Part 1: Get set for 6th World Youth Congress and Road to Rio+20
On 27th February 2012, I was informed by the Peace Child International Organisation that I have been selected to attend the 6th World Youth Congress at Rio de Janeiro on 4th-13th June.
About World Youth Congress (WYC)
World Youth Congress is a biennial gathering of young activists from all over the world who are focused on expanding the role of youth in sustainable development. The 1st World Youth Congress was organised in Hawaii (1999), subsequently Morocco (2003), Scotland (2005), Canada (2008) and Istanbul, Turkey (2010). The congresses have all discussed one main question, that is:
"What is the most effective role that youth can play in development?"
Answers have included: peer-to-peer training, HIV-AIDS awareness raising, youth-led business startups; environmental awareness, protection and conservation; human rights policing; peacebuilding - and many, many other things: given a chance, the right training and investment, youth people can contribute almost anything to the effort to eradicate poverty completely from our world.
Goals and Objectives:
1. To find new answers, and develop new policies, around the central Congress series question, which is: “What is the most effective role that youth can play in sustainability?”
2. To engage young activists, development professionals and policy-makers in discussion together to come up with shared answers and policies.
3. To promote youth-led development as a constructive and highly cost-effective way to make poverty history in a sustainable way – combating climate change, encouraging low-carbon development.
4. To continue the great tradition started at our First Congress in Hawaii with the spirit of ‘Aloha’ and highlighted at our 5th with the promotion of the Turkish practice of ‘Imece’ – to live the principles of peace and healthy cooperation in dealing with the global challenges that face our generation. No change can happen without Peace.
5. To take action – to involve ourselves in hands-on work and find out what kind of youth-led community improvement projects can be easily implemented.
6. To plan and strategies how to get Youth to the heart of the post-2015 / Post- Millennium Developing Goals, International Development Policy.
7. To draw attention of the world – especially the youth – to the new, successful, dynamic Brazil that is leading the world to a better, more sustainable future.
4. To continue the great tradition started at our First Congress in Hawaii with the spirit of ‘Aloha’ and highlighted at our 5th with the promotion of the Turkish practice of ‘Imece’ – to live the principles of peace and healthy cooperation in dealing with the global challenges that face our generation. No change can happen without Peace.
5. To take action – to involve ourselves in hands-on work and find out what kind of youth-led community improvement projects can be easily implemented.
6. To plan and strategies how to get Youth to the heart of the post-2015 / Post- Millennium Developing Goals, International Development Policy.
7. To draw attention of the world – especially the youth – to the new, successful, dynamic Brazil that is leading the world to a better, more sustainable future.
8. To create a positive and unstoppable momentum to making the Rio+20 UN Summit a global turning point – the moment when the governments of the world act upon a transition to the Green Economy and a sustainable future.
Rio + 20 Summit Themes
This Rio set youth congress is being seen as the curtain-raiser for the June 2012 Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Rio+20 marks the 20th anniversary since the 1992 Earth Summit which also took place in Rio and pushed forward the sustainable development agenda on an international scale. Rio+20 aims to do exactly the same. The UN has defined the themes for Rio+20 thus:
