FoEI at Rio+20

From 20-22 June governments convene in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), also known as the Earth Summit. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference. For 20 years our governments have tried to agree on ways to save our planet – and ultimately our lives. Unfortunately, they have made pitiful progress on their commitments to tackle environmental destruction and global injustice.

Hosted by Friends of the Earth Brazil, FoEI campaigners and staff as well as many FoE member groups will gather in Rio to let the world know that we believe 20 years is enough! One of our goals at Rio +20 is to make sure that governments use the conference to prioritise real solutions that truly serve the public interest and address the climate, food, biodiversity and financial crises. Although the UN is the most democratic and appropriate global institution to address these issues, there are real concerns about the increasing influence of major corporations and business lobby groups within the UN.

Let’s reclaim the UN from corporate capture! You can help by writing a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Read more here and send a letter.

Some of us will be working behind the scenes and in the press room of the official Rio+20 event. Others will participate in the People’s Summit or Cúpula dos Povos in Portuguese: a separate event organized by civil society organizations who, like us, believe that we are not going to overcome the multiple global crises we are facing today, unless we radically reconsider the way in which the world economy is currently organized.

The People’s Summit takes place from 15-23 June. During the Summit, we will keep you posted on our campaign activities at this blog with daily news updates, interviews with FoE campaigners, and reports of events in which we participate.