Hosting a panel discussion in preparation for Rio+20

Tribster Gayathri was invited to moderate a panel discussion about the lack of the social dimension in the global discussions towards Rio+20. Why doesn’t the social dimension receive a bigger focus?; What is happening today to put it on the agenda?; What can be done to put it on the agenda?; What is the role of youth in this discussion? The panel discussion was held during Stockholm-30, an event organized by the National Swedish Youth Council to highlight youth’s role in sustainable development. 

The day started with an introduction from the Swedish Minister of Development Cooperations, Gunilla Carlsson based on her work with Resilient People, Resilient Planet - a future worth choosing, a newly launched report from the United Nations Secretary-General’s high-level panel on global sustainability. In her speech, Gunilla Carlsson, highlighted the role of youth and spoke a lot about the lack of the social dimension in the global discussions today “ We need to put the human in the center of our discussions in order to accomplish this transition towards a sustainable global society.”

During the panel discussion, Gayathri hosted a prominent panel consisted of; Karin Nilsson from RFSU - the Swedish Association for Sexual Education; Johan Arenius, Equmenia - the Swedish Christian Youth Organization; Monica Lorensson, UNDP - United Nations Development Program. They contributed with different important aspects to the discussion and gave interesting insights to me and the audience.

To watch the panel discussion (in Swedish), click here and then scroll down amongst the videos and click on the video named: Stockholm-30 - Ungdomsorganisationernas roll för en hållbar utveckling 

Without including the social dimension in the discussion, how would we manage to make a transition towards a sustainable lifestyle if we are not providing possibilities for all people in the world to have access to take care of basic needs, be included in democratic processes and the possibility of making their own decisions. A fair and democratic society where the human rights are being protected is the basis for a global sustainable society. The role of youth in this discussion is crucial as we are one of the main stakeholders and we possess ideas and solutions that need to be encouraged in the form of inclusion in political discussions and by having platforms where we can realize these sustainable ideas and solutions.

Thank you Olle Svahn from LSU for the invitation of hosting this highly important panel discussion!