The blueprint for our coalition's work.

1. GLOBAL STRATEGY
January-June 2012
v3

2. INTRODUCING ROAD TO RIO+20
Despite being touted by the UN Secretary-General as one of the most important
conferences in the history of the United Nations, Rio+20 is now flying completely under the
FOREWORD
radar. Few governments (if any) are making commitments in policy and funding that match
the current challenges of an unsustainable world and its multiple multi-faceted crises. Most
people around the world don't even know what the summit or its themes are, due to the
notable absence of discussions around it in schools, universities, and mainstream media
channels (aside from the occasional mention in the environmental column).
This is where we come into play. To weave together and ignite a generation that will
realize the potential of the summit, and put us all back on the right track.
The following pages are meant to provide the big picture of our work together: who we are,
what we do, why and how. More detailed planning is meant to be developed within the
framework of each specific initiative and is therefore out of the scope of this document.
Our strategy is not supposed to be a dynamic one. With so little time left until Rio+20, this
big picture, which we have been working on for more than a year, is going to act as a
stable reference point for specific initiatives we’ll be implementing together. After Rio, it’ll
become a useful starting point for our planning of follow up activities.
This document is both meant as guidance to current coalition partners and as an
overview of our work for other stakeholders. Please feel free to share it and get
others on board of our mobilization efforts!
Nicolò Wojewoda
Director, Road to Rio+20

3. WHO ARE WE?
Road to Rio+20 is a coalition of organizations,
THE BASICS
weaving together a global youth-led
movement to realize the potential of the Earth
Summit 2012.
As of May 2012, there are 94 partners signed up
to the coalition, covering all continents and a
variety of interests, areas of expertise, sizes and
approaches to addressing sustainable
development challenges.
HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER?
Coalition members (also referred to as ‘Road to Rio+20 partners’) collectively contribute
to the achievement of a shared vision, through agreed initiatives. The coalition is based
on consensus around its higher-level vision and strategy, but on the other hand it relies
on a critical mass of engagement for every initiative it conceptualizes, develops and
implements. Coalition members have common, but differentiated responsibilities for the
fulfilment of the agreed strategy, and are accountable to each other in the process.

4. WHAT IS OUR VISION FOR RIO+20?
Success at Rio+20 will see the creation of a people’s movement that goes where Rio
THE SUMMIT
+20 doesn’t go – beyond UN negotiations and into our living rooms and reaching our
streets. This movement will create a global sense of responsibility for current and future
generations to enjoy sufficient resources to meet their needs, while generating a new
social contract that places the planet at its center. Success at Rio+20 will build a global
community that ensures equity between generations, enforces that polluters pay, goes
beyond GDP to assess progress, and that supports industries, which use resources
efficiently and creates ethical, re-distributive frameworks in the production and
consumption of goods and services.
We see Rio+20 as a turning point in global awareness of our dependence on our
planet. It is where individuals, communities and the world wake up to the reality of the
finite resources we all share and how they shape our livelihoods and well-being. To
achieve that, Rio+20 must require governments to educate their citizens – from primary
school to university – about sustainable lifestyles, the green economy and living in
harmony with the earth. As citizens we must also hold ourselves accountable for the
creation and distribution of informal education and peer-to-peer learning opportunities in
our communities. Our media must also support this movement, not defend current
unsustainable practices, by bringing this message to every global citizen.
Above all, Rio+20 must build a sense of optimism that, by transitioning rapidly to
sustainable communities of responsible governance and engaged citizenry for
people and the planet, we will come together to eliminate poverty and provide
opportunities for all.
Vision statement – 2nd partners’ meeting, November 2011

5. The coalition will focus on these flagship initiatives initiated by partner organizations, in
the lead up to the Earth Summit 2012. Other initiatives will be adopted on an ad-hoc
basis, when there is a critical mass of partners interested in contributing.
MOBILIZATION
RIO+YOU
A campaign to raise awareness about the
importance of the summit and the issues behind
it, encouraging people around the world to take
action in their own lives and in the lives of their
communities.
The campaign will climax with a Global Day of
Action on April 22nd (Earth Day).
MYCITY+20
A series of Model Earth Summits organized in high
schools, universities and cities around the world
under the banner MyCity+20 (e.g Paris+20,
Amsterdam+20, Rome+20, etc.). Simulations of
the Earth Summit under realistic conditions, but
with room for innovation, followed by a day of
reflection and planning local actions based on the
information and lessons learned in the experience.

6. Empowering young people to take the themes of Rio+20, educate others about them,
and translate them into practical actions in their communities is just half of the picture.
We are still convinced that everybody should play their part. In particular, governments.
DIRECT LOBBYING AT THE UN
ADVOCACY
With our vision statement as the guiding blueprint for our policy advocacy at
the UN, coalition partners are encouraged to push those recommendations
through the Major Group for Children & Youth, the official entry point for youth
in the UN process.
SUPPORT AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL
The coalition encourages partners to engage in country-level advocacy
efforts, in the following ways:
• MyCity+20 and Rio+YOU: using the events to engage local or
national government representatives, and present to them the
outcomes of the discussions, along with the relevant national/
regional youth statement
• Earth Summit Watch: using the toolkit of the website in order to
meaningfully engage their supporters in a conversation on the
country’s preparations towards Rio+20.
• Building media capacity, in order to allow coalition partners to
develop their own press releases, media outreach, and gain visibility
for the issues they advocate on among media and the general
public.

7. COMMUNICATIONS
The coalition adopts a unified
OUTREACH
communications strategy, revolving around:
• Presenting stories of youth
involvement and impact in sustainable
development
• Highlighting partners’ efforts in the
field, in order to inspire and provide
examples of good practice.
• Coordinating targeted campaigns
(e.g. email submissions to the UN,
social media blasts) towards the
achievement of our vision
• Communicating our work to other
stakeholders in the Rio+20
community and to the media
• Engaging supporters in the global
conversation about the Future We
Want

8. PRESENCE AT THE UN SUMMIT
Our coalition’s involvement in the UN
summit, and the days around it, includes:
• Side events: one on-site (in the UN
venue, RioCentro) and one off-site (at
IN RIO
the People’s Summit), both of them
on the same topic – the future of the
global youth movement on
sustainable development, discussing
how to work together after Rio
• Actions: in order to bring more
visibility to our message (e.g. there’s a
youth rally planned for June 12, or we
could think of an additional day of Rio
+YOU mobilization closer to the dates
of the summit)
• Outreach: since our vision stresses
the need to bring what’s happening
inside the UN to streets and living
rooms of people around the world,
we’ll be communicating what’s
happening at the summit through our
communication channels

9. TO RIO, AND
BEYOND! roadtorioplus20.org
facebook.com/road2rio20
twitter.com/road2rio20
rio@peacechild.org