The world is facing a mounting crisis. In recent years we have experienced a combination of a global financial crisis, a food crisis, accelerating ecosystem degradation, an increasing number of climate-induced extreme weather events and crises of social structures. These multiple and inter-related crises call into question the ability of a growing human population to live peacefully and sustainably on this planet, and demand the urgent attention governments and citizens around the world.

During the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also known as Rio+20) in 2012 heads of states and governments will gather to address these issues. But sustainable development can not be achieved by governments alone, it requires broad public participation. Therefore, participation of civil society, especially children and youth, at the conference is of great importance. Do you think your event should be part of the Major Group of Children and Youth, just sign up here!

Making your event part of the Major Group of Children and Youth makes it eligible to benefit from the following:

• The official endorsement from the organising partners, and use of the logo of the Major Group on Children and Youth.
• Promotion via the official website of the Major Group of Children and Youth : www.youthcaucus.net
• Promotion via the official website of the conference: www.uncsd2012.org
• Support in terms of content and methodology (on request)
• Support in terms of approaching high-level personalities (on request)
• Provide access to other regional initiatives for it’s participants (e.g. RIMs, other Major Groups activities)

Your event should more or less fit in most of the following criteria (in case it's not, feel free to contact us to discuss it further):

• Demonstrate being youth-led or child-led. In case it's not youth-led or child-led, please provide us with an argumentation of why not being youth/child-led, and measures introduced to increase the participation (using the framework of Hart: http://freechild.org/ladder.htm) and ownership of children and youth.
• Submit a brief project outline including the organisers, previous experience of organisers (if applicable), profile of participants and outline of programme.
• Comply with the guidelines for the usage of the official conference logo: http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=73
• Have relevance towards the Rio+20
• Be open for interested members of the Major Group ton Children and Youth in their region (unless discussed and agreed otherwise)
• Engage it’s members constructively in the work of the Major Group on Children and Youth in the lead up to the Rio+20Are willing to merge and consolidate with other initiatives happening if needed. This is particularly necessary for meeting in direct connection with an official event (e.g. youthblast / conference of youth)

Please fill in your application here http://bit.ly/MCGYRioplus20