Important Websites
Historical overview
The Rio Earth Summit in 1992 led to the development of Agenda 21, often referred to as the 'blueprint for sustainable development'. Agenda 21 stated that broad public participation was fundamental to achieving sustainable development, and recognised nine major groups of civil society. These major groups are:
- Children and Youth
- Women
- Indigineous Peoples
- Non-Governmental Organisations
- Local Authorities
- Workers and Trade Unions
- Business and Industry
- Scientific and Technological Community
- Farmers
There were numerous outcomes to the Rio Earth Summit, and one of them was the establishment of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD), acting under the function of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), that was established to monitor progress on achieving the goals coming out of Rio.
The UN CSD is composed of 53 member states, observers such as UN members and organisations, regional commissions, and major groups. The major groups play an important role because they are the voice of civil society.
This is where the MGCY comes in. Children and youth are widely recognized as an important part of civil society, with strong interest in protecting and preserving the planet's resources. The past decade has seen a growing acceptance of the importance of youth participation in decision-making. Numerous actions and recommendations within the international community have been proposed to ensure that youth are provided a secure and healthy future, including an environment of quality, improved standards of living and access to education and employment.
The MGCY have successfully engaged in the political process which has led to improved policy formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation.