The  Major  Group  for  Children  and  Youth  (MGCY)  is  the  official  voice  for  young  people  in  the  UN  sustainability  negotiations,  specifically  the  Commission  on  Sustainable  Development  (CSD)  and  the  Rio+20  Earth  Summit.      

The  MGCY  is  made  up  of  organisations  and  individuals  who  care  about  the  sustainability  of  our  planet  and  actively  want  to  participate  in  shaping  the  future.  Through  networking  and  collaborating  with  young  people  around  the  world,  we  develop  policy  recommendations  for  the  official  sustainable  development  process  and  participate  in  the  negotiations  to  lobby  for  their  adoption.  In  addition,  the  MGCY  is  a  platform  for  youth  involved  in  sustainability  at  a  local  level  to  share  their  ideas,  tell  their  stories  and  voice  their  opinions.    

The  MGCY  is  open  to  every  young  person  and  the  more  people  involved,  the  stronger  our  influence  will  be  to  inspire  change.  At  the  United  Nations,  we  design  the  way  the  world  works.  We  design  the  future.    

The  MGCY  is  your  voice.  Let  it  be  heard.  

UN  CSD  

MGCY  Major  Group  for  

 Children  and  Youth  

Overview  of  the  MGCY  MGCY  Communication  February2012  

Welcome  to  the  MGCY  and  Rio+20  

Who is the Major Group for Children and Youth?

The  Rio+20  Earth  Summit  is  anticipated  to  be  the  largest,  and  arguably  most  important,  UN  conference  in  history.  The  MGCY  aims  to  advance  the  participation  of  all  young  people  in  the  protection  of  the  environment  and  the  promotion  of  economic  and  social  development.    

The  MGCY  works  to  ensure  that  youth  voices  are  represented  in  the  negotiations  and  to  do  this,  we  need  your  voice.  This  MGCY  communication  is  aimed  at  providing  you  with  information  you  need  to  get  involved.  We  will  tell  you  more  about  who  the  MGCY  is  and  why  you  should  join.  

Lorem Ipsum Dolor [Issue] :: [Date]

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Principles

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The  work  of  the  MGCY  is  done  entirely  by  volunteers;  international  young  people  who  are  committed  to  making  a  difference.  There  are  different  layers  of  organization  within  the  MGCY  to  help  facilitate  the  inclusion  of  youth  voices  in  the  sustainability  process.  

Organising  Partners  

The  Organising  Partners  (OP)  are  the  main  liaison  between  the  MGCY  and  UNDESA,  the  UN  Department  of  Economic  and  Social  Affairs,  under  which  the  CSD  and  Rio+20  fall.  Their  main  role  is  to  disseminate  relevant  data  and  information  for  the  MGCY  to  help  facilitate  activities  that  maximize  youth  participation.  

Facilitation  Team  

The  Facilitation  Team  (FT)  is  the  MGCY's  decision-­‐making  body  with  the  mandate  to  facilitate  children  and  youth  participation  and  activities  within  the  MGCY  and  Rio+20  process.  Members  of  the  FT  are  energetic  and  result  

How does the MGCY work?

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oriented  people  with  a  common  interest  in  advancing  the  role  of  young  people,  and  working  with  the  MGCY.    

Task  Forces  

Three  Task  Forces  (TFs)  have  been  established  in  line  with  the  thematic  discussions  for  Rio+20.  The  TFs  are  focused  on  policy  contributions  and  work  with  youth  internationally  to  develop  and  lobby  for  policy  that  reflects  the  voices,  aspirations  and  concerns,  of  youth.    

Working  Groups  

Youth  activism  with  the  MGCY  is  facilitated  through  the  Working  Groups  (WGs).  Different  WGs  have  been  established  to  enable  young  people  with  different  interests  to  get  involved  in  their  own  capacity.  The  WGs  have  a  primary  focus  of  inspiring  local  action  to  help  build  the  strength  of  the  youth  voices  in  the  process.

The  MGCY  operates  on  principles.  These  principles  guide  our  work  in  terms  of  policy  and  what  we  advocate  for,  and  also  how  we  work  together.  The  MGCY  is  open  to  everyone  who  shares  these  principles  with  us  and  is  committed  to  achieving  a  sustainable  world.    

Who  is  the  MGCY?    

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MGCY  Communication  February  2012  

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Issue [#] :: [Date]

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The  Facilitation  Team  (FT)  is  the  MGCY's  decision-­‐making  body  with  the  mandate  to  facilitate  children  and  youth  participation  and  activities  within  the  MGCY  and  Rio+20  process.  Members  of  the  FT  are  energetic  and  result  oriented  people  with  a  common  interest  in  advancing  the  role  of  young  people,  and  working  with  the  MGCY.      

How  does  the  Facilitation  Team  work?  

The  FT  regularly  meets  every  2  weeks  through  an  online  call  to  monitor  and  report  on  TFs,  WGs  and  other  relevant  activities,  identify  needs,  make  plans  and  coordinate  activities.  Minutes  from  the  FT  calls  are  kept  on  a  shared  document  and  available  online.  All  decisions  are  made  by  consensus  and  are  guided  by  our  MGCY  Processes  and  Procedures  document.  

