Today is the day. Today is the day that we have been waiting for. Today
is the day that we have been waiting for since the last ´92 Earth Summit. Today
is the day where people from all around the world are together for the first
day of the Rio+20 Conference. Today is the day we must take a stand and
tell our leaders that the future we want cannot wait.
Within the last few days, government officials from around the world
have been negotiating on an outcome document outlining international
commitments that will lead to a more sustainable future. Discussing
issues such as reproductive health, fossil fuel subsidies, peace and more,
diplomats from around the world negotiated the commitments that the
international community will follow. On Tuesday, Brazilian diplomats
gathered and produced a final conference document for the first day of
Rio+20.
To be honest, I am completely overwhelmed.
In one sense, I am filled with
frustration and disappointment. I am frustrated with the UN process, and
feel a sense of disappointment with the lack of leadership displayed even by my
own country. As my first close interaction with the UN process and
international negotiations, I am still in the process of learning the system
and the way that it works. The other day, I had the opportunity to sit in
on a session discussing two key issues: sustainable consumption and production
as well as water. Let´s just say it was not very productive. The
energy spent by negotiators on changing or revising the language of the text,
in my opinion, has completely separated this process from the humans it will
impact. It is so upsetting to me that we as a world still see ourselves
as entities that are separated from the environment and mostly, from ourselves.
In addition, it makes me question the role that civil society plays in
these types of negotiations. There are
thousands of knowledgeable and passionate people that came to Rio+20, but these
people are not at the table for official negotiations. And as youth, this conference is mainly for
us – future leaders and members of society that will be affected by the decisions
our government leaders make. So what can we do? As young people, how can we
make an impact on our governments, our peers, to children as well as adults
that extend beyond the three-day Rio+20 conference? The need for intergenerational discussions
has become apparent during this conference, and as a whole, civil society has a
huge role to play in terms of mobilizing and impacting what is happening on the
local level. It is critical as a group
that we are bold in keeping our government officials accountable and we need to
engage people at the local level on how to achieve practical sustainable
goals.
Through all of these frustrations and disappointments, I also feel
inspired and engaged by those people not involved in the process, who are passionate
about and dedicated to sustainable development. More specifically, I am in complete awe of my
young peers that I have been able to meet and work with from around the
world. As a part of a more global and
interconnected generation, we have grown up with global communications and
travel. We grow up in a world with
YouTube, facebook, and twitter and through these media tools, we are able to
mobilize people from around the world at a must faster pace. From what I have seen here in Rio – I have
hope for future governance and future progress.
The way I have been able to see international youth collaborate at this
conference has given me faith that future generations will be able to cooperate
and progress will be made. However, we cannot
wait until we are older. We must embrace
the power we have now. We must make our
voice known.
As I was on the bus this morning, I randomly sat next to this man.
He told me he was from Gabon and told me a little bit about himself. We
engaged in a conversation about our lives, our countries, and our experiences
at the conference thus far. Little did I know it was the previous Prime
Minister of Chad, in Africa, but as we were talking about the conference, he
said these words to me that I will take away from this experience:
He said, this is important and this is what we need to successfully
achieve sustainable development:
Love. Love the world. Love each other. Love the earth.
I think we need to take a step back, and look at the disconnect between
the policy decisions taking place here and the implementation of development initiatives
on-the-ground around the world.
Decisions made here do affect people´s lives and livelihoods, and I think
it is time for officials to recognize their global responsibilities. I think it begins with compassion and love
for your neighbor, recognizing that solutions cannot just come from the brain
or what individual countries think what is right. I think we need to personalize the issues
affecting people around the world as a global community and have productive
global discussions to effectively address these issues. Clearly our current system is flawed, and I
would argue that one reason is because of this disconnect. As a participant of
an interconnected global community, I think we all need to develop a more world
perspective and look outside of our interests to address the needs of others.
So what did I say to the Prime Minister?
I could not agree more myself.
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