July 25th 2011 International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI) has organized the side “Rio 2012 Youth Song World Cup“ in the context of UN High Level Meeting on Youth http://social.un.org/youthyear/high-level-meeting.html which was held at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

With the event Rio 2012 YSWC organizers aimed to network with other youth networks and initiatives who are aiming to give youth a voice at Rio+20 conference, too in order to avoid duplication of efforts, facilitate the development of some kind of joint strategy youth and Rio 2012 and thus utilize synergy potentials and increase overall effectiveness of this kind of youth led sustainable development.

At the event there has been strong consensus that music is a very appropriate medium to engage youth and to provide them an avenue for expressing hopes/fears/demands related to global environmental challenges, United Nations and the role of civic engagement of youth. (follow the links below to see videos of the presentations)

At the HLMY side event important steps have been made towards linking the Rio 2012 YSWC initiative with the work of UNCSD http://roadtorioplus20.org/, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation www.faf.org/ (regarding the idea of getting celebrities/pop stars involved as mentors of finalists), Earth Charter international www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/categories/Youth, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, Feather project www.featherproject.org/ and Peace Child International - Road to Rio+20 http://roadtorioplus20.org/.

Peace Child International http://peacechild.org/ organized another Rio +20 and youth side event to HLMY, ‘How to mobilize youth globally to support the Goals of Rio 2012 Summit?’ which was also very instrumental for achieving the aim of Rio 2012 YSWC side event of getting an overview of who is doing and planning what and how to utilize synergy potentials.

Another – for Rio 2012 YSWC initiative very relevant - side event to HLMY has been "Giving it back, passing it on: Corporate Engagement and Youth Philanthropy as Pathways to Development” 27 July 2011. This event highlighted the active role youth can play in changing the world to the better and in inspiring societal change towards sustainable development. UN SG Ban Ki-moon delivered a very inspiring speech there (http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=5438 text; http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/07/giving-it-back-passing-it-on-part-1-corporate-engagement-and-youth-philanthropy-as-pathways-to-development.html video)

Next steps of implementation of the initiative will be a Rio 2012 YSWC preparatory workshop in Klagenfurt/Austria with about 25 youth representatives from around the world and the launch of the “Call for Music” at the International conference “Knowledge, Youth and Global Commons - Orienting Knowledge Systems and Inter-Generational Relations towards Sustainable Development and Rio+20” 15 September 19.00 CEST.

For further information visit http://www.glocha.info/iaai/index.php/news

Links to video presentations

(note: due to technical problems video sequences of some parts of the event are not available):

• Miroslav Polzer, secretary general of IAAI & Jean Paul Brice Affana, Rio 2012 Youth Song World Cup coordinator and Youth Focal Point to the UNFCCC Secretariat - Introduction to the objectives of the event -http://vimeo.com/27247370
• Thematic introduction ‘Rio +20 4 Youth and Youth 4 Rio +20’ and discussion with Beppe Lovoi, United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Secretariat (getting a rough overview: who is planning what?)- http://vimeo.com/27247756
• Jean Paul Brice Affana and Miroslav Polzer – presentation of “Rio 2012 YSWC” initiative - http://vimeo.com/27249079
• Aliza Hava, singer/songwriter and peace activist, communicating UN goals and promoting civil engagement and participation of youth through music ; building bridges between peace activism and sustainable development promotion - http://vimeo.com/27249497
• Video: Aliza Hava - Earth Speaks Up and Sings "How Am I Going To Reach You?" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEh_9xLAb0M
• Patrick Sciarratta, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation – FAF and youth participation in global governance & cooperation potentials with Rio YSWC- http://vimeo.com/27249663
• Rosemary Hindle, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (Europe Region) - WAGGGS initiatives on integrating the voice of youth (mostly women) in the Rio+20 process and other decision-making processes in relation with sustainable development and the use of non-formal tools- http://vimeo.com/27250004
• Babu Ram Pant, Special youth Fellow working on avenues to enhance youth participation in the Rio +20 process at the UNFPA - http://vimeo.com/27250573
• Ashley Young, Feather project, promoting intergenerational collaboration for justice, peace and sustainability in the context of Rio+20 www.featherproject.org/ (video not available due to technical problems)
• "Feather Video Message" from Kiara Worth, a key Facilitator of the UN Major Group on Children and Youth on inspiring change and the role of music at the Earth Summit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmHKRUt7gIw&feature=youtu.be
• Esperanza Garcia, Philippine Youth Climate Movement & International Youth Council - Climate Change Initiatives through art & music - http://vimeo.com/27251182
• David R Woollcombe, Peace Child International, Road to Rio+20 - the global youth mobilization initiative towards the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro 2012 -http://vimeo.com/27251726

Attachements:

Further Information about Rio 2012 Youth Song World Cup: Music, Collaborative Action and Sharing of Resources for a Sustainable World

Contact:

Jean Paul Brice Affana, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Miroslav Polzer, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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