What  kind  of  actions  are  taken  by  the  Facilitation  Team?  

The  FT  makes  decisions  that  have  broad  reaching  impacts  on  the  MGCY  as  a  whole,  such  as  how  a  program  will  be  implemented  or  what  actions  will  be  taken  to  meet  certain  objectives.  Decisions  are  also  made  about  how  certain  groups  function  in  an  effort  to  increase  youth  participation  and  to  ensure  MGCY  activities  are  of  a  high  standard,  reflecting  the  principles  that  we  operate  on.  All  decisions  are  made  by  consensus  and  are  guided  by  our  MGCY  Policy  and  Procedures  document.    

How  do  I  catch  up  on  what’s  been  going  on?  

Becoming  an  active  contributor  to  the  FT  can  take  time  because  there  is  a  lot  of  work  that  has  been  done  that  you  would  need  to  catch  up  on.  Reading  the  different  pages  on  the  website  and  reviewing  previous  minutes  can  help.  In  addition,  introductory  sessions  will  be  held  with  new  members  of  the  FT  prior  to  each  call  to  help  you  get  started.      

Facilitation Team Coordinating activities and strategically guiding the work of the MGCY

The  Major  Groups  are  the  official  representation  of  civil  society  in  the  UN  sustainability  negotiations.  The  first  Rio  Earth  Summit  held  in  1992  produced  Agenda  21,  known  as  the  ‘Blueprint  for  Sustainable  Development’.  A  component  of  this  document  was  the  recognition  given  to  nine  groups  of  civil  society,  which  formalized  their  presence  in  the  negotiations.    

The  nine  groups  are  Women,  NGOs,  Business  and  Industry,  Farmers,  Indigenous  People,  Local  Authorities,  Workers  and  Trade  Unions,  Scientific  Communities,  and  Children  and  Youth.  Historically,  the  Major  Groups  have  been  actively  involved  in  the  sustainable  development  negotiations  and  have  provided  innovative  spaces  for  discussions  to  occur.  Their  participation  is  a  fundamental  prerequisite  for  the  achievement  of  sustainable  development.    

Who  are  the  Major  Groups?  

Who  is  the  MGCY?    MGCY  Communication  February  2012  

Lorem Ipsum Dolor [Issue] :: [Date]

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There  are  three  MGCY  Task  Forces  aligned  with  the  objectives  of  Rio+20  who  work  towards  creating  policy.  The  Task  Forces  are:  

• Green  Economy  in  the  Context  of  Sustainable  Development  and  Poverty  Eradication  

• Institutional  Framework  (Governance)  • Objectives  

These  Task  Forces  developed  the  MGCY  contribution  to  the  ‘Zero  Draft’,  which  will  become  the  primary  negotiating  text  at  Rio+20.  Since  then,  we  have  been  attending  formal  and  informal  negotiations  to  advocate  for  our  points  and  influence  policy.  Here’s  an  overview  of  the  groups:  

Green  Economy  

The  Green  Economy  aims  to  create  an  economic  model  that  fully  integrates  sustainable  development  and  poverty  eradication.  MGCY  believes  it  is  a  system  that  can  improve  human  wellbeing  and  social  equality  within  the  carrying  capacity  of  the  planet.  We  have  developed  youth-­‐specific  policy  

recommendations,  such  as  youth  employment  through  green  jobs  for  youth,  and  lobby  for  these  to  be  adopted.  

Institutional  Framework  –  Governance  

The  MGCY  believes  there  is  need  for  reform  in  the  governance  for  sustainable  development.  We  believe  that  the  establishment  of  ombudspersons  for  future  generations  and  the  greater  participation  of  all  stakeholders  provide  concrete  solutions  to  shift  the  focus  of  our  decision-­‐making  from  short-­‐term  benefits  to  the  long-­‐term  interests  of  younger  and  future  generations.  

Objectives  

The  MGCY  objective  for  Rio+20  is  commitment  to  the  implementation  of  sustainable  development,  guided  by  a  number  of  goals.  The  MGCY  are  creating  a  vision  of  these  goals  that  integrate  existing  arrangements,  include  the  seven  critical  issues,  and  have  an  action-­‐oriented  approach.  The  MGCY  also  advocates  for  improved  monitoring  and  evaluation  mechanisms.    

The  MGCY  worked  with  hundreds  of  youth  and  their  organisations  to  compile  our  contribution  to  the  Zero  Draft.  The  MGCY  contribution  is  the  basis  of  our  lobbying  strategy  and  the  points  we  advocate  for.    

To  ensure  youth  voices  are  considered  throughout  the  process,  the  MGCY  has  had  representatives  attend  all  formal  and  informal    negotiations.      

