Wednesday 13 June 2012

Transport issues in Rio, 13 June 2012

L - R Kathleen Leewai, Brianna Fruean, Pauline Fruean....on their way to the Youth Blast Summit

From Fiji to Papua New Guinea to Samoa then on to Rio!  Ms. Kathleen Leewai, the Publications and Communications Intern at SPREP is attending her first international environment conference - the Rio+20, this has been made possible with support from PACMAS, SPREP and Conservation International Pacific Island Program.  Born and raised in Fiji, Kathleen has lived in Papua New Guinea, Australia and now in Samoa at SPREP where she works as the Publications and Communications Intern.  This is Kathleens first time outside of the Pacfic region, read about her experiences!

"I have always lived in big cities in the Pacific; first Suva, then Port Moresby, and, largest of all, Melbourne.

But not even Melbourne can compare to the size of Rio de Janeiro. The second largest city in Brazil, Rio is spread over 1,260 km2 (approximately 486 square miles) and has a population of approximately 6.3 million people living in the city itself.

And driving is not recommended if you are not a local.

Driving fast in Rio
The locals drive fast. Really fast. And they have their own set of road rules that only they seem to understand. At one point we were in a taxi and paused in four lanes of traffic but the road was only painted with two lanes. I’m not sure how that is even physically possible, but it seems to be standard practice here.


The city is so big, and it takes a while to get pretty much anywhere. We went from Riocentro Convention Centre (venue for Rio+20) to the SulAmerica Convention Centre (venue for Youth Blast Conference of Youth for Rio+20) in the centre of the city and the trip took close to an hour with almost no traffic.

The trip back was a whole ‘nother story. Going from the Convention Centre to the edge of the main city centre, a journey of about 15 km, took the better part of two hours and then took another half an hour to get to the shopping centre close by our apartment where we stopped to get supplies.

We were only there for a few minutes and knew the trip home took less than 5 minutes, but we ended up having to wait another two hours just trying to find transport. The only thing we could do was find a place to sit and wait, but at least we managed to fill the time by writing.

For a one hour trip down, it took us four times as long to get back. It was certainly not an experience I’m willing to repeat any time soon, but with the influx of officials and participants for Rio+20, it looks very likely to be a regular occurrence.

"Why do you think Rio+20 is so important?"

Opinion poll conducted by Ms. Brianna Fruean, 14 years of age, Samoa



Aysel Asgarova, Azerbaijan, 24 years of age

Answer: "Rio+20 is a Once-In-A-Generation milestone event which will shape the future we want".
Question: What kind of future young people want?
Answer: "I, as a young person involved in promotion of non-formal peer-to-peer education, I am advocating here for the future that will ensure access of young youth to be friendly, productive health services for the future that will ensure opportunity for everyone and diversity in society."




Eva Chin-Jung Li, Taiwan, 19 years of age


Answer: "Rio+20 is the way of reforming the future we want and then constructing the new systems of green economy."
Question: Why do we have to care?
Answer: "Because we are the next generation and we bear the consequences of these decisions made by the adults here at Rio+20. We care because 20 years later we have to implement what they have come to decide at this meeting. It’s our responsibility to make the earth sustainable now for the benefit of the next generation to come."




Gracia Lee , Brazil, 18 years of age


Answer: "The world has changed a lot in many ways, the environment is not good and animals are endangered. After the Rio meeting in 1992, we were waiting but not many things have been done. I think it’s important to come again and discuss what they want for the world and think again because the world really needs these meetings on decisions."




Chola Simwanza, Zambia, 25 years of age, Commonwealth Youth Climate Network


Answer: I"t’s important because it creates a platform for youth. I was in Durban and now here trying to find solutions. I would say it’s important because we are the future. There are so many aspects that are here and I hope that in the end of the Summut, some resolutions will be made. Resolutions that are concrete and that are binding."

