GYMC and 15/15/15 Initiatives on IDY 2012 – Sustaining the Rio+20 Momentum for and with Global Youth

International Day of Youth 2012 – A Reminder of our Responsibility to Act on Rio+20 Outcome Implementation

International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches (IAAI), a Civil Society Organization based in Klagenfurt/Austria has invited young people from around the world to participate in Rio+20 conference (United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development www.uncsd2012.org) by submitting music videos in the context of Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest (GYMC) www.global-rockstar.net.

The response has been overwhelming! More than 300 songs have been submitted from more than 40 countries, more than 200.000 unique site visitors participated in online voting.

The Rio+20 GYMC winners of both categories (children: up to 15 years and youth: 15 – 30 years) won a trip to Rio and participated in several events and activities at Rio+20 thus energizing the official negotiations and contributing heartpower and hope to everybody who had a chance to meet them either in Rio or virtually through the many social media activities of Rio+20 GYMC (e.g. 6.000 likes on on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rio20-Global-Youth-Music-Contest/275439455817158 & http://www.facebook.com/GlobalRockstar.net).

During the past weeks since Rio+20 conference, GYMC team has put together a Rio+20 GYMC photo documentary to provide an overview over the many activities carried out around the world and in Rio in the context of GYMC and to give some insights into the conceptual backgrounds of youth empowerment, sharing of resources and global governance innovation of the initiative (like e.g. the “Rio+20 15/15/15 UN Civil Society Partnership Voluntary Commitment”which has been presented and adopted at a Rio+20 IAAI side event).

The Rio+20 GYMC Photo Documentary “The Rio+20 Global Youth Music Contest Journey Towards The Future We Want” is being presented on International Day of Youth 2012 to remind the world that we – the present generation – have a responsibility to deliver on the promises of Rio+20

It is not clear yet whether Rio+20 has been a failure or a success. Avenues for civil society participation have been very laudable at Rio+20 but in general the systemic change towards effective global governance, real commitment of UN member states to act towards fixing existing market failures and governance failures in order to safeguard the future of humanity on planet earth is there in the Rio+20 outcome document only as a “potential”.

There is the threat that the world will forget about Rio+20 and continue with business as usual.

Those who will lose most by our inaction are young people and future generations.

Therefore young people are the most trustworthy messengers and advocates for a better world – for The Future We Want.

The messages of global youth expressed in the songs that have been received in Rio+20 GYMC (everybody is encouraged – especially on International day of Youth – to listen to them again and again on www.global-rockstar-net), their heartpower and their global community building power shall inspire and energize the implementation of Rio+20 outcomes in different UN bodies (like e.g. UN General Assembly) and processes (e.g. UN Climate Change conferences, World Urban Campaign of UN Habitat etc.) over the coming months.

To take a slogan from the “Future We Want Rally” which took place in the context of 2^nd Rio+20 Intersessional 16 December 2011 in New York (see page 36 of Rio+20 GYMC photo documentary for details)

“A Better World is Possible! – We are Unstoppable!”

GYMC / 151515 Outlook

IAAI is going to work over coming weeks on bringing the GYMC winners to the Opening of the UN General Assembly in New York end of September as they are a symbol of hope and a symbolic bridge for Rio+20 outcome implementation from Rio to New York and beyond (get inspired by watching them sing “Imagine” at “Concert for a New Earth” http://vimeo.com/45515681).

Next rounds of Global Youth Music Contest – which will have also a strong action orientation and include concrete promotion of low-carbon lifestyles and civic engagement – will be prepared in the context of

• UN Climate Change conference UNFCCC COP 18 end of 2012 in Doha/Qatar (to be confirmed) 
• as part of IAAI “Global Challenges Urban Games” in the context of World Urban Campaign of UN Habitat (first exploratory meetings will be held at World Urban Forum in Naples/Italy http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf 
  

Resources Issues and Potentials for Partnerships/Sponsorships/Donations

Rio+20 GYMC has been an extraordinary success despite the fact that there has been no external funding available. IAAI and its members have invested about 100.000 US$ into implementation of this first round of GYMC in the context of Rio+20.

Now that GYMC initiative has demonstrated its potentials, IAAI hopes to find long-term strategic partners like foundations, Official Development Assistance agencies etc. who will be able and willing to invest in GYMC related institution building (network of national and regional coordinators and institutionalization of links with partner organizations) and related youth empowerment and capacity building (programs on GYMC as informal education for sustainable development).

Also small contributions can make a difference – donations welcome:

link for pay pal donations:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=78TNCMZKFWKZU

 In the long run IAAI expects to be very well equipped with financial, intellectual and volunteers resources through 15/15/15 initiative which states that global civil society commits to mobilize 15 billion Euros and 15 million volunteers by the year 2015 to support global sustainable development efforts and asks for new forms of participation in global sustainable development governance in exchange (see pages 5 and 6 of the Rio+20 GYMC photo documentary and the Issues brief “Innovation for Sustainable Development http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/rio20-issues-cluster-on-innovation-produces-brief-on-innovation-for-sustainable-development/ for details).

But for the time being there could occur delays in implementation of GYMC/151515 initiatives if there will not be progress in fundraising efforts soon.

So – partners and supporters welcome – contact us at office (at) glocha.info