MGCY  involvement  in  the  process  so  far  

Second  Intersessional,  NY  Held  to  discuss  the  structure  of  the  Zero  Draft  and  recap  on  expectations  for  Rio+20,  MGCY  representatives  lobbied  for  our  key  policy  recommendations  and  collaborated  with  others,  building  a  stronger  civil  society  movement  towards  Rio.  

Regional  Preparatory  Meetings  The  MGCY  facilitated  youth  participation  at  the  Regional  Preparatory  Meetings  held  in  Africa,  Latin  America,  the  Arab  Region,  the  Asia  Pacific,  and  Europe  and  North  America.  

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Task Forces Facilitating youth involvement for the creation and advocacy of policy amendments

Informal  Informals,  NY  Held  to  negotiate  the  content  of  the  Zero  Draft,  the  MGCY  attended  these  sessions  and  continued  to  lobby  for  the  points  in  our  contribution.  

Who  is  the  MGCY?    MGCY  Communication  February  2012  

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Issue [#] :: [Date]

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It  is  the  responsibility  of  every  person  to  create  the  change  we  hope  to  see  in  the  world,  and  

the  MGCY  works  to  create  a  platform  where  these  local  initiatives  can  be  

seen.  If  you  are  engaged  with  activities  relating  to  

Rio+20  and  sustainable  development,  share  your  stories  with  us.    

The  MGCY  website  serves  as  the  central  

point  for  young  people  to  connect  and  share  ideas,  and  we  are  trying  to  

collect  as  many  youth  voices  as  possible  in  support  of  Rio+20.  Write  a  story,  make  a  video,  start  a  discussion  forum,  or  get  involved  in  education  and  

capacity  building,  and  share  it  on  our  social  media  sites.    

We  want  to  hear  your  voice  and  share  it  with  the  world  to  influence  change.  

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A  key  component  of  MGCY  work  is  facilitating  youth  activism  at  a  local  level  that  can  be  used  to  influence  decisions  at  a  global  level.  This  is  done  

through  Working  Groups  (WGs),  which  are  different  collections  of  people  who  work  according  to  their  particular  interest  or  skill.  There  are  many  areas  of  interest  that  young  people  have,  and  the  WGs  are  aimed  at  connecting  those  people  together  to  help  build  the  youth  voice  for  sustainability.    

Essentially,  the  MGCY  acts  as  a  platform  for  these  activities  to  be  voiced,  thus  demonstrating  the  support  and  action  that  young  people  have  for  our  policy  recommendations.  We  encourage  all  interested  young  people  to  get  involved.    

Several  WGs  have  already  been  established  in  our  preparations  for  Rio+20.  We  are  always  open  to  expanding  these  to  include  new  ideas.  The  central  diagram  provides  an  overview.  

WG  has  a  variety  of  activities  already  underway,  so  check  out  our  website  to  find  out  what  these  are  and  how  you  can  get  involved.  

Working Groups Inspiring youth to take local action, and building a platform to make youth voices heard globally

Who  is  the  MGCY?    

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MGCY  Communication  February  2012  

UN  CSD  

MGCY  www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org  

Organising  Partners:  Ben  Vanpeperstraete         ben@rioplus20s.org  Ivana  Savic         ivana.savich@gmail.com  Kiara  Worth         kiara.youth@gmail.com  

 Task  Forces:  

Green  Economy:  Michaela  Hoogenboom   michaela@rioplus20s.org  Lena  Mäckelburg     lmm.wdst@yahoo.com  

Institutional  Frameworks:  Alice  Vincent       alice.vincent@worldfuturecouncil.org  Sebastien  Duyck     sebastien@rioplus20s.org  

Objectives:    Saba  Loftus       saba.loftus@gmail.com  Oli  Maisonet-­‐Guzman     olimaisonet@gmail.com  

 Working  Groups:  

Communications   Kiara  Worth       kiara.youth@gmail.com  Children       Ivana  Savic     ivana.savich@gmail.com  Capacity  Building     Barkha  Mossae     barkha.mossae@gmail.com  Youth  Blast     Steering  Committee   coyrio@gmail.com  Fundraising       Saba  Loftus     saba.loftus@gmail.com  Youth  Actions       Anna  Collins     anna.collins1985@gmail.com    For  more  information,  and  to  register  with  the  MGCY,  please  visit  our  website:  

 www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org    

If  you  are  interested  in  getting  involved,  let  us  know.  There  is  a  lot  of  work  to  get  done  in  a  short  space  of  time  and  we  need  your  help  to  make  our  voices  stronger.  The  MGCY  is  open  to  any  young  person  under  the  age  of  30  years  and  we  welcome  your  ideas,  thoughts,  and  skills  in  how  we  can  make  the  youth  voice  stronger  for  sustainable  development.    

All  this  information  and  more  can  be  found  on  our  website  www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org  and  we  encourage  you  to  check  it  regularly  to  keep  up  to  date  with  events  and  activities.    

We  look  forward  to  hearing  from  you.  Make  your  voice  heard.    

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Who  is  the  MGCY?    MGCY  Communication  February  2012