Pacific Island countries appeal exclusion from Rio+20

Article combines a news release in the CI News http://www.cinews.co.ck/ / Kathleen Leewai
To read the article in the CI News online, please visit: Cook Islands fights for voice at Rio+20

Rio prepares to host the Rio+20 Conference

12 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro - The Cook Islands and Niue will continue to battle for speaking rights at the United Nations Rio+20 Conference to be held in Brazil this month despite moves to exclude these Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from doing so. The removal of speaking rights for the Cook Islands follows a UN General Assembly Resolution 66/197 in December 2011 limiting participation at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to state members of the UN.

While delivering a speech on behalf of the Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna to the Rio+20 Informal Ministerial Meeting held in Barbados recently, chief policy advisor Liz Wright-Koteka said the Cook Islands had attended both the 1992 Rio and 2002 Johannesburg Conferences as a state.

“Chair, it saddens the Prime Minister Henry Puna personally, that 20 years on, a declaration that held so much hope for all people and which the participation and commitment of all states is a underpinning principle, will take a big step backwards by not allowing states such as the Cook Islands to be part of deciding its progression,” she said.

“We were under the impression that the Rio Declaration was a global agreement and what was commonly known as the ‘all states formula’ for attendance at these conferences applied. It appears now that Rio+20 will not be an ‘all states’ or a global conference. This is a most unfortunate outcome as sustainable development is critically important to the Cook Islands and other nations that are muffled as a result of this.”

Wright-Koteka advised the meeting that Puna would assume the role of chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum in August and as incoming chair it was vital that the Cook Islands region be permitted to participate fully at Rio+20.

“The Cook Islands supports the theme of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, but wishes to also stress that as a Small Island Developing State, this is the only viable means of achieving sustainable development in today’s global context.

“Given the Cook Islands may not be accorded the opportunity to speak as a state in Rio, we urge our fellow SIDS to highlight that SIDS are already undertaking actions and have made some strong commitments to pursue the pathways towards transformation to a green economy.

“The Cook Islands also strongly aligns itself with the position advocated by the Pacific SIDS to add the colour blue to the green economy debate – synthesised as a ‘green economy in a blue world’ to ensure that issues related to ocean and islands are given prominence in the Rio+20 agenda.

“The Cook Islands fears that this approach has not yet gained enough global traction and that outcomes important to small island states from Rio+20 for ocean, island and climate change issues cannot be said to be secure.”

As there are many other regional groupings competing for international support, Wright-Koteka stressed that SIDS should continue to strongly urge for a renewed political commitment and reaffirmation of the special case of SIDS and their acknowledged vulnerabilities.

“SIDS should encourage the international community to meet existing commitments and agree to new commitments that will facilitate the transformation towards greener economies globally, with the necessary institutional structures to assist these efforts.

“The Cook Islands feels that funds that have been channelled through global funding structures do not take into account the capacity constraints of SIDS. Therefore as result, the Cook Islands, as I am sure other SIDS have not been able to access these funds effectively. Furthermore, access to these funds has been accompanied by onerous reporting obligations.

“The Cook Islands urges that SIDS advocate at Rio+20 for an agreement by the international community to improve access to funds for the transformation to green economies and to ease the reporting burden faced by small islands administration in line with the special case for SIDS.”

At the conclusion of the meeting Wright-Koteka said the chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Special Envoy of the President of Nauru, Aloysius Amwano, highlighted the concerns expressed by the Cook Islands not being invited as speakers at the Rio+20 conference.

AOSIS representatives reiterated their support for a letter prepared by the chair of AOSIS conveying the group’s concern regarding the exclusion of the Cook Islands and Niue from the list of participating states consistent with the existing practice of ‘all states’ participation in global sustainable development.

Wright-Koteka on behalf of the Prime Minister expressed the Cook Islands deep appreciation for the efforts and the support by AOSIS in pushing the case for the Cook Islands to have a voice at the Rio+20 Conference.

As members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), delegates from Niue and the Cook Islands were expected to participate in the Pacific side event.

“All of the Pacific Islands countries and territories attending the side event are SPREP members,” said Mr. Sefanaia Nawadra, Director of Environmental Monitoring and Governance Division at SPREP.

