Quebec Delegation to Rio + 20
Quebec delegation to Rio +20
Hosted by Alternatives, UNIAlter and YMCA Québec, this project brings together people coming from both civil society organizations and the academic community. The Quebec delegation prides itself on diversity, encompassing people from diverse groups including, among others, environmental, indigenous, labor and grassroots movements. Organizers have, moreover, focused on maintaining a balance in terms of gender, age and origin of participants.
The Quebec delegation currently consists of 77 people traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the 16th to the 23rd of June 2012 in order to partake in the People's Summit, which will be held parallel to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio +20.
Project Objectives:
• Establish a union and community-based Québécois delegation to participate in the UNCSD and the People's Summit;
•
Train and inform community, people, and trade union groups in Montreal and Quebec on issues relating to Rio +20, the environment and the development;
•
Spread awareness of these issues among the Quebec population.
You can track their experience and learning before, during and after the Summit on their blog!
Context
The UN is set to hold the Rio+ 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro from June 20 to 22nd 2012. Its objective is to establish a global consensus on the transition to a green economy, in a context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
While international negotiations on climate change are stalled, a parallel Summit will be held at the very same time in the heart of Rio de Janeiro.
Set up as an autonomous and popular alternative space to the official conference, the People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice aims to put forward a critic of the UN version of the green economy and establish an alternative strategy to that of heads of state.
This event, open to the public, invites civil society organizations and social movements from all over the world to present avenues of deliberation on the future of the planet. With numerous self-managed activities, the Peoples’ Summit is designed on the model of world social forums. What distinguishes it from the latter, however, is the setting up of “convergence assemblies” which enable the emergence of both shared stances and collective action plans.
In order to break away from the endemic paralysis that has struck international organisms, the organizers of the summit count on a display of force. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the Summits proceedings.
Over a hundred representatives of social organizations from Québec will be making the trip to Rio, notably the delegation set up by the YMCA, UniAlter and Alternatives. The 77 members of this delegation are active on such issues as shale gas, tar sands, climate changes and promotion of First Nations’ rights.
