IAAI events and activities at Rio+20 conference:

For International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI) www.glocha.info United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development/Rio+20 www.uncsd2012.org is the one central landmark event towards which the organization’s activities have been directed for almost 1 ½ years.

Due to the highly participative design of the conference preparatory process, IAAI has been able to contribute in several ways:

– – Facilitating youth participation and public awareness raising through Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest www.global-rockstar.net

rio20gysc logofinal

– – Facilitating science-policy interaction and global governance innovation engineering (like e.g. the 15/15/15 UN Civil Society Partnership) through facilitation of Rio+20 Issues Cluster on Innovation http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/rio20-issues-cluster-on-innovation-produces-brief-on-innovation-for-sustainable-development/ and a series of joint events with Academic Council on the UN System www.acuns.org (see IAAI Annual report 2011 http://www.glocha.info/index.php/latest-news/194-iaaiannualreport2011publ for details)

IAAI hopes to inspire with its events and activities at Rio+20 new thinking about the central role that each global citizen should be assigned to in addressing global challenges – in building The Future we Want.

After Rio+20 IAAI is expected to have established new and strengthened institutional links with Civil Society Organizations (especially youth networks), UN system and connected with new sources of funding (philanthropists, foundations, crowdfunding and funding from public sources (e.g. for establishing Global Challenges centers)) in order to achieve its ambitious plans for contributing to the Future we want.

1. Events (co-)organized by IAAI

– Side event Rio+20 15/15/15 Formula – Heartpower and Action for The Future We Want, (14 June)

– Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest Workshop, (18 June)

– Conference “Choosing Our Future: Open and Participatory Sustainable Development Governance”, (19 June)

2. Events of partner organizations

– Side event Empowering Youth Leadership for a Sustainable Future, (18 June)

– Side event Rights of Nature – the Foundation for Sustainability (17 June)

– Bell Ringing Ceremony of Federation of World Peace and Love (17 June)

3. 15/15/15 UN Civil Society Partnership, Voluntary Commitment, Contribution to Rio+20 Dialogues and Global Challenges Centers planning meeting

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1. Events (co-)organized by IAAI

Rio+20 Side Event

Rio+20 15/15/15 Formula – Heartpower and Action for The Future We Want
Date, Time and Venue: 14 Jun 2012, 09:30 – 11:00; Venue: T-4 (RioCentro)

Lead Organizer: IAAI

15/15/15 UN Civil Society Resource Mobilization Partnership Formula has been developed in the context of Rio+20 Issues Cluster on Innovation which is being facilitated by IAAI secretary general Miroslav Polzer (http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/rio20-issues-cluster-on-innovation-produces-brief-on-innovation-for-sustainable-development/)

At the 15/15/15 side event the initiative with be presented to broader public and representatives of Civil Society Organizations, Youth organizations, UN officials, member states, media, celebrities, scientists etc. will be invited to join a 15/15/15 Group of friends and to participate in developing further concrete global and local implementation measures and to explore how synergies can be generated with existing and planned related initiatives. One topic will be to discuss how 15/15/15 initiative can be linked with next round of (Rio+20) Global Youth Music Contest (see http://bit.ly/LhZuWK for more info) http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=1000&nr=262&menu=126

Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest Workshop

Date, Time and Venue: 18 June, 13.00 – 15.00, UN4 in Arena da Barra (limited space, 40 seats)

Lead Organizer: IAAI

At the workshop there will be a review and evaluation of Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest, including some innovation mapping exercises (in order to facilitate learning and improvement of the initiative); and planning activities for the next round of the competition which is supposed to focus on 15/15/15 and COP18 UN climate change conference which will take place in Doha end of 2012 (see http://www.glocha.info/attachments/article/193/Doha%20COP18%20Global%20Youth%20Music%20Contest_firstdraftoutlineofIAAIproposalvers24May2012.pdf for details).

At the Workshop there will be presented also a CD with the compilation of 20 songs from Rio+20 GYMC (listening to the songs and pre-order possible at http://www.global-rockstar.net/global-rockstar-rio-20-music):

Conference

“Choosing Our Future: Open and Participatory Sustainable Development Governance”

Date, Time and Venue: 19 June 2012, 8:00AM – 6:00PM, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Praia de Botafogo, 190, Rio de Janeiro

Lead Organizers: The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute, UNEP

Associated Partner: IAAI Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest

“Choosing our Future” will provide a space for governments, civil society groups, and intergovernmental organizations to meet to assess progress and advance proposals to discuss open and participatory sustainable development governance and its next generation of reforms.

Workshops will give citizens and their governments the opportunity to share innovations and challenges as they identify next steps in citizen engagement in decision-making.

