Vaga Lume Association in Rio + 20

From the 17th to 21st of June, Vaga Lume, which works with the promotion of education and culture and for the preservation of the environment in the Amazon, will participate in the Rio+20 Conference and promote its activities in the BMW Group Pavilion in the Athletes’ Park. Furthermore, Vaga Lume will participate in events such as the People’s Summit as well as many more.

Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), will take place in Rio de Janeiro from the 20th to 22nd of June2012 marking the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It will discuss two main topics: green economy in the context of development and the eradication of poverty and the institutional framework for sustainable development. At Rio+20, Vaga Lume will be represented by Sylvia Guimarães and another four members of the team as well as two board associates, Laís Fleury and Maria Estela Kubitscheck. The delegation will participate in official debates that will take place in the Riocentro as part of the NGO group.

Additionally, Vaga Lume, which is part of the World Intercultural Facility for Innovation (WIFI) network as a result of the Intercultural Innovation Award (sponsored by the United Nations Alliance for Civilizations and the BMW Group), will conduct three activities in the BMW Pavilion located in the Athletes’ Park.

With the goal of involving participants from Vaga Lume Net Program in discussions regarding sustainable development and with the support of the BMW Group, nine students and nine educators from the North and Southeast of Brazil will also travel to Rio to partake in conference events. All the following will take place at 5:00PM at the BMW Pavilion and are open to the public:

• June 17th: educators from schools and institutions participating in Vaga Lume Net Program will speak about strategies employed to engage teenagers in discussions regarding the environment;
• June 18th: educators and students from the Amazon will present the current situation of the environment in their municipalities and communities and what its population is doing to help save the Amazon;
• June 19th: students will have an informal discussion with visitors about the role of youth in helping preserve the environment.

In addition to partaking in an important debate regarding sustainable development in Rio+20, Vaga Lume will also offer students and educators from the North and Southeast of Brazil the opportunity to be part of its official delegation representing the organization in an international conference focused on the environment, similar to the focus of the program in which they participate.

Press Contact

Ana Helena Oliveira

Telephone: (+55 11) 3032-6032; (+55 11) 7150-1649

Email: anahelena@vagalume.org.br