Civil society urging Heads of States engagement at Rio+20

We urge all civil society to remind Heads of States of their duty to attend the UN CSD RIO+20 Summit, that will take place in Brazil on June 2012. We need their engagement and urgent implementation of sustainable policies to create a better future for us and up coming generations. Rio+20 is an outstanding opportunity for fundamental change and its importance is not only measured by the urgency of the problems it tackles but also by the highest level of attention it is given by many of the World leaders. In the challenging world of today, it is crucial that the people’s representatives engage in the Conference that fights urgent global issues such as unequal consumption, overexploitation of natural resources, increasing poverty, to stop short-sighted solutions, and the greed of companies, banks and individuals. It is urgent that together, they commit on finding strategies to promote global economic and social transitions in ways that avoid marginalization of peoples, environmental degradation, over-exploitation or pollution.

Knowing that the Heads of State take every opportunity to connect with and hear the concerns of their constituents, we urge civil society to formally express its strong wish for their leaders engagement in the Rio+20 Conference, whose goals are: to secure renewed political commitment for global Sustainable Development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges. From soaring food prices to the crippling effects of climate change, our economies are now confronting the reality of years of spending beyond our financial and environmental means and millions of people are suffering and dying because of that. If we are to maintain stable societies and enjoy good lives, we can no longer sustain a widening budget gap between what nature is able to provide and how much our infrastructure, economies and lifestyles require.

Read more and sign the petition on Change.org