In the negotiating process leading up to the Rio+20 conference some rich-country governments and influential business groups have sought to impose a regression from the principles agreed at the 1992 Earth Summit – such as the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, the precautionary principle, and the right to information and participation – and to undermine certain rights that have already been achieved, such as the rights of indigenous peoples, traditional communities, peasant farmers, and others.
The official process proposes the establishment of global environmental governance mechanisms that will serve as administrators and facilitators of the “green economy”, with a leading role given to the World Bank and other financial institutions, which will lead to a new cycle of indebtedness and structural adjustments dressed up in green.
Numerous civil society organizations and social movements have joined together to condemn this process and are calling for social mobilization and the construction of alternatives around the world aimed at bringing about a profound change in the current model of production and consumption. They have worked together to build the Peoples Summit, which will take place June 15-23 in the Flamengo district of Rio de Janeiro – parallel to the Rio+20 official UN conference.
The Peoples Summit at Rio+20 for Social and Environmental Justice is not just an event organized by global civil society. It is also meant to serve as a historical process for the integration and convergence of local, regional and international struggles, an opportunity to confront the serious problems facing humanity and to demonstrate the political power of the people when they are organized in the framework of the anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-patriarchal and anti-homophobic class struggle.
Visit the Peoples Summit website at http://cupuladospovos.org.br/ to join in and learn more about the initiatives, schedule of activities, documents and proposals that continue to emerge.
You can also follow the Peoples Summit on Twitter at @cupuladospovos
