Overview & Outcomes
Youth Participation - Challenges and
Successes
Canada at the Earth Summit
Links to More Information
Overview & Outcomes
The UN
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also
known as the Earth Summit, was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
in June 1992. This historic event involved the gathering of
governments from 178 countries, and some 2400 representatives
of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to rethink the direction
of economic, social and environmental activities that place
people and our planet in danger. These participating governments
gathered to negotiate an Earth Charter to guide future activities
of peoples and nations, while some 17,000 people attended the
parallel NGO Forum to discuss the same issues and how they could
influence their governments to follow-up on what had been agreed
upon in Rio.
There were 5 major outcomes from the
Earth Summit (click on each item for more information):
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development was also set up
to monitor the progress of nation states on agreements made
in Rio.
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Youth Participation - Challenges and
Successes
Overview
Youth Participation in the Preparatory
Process and Agenda 21
Youth Treaty
Youth Earth Charter
Overview
As stated in the Youth
Source Book on Sustainable Development, "youth
comprise nearly 30% of the world's population." The involvement
of youth in all levels of decision-making concerning the environment
and development is therefore absolutely crucial for achieving
sustainable development. As you will read below, youth participation
in the five official meetings of the UNCED Preparatory Committee
(PrepComs) leading up to the Earth Summit 1992 had both its
challenges and successes.
Youth Participation in the Preparatory
Process and Agenda 21
The capacity of youth participation in
the preparatory process of the Earth Summit was most noticeably
strengthened during involvement in PrepCom III, held in Geneva
in August 1991. Prior to that, young people were present in
the process, but efforts indicated poor coordination among youth
and low representation in general. The achievements from PrepCom
III led to increased representation from youth organizations
around the world, and resulted in a Youth Chapter of Agenda
21. By PrepCom IV young people became well-versed in the functioning
of the UN, and were successful in convincing governments to
include youth representatives as part of the official delegation.
Youth from around the world are important
stakeholders in the implementation of programmes supporting
Agenda 21. The role of youth in the implementation of Agenda
21, as defined back in 1992, is summarized in Chapter
25: Children and Youth in Sustainable Development.
Youth Treaty
Youth representatives from all walks
of life, including civil society movements and official delegations,
gathered in Rio de Janeiro to participate in the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development with the hopes of
working towards effective social and environmental change that
would be felt globally. The major outcome of this gathering
was the Youth Treaty. To substantiate this initiative, several
Youth Treaty Commitments were made. As a unified group, young
people committed to a lifestyle ensuring sustainable development,
and to supporting local sustainable development alternatives.
Various actions for youth were described
based on previous commitments. Youth decided to
Youth Earth Charter
A Youth
Earth Charter was developed with the input of various youth
and youth organizations. It summarizes the several rights and
responsibilities of every "person, group, community, society,
and country." It outlines the basic tenet of sustainable
development: that human beings must not compromise meeting the
basic needs of the present and future generations, and therefore
have importance in the decision making for the preservation
of the environment, the maintenance of social justice, and cultural
survival. It maintains that every individual has a right to
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Canada at the Earth Summit
Youth `92
An extensive youth participation process
called Youth `92 was initiated in Canada. Through the impressive
work of young leaders, Canadian youth from across the country
worked to develop the Youth Declaration on the Environment and
Development. This Declaration was presented at the Youth `92
World Forum held in Costa Rica (at the same time as PrepCom
IV of the Earth Summit), and contributed to the World Youth
Statement and Plan of Action on Environment and Development,
presented in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
The Official Canadian Position
At Rio, Canada was a strong proponent
of the inclusion of youth, as well as other stakeholders in
society including aboriginal peoples, NGOs, and businesses.
Canada focused on youth empowerment for effective environmental
and social action at the community level. Canadian NGOs identified
a specific need for youth advisory councils and the participation
of young people in all types of organizations.
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Links to More Information
General
information on UNCED
General
Information on Agenda 21
The
Canadian Position
The 5
Outcomes of the Earth Summit
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