“It is very unfortunate that due to their changed status according to the UN rules they will not be attending and won’t be represented at the Pacific side event.”






Youth Blast Conference of Youth for Rio+20


Story by Ms. Brianna Fruean, 14 years, Samoa

12 June, Rio de Janeiro - Youth Blast is an event organised by youth for youth. The main youth group organising this event is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) major group of Children and Youth and Brazilian National Youth Secretary with the help of the government of Brazil.

The Youth Blast conference helps promote young people to be active, create networks with other people their age and voice what they want out of Rio+20. Thousands of future world leaders came together and shared their struggles and achievements of their projects and past events. The first two days, the 7th to the 8th of June, were for youth that spoke Portuguese and the last two days, the 10th to the 12th of June, were for English speakers.

It was a very productive event where the youth that were attending the main Rio+20 could collect messages from their fellow Youth Blast members.

It was a great initiative that hopefully will impact the main Rio+20 Conference.

Registering for Rio+20, 11 June

Registration
From Fiji to Papua New Guinea to Samoa then on to Rio!   Ms. Kathleen Leewai, the Publications and Communications Intern at SPREP is attending her first international environment conference - the Rio+20, this has been made possible with support from PACMAS, SPREP and Conservation International Pacific Island Program.  Born and raised in Fiji, Kathleen has lived in Papua New Guinea, Australia and now in Samoa at SPREP where she works as the Publications and Communications Intern.  This is Kathleens first time outside of the Pacfic region, read about her experiences.
 
11 June 2012 -- The first morning in Rio dawned sunny and cool, and I was up early, ready to head to the convention centre to register, receive an awesome conference badge, and stakeout the pavilions to see where I’ll be spending most of my time over the next two weeks.

Needless to say the excitement of the morning was severely dampened by being told that we weren’t in the system and couldn’t, therefore, register.

Apparently the process involved completing forms that needed official seals and signatures from the Ambassador and passport photos emailed to the organisers, both of which we hadn’t managed to do before leaving Apia.

So now we’ve been granted an extra day to prepare for our side event and our media work, that hasn’t been easy what with the internet going up and down and my body still trying to adjust to the new time zones and the jetlag!

Update 12 June 2012 -- Forms were signed, sealed, and delivered in record time thanks to the wonders of technology (email) but a further venture to the convention centre proved unsuccessful due to the delay of the system updating.

50,000+ registered participants will do that. We have been assured, though, that our registration will be completed tomorrow morning, so that’s definitely something to look forward to.










Arriving in Brazil, 10 June 2012


From Fiji to Papua New Guinea to Samoa then on to Rio!  Ms. Kathleen Leewai, the Publications and Communications Intern at SPREP is attending her first international environment conference - the Rio+20, this has been made possible with support from PACMAS, SPREP and Conservation International Pacific Island Program.  Born and raised in Fiji, Kathleen has lived in Papua New Guinea, Australia and now in Samoa at SPREP where she works as the Publications and Communications Intern.  This is Kathleens first time outside of the Pacfic region, read about her experiences!

From the time of arrival Rio de Janeiro has been an eye-opener. In some ways it is so much like the Pacific Islands, and in some ways it’s as far from island life as you can get.

The first culture shock was seeing fully armed policemen stationed outside the airport. That is definitely not something you see every day in the Pacific.

The people are friendly but it has been difficult understanding the language. The people of Brazil speak Portuguese, and they speak it very fast. But they are laid back and everyone wears flip-flops, so that’s been familiar. They also drive very fast and are crazy for their soccer (of course).

The view from our apartment is breathtaking; at night the city lights shine brightly with tall dark mountains as a backdrop. We’re staying next to a small lake and were able to take a short boat ride across to what we’ve been told is the biggest mall in Brazil. It was packed, and very busy considering it was a Sunday night.

All-in-all, my first night in Brazil was filled with lights and sounds of a bustling city. It’s exciting being here and knowing that tomorrow morning we are going to the convention centre (Riocentro) to register for the conference. But more on that tomorrow.