change regime and its relevance in Rio+20 discourses. Mountain is one of the main agenda for Nepal at Rio+20. It should also equally bring up and raise the issues like youth employment, linking them with green jobs and green economy in a time when thousands of youngsters are migrating daily to gulf countries in search of jobs. Intergeneration inequity and gender discrimination are still prevalent in the country so this issue should not be shadowed and we should have clear set of agendas how we can eradicate poverty and how we can move towards greener economy to achieve the sustainable development. To make the things happen and have influence in the process Nepali youth have been working hand in hand with different agencies of government, inter governmental organization, civil society and wider youth group.

Actions and activities on Rio+20 have been initiated and the stage is ready to be delivered this June. We need to reach out to more youth and civil society at local level because the decisions that will be made will affect all of them. We need more sensitization and wider outreach to the concerned people. Let’s Hope coming initiatives from government and stakeholders will reach out to these people to have their voices heard and make the conference a beneficial one for the country.