The Overall Winners of the Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest – Choir Santo Amaro de Oeiras from Portugal – will perform the winning song “Meu Planeta Azul” (My Blue Planet) http://www.global-rockstar.net/meu-planeta-azul in the Opening Session. For more info see http://www.wri.org/files/wri/ChoosingOurFuture-Flyer.pdf

2. IAAI participation in other Events

Rio+20 Side Event

Empowering Youth Leadership for a Sustainable Future

Date, Time and Venue: 18 Jun 2012, 15:30 – 17:00 , Room: T-8

Lead Organizer: Academy for Future Science

http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=1000&nr=260&menu=126

It is our responsibility to educate and empower our young people to be leaders of sustainability. It is also our role to encourage their infinite resources of imagination and innovation. Social media and cultural arts are effective platforms that both give youth a voice on such global issues, and interconnect them. At this event, we will present several Rio+20 youth projects that are effectively mobilizing youth via music, spoken word and social media, as well as provide information on how our lifestyles can be improved to function with an awareness of sustainability. This event will present several Rio+20 youth projects that are effectively mobilizing young people via music, spoken word and social media. These will include: Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest; tcktcktck’s Rio+20 Make A Date With History Contest; The Captain Planet Foundation and The Earth Charter.

IAAI will be represented by Rio+20 GYMC global coordinator Jean Paul Brice Affana and with the Rio+20 GYMC winners in Youth category – Milena and Radu from Romania – performing their winning song “Open Your Eyes” http://www.global-rockstar.net/open-your-eyes-4

(for IAAI’s link with this event, see also documentation of “Rio+20 Arts and Media Partnership Workshop” which took place 23^rd of March 201 in New York http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&nr=653&type=13&menu=23)

Rio+20 Side event

Rights of Nature – the Foundation for Sustainability

http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=1000&nr=461&menu=126

An international panel of Rights of Nature experts will illustrate the vital role of a new legal framework recognizing rights of nature as the foundation for sustainable development.

The panel will examine why a new framework for governance is necessary and is part of a bigger shift required in society today ─ a shift that will require that modern laws and policies comply with the laws of the Earth, and a way of living which maintains the health and integrity of the whole Earth Community.

Rio+20 GYMC winners in Youth category – Milena and Radu from Romania will perform at the event.

Bell-ringing ceremony & cultural performances

Date, time and venue: June 17 2012, 2-3pm, HSBC Arena

Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) and the UN NGO Association of World Citizens (AWC)

http://goodnewsplanet.com/2012/05/fowpal-events-in-rio-de-janeiro/

At this event Rio+20 GYMC winners in Youth category – Milena and Radu from Romania will perform and IAAI will receive a Certificate of Appreciation from Federation of World Peace and Love acknowledging the achievements of ‘Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest”.

3. 15/15/15 UN Civil Society Partnership, Voluntary Commitment and Contribution to Rio+20 Dialogues

‘15/15/15 UN Civil Society Resource Mobilization Partnership Formula’:

Global civil society on the one hand commits at Rio+20 to mobilize 15 billion Euros and 15 million volunteers by the year 2015 for UN led sustainable development efforts and on the other hand requests new forms of participation in global SD governance.

segmento-de-alto-nivel-da-conferencia.

Another avenue for implementation of the 15/15/15 initiative is the 15/15/15 Voluntary Commitment registered at Rio+20 Voluntary Commitments Registry by IAAI:

15/15/15 Voluntary Commitment

http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=1006&menu=153&nr=88

Achievement of Commitment:

15/15/15 catch phrase indicates that 15 billion Euros and 15 million volunteers shall be mobilized by global civil society for SD efforts by the year 2015; in addition to these easily measurable targets, the initiative aims at innovating the UN system by developing mechanisms for civil society participation in responses to global challenges on local and global level. Thus 15/15/15 voluntary commitment aims at a cultural shift and new institutions (Global Challenges Center at UN HQ in NY, Global Forum on Innovative Resource Mobilization for Education and Science, Global Challenges centers and programs) for civil society participation in SD governance.

Next round of Global Youth Music Contest will help to implement the 15/15/15 Voluntary commitment (see info about Rio+20 GYMC workshop above). Furthermore there will be several talks and meetings of IAAI members and envisaged partner organizations (like e.g. Earth Charter Youth Network, United Nations Volunteers, Starts with You, etc.) for planning next steps of implementation and corresponding organizational development, securing of a sound financial basis for the initiative and development of information and communication tools.

An important element of implementation of 15/15/15 initiative will be a global network of Global Challenges Centers which will function as points of crystallization for Multistakeholder partnerships for knowledge based sustainable development on local level with a global vision and a common global documentation system.

A Global Challenges Centers planning meeting is envisaged in the late afternoon of 19 June. If you would like to work with us on establishing a Global Challenges center in your city/community, please send us an email to office@glocha.info so we can provide you with exact time and venue of the planning meeting once it is decided.

Looking forward to a fruitful Rio+20 conference!