The Rockefeller Foundation at Rio+20
Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation
As thousands arrive in Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 summit to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit, it will be a moment not only to assess achievements over the past two decades, but to cast our sights toward building the world we want for future generations.
We will join many of our grantees and partners in an effort to influence the direction of international development and cooperation, encouraging innovative action for tomorrow’s realities, and leveraging the impact of our efforts to advance sustainable energy, urban development, gender equality, impact investing, and climate resilience. The Foundation envisions a world in which globalization serves to expand opportunity for more people in more places and in which social, economic, health, and environmental challenges are more easily weathered.
The Rockefeller Foundation’s Sundaa Bridgett-Jones Reporting from Rio+20
Sundaa Bridgett-Jones of The Rockefeller Foundation talks with Rasha Ahmed, Masdar Institute and SEED winner; Brittany Trilford, "Date with History" winner; Mwewa Chikamba, Director of Zambikes and winner of Mobiprize; and Louisa Winckler of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Select "playlist" to watch all four videos!
Thoughts on Rio+20: More Work to Be Done
Heather Grady, Vice President of Foundation Initiatives, The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation's team returned a week ago from Rio + 20, satisfied with the contributions we made to the multitude of events and processes, but knowing that the hard work of building a more equitable and sustainable future for people and planet is only really just beginning.
Commentators from all sides decry the lack of stronger, bolder commitments by governments at Rio. Our view is that this only compels us to redouble efforts in the wake of the Conference – to build on the partnerships that formed or were strengthened, and take forward the collective action platforms that were piloted.
Thoughts on Rio+20: The Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability (JIUS)
Margot Brandenburg, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
In 2007, the world we live in made a dramatic shift from a majority rural to a majority urban population – with more than half of all people now living in cities. This increase isn’t stopping any time soon – with 70 percent of our population, or 6.4 billion people, expected to be living in cities by 2050. The need to invest in our urban centers is more clear than ever, but how we choose to make those investments will be what allows our cities to sustain themselves over the next decade, the next century and beyond.
Thoughts on Rio+20: Gender Equality in the New Global Paradigm
Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
In June 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development proclaimed women’s full participation “is essential to achieve sustainable development” in a declaration that was intended to send a clear message around the world. Principle 20 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development is touted by many as a key international instrument that underscored the imperative of gender equality and women’s empowerment, three years prior to the historic Beijing conference, when a global commitment to achieving equality, development and peace for women worldwide was reached.
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Thoughts on Rio+20: Building a More Resilient Planet
Dr. Cristina Rumbaitis Del RioAssociate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
The world marked a sad milestone a few weeks ago: arctic monitoring stations now show that carbon dioxide levels are above 400 parts per million – a staggering increase from a baseline of 275 parts per million before the 18th Century industrial revolution led to significantly increased pollution. As delegates gather in Rio this week to talk about how to make our planet sustainable, it is with a real sense of sadness and irony that these numbers set us on a path toward a changing climate that is largely irreversible. Unfortunately, those who have profited the least from the growth, mobility and opportunity the industrial revolution spurred, will feel the effects of climate change the most.
Thoughts on Rio+20: Joining Unconventional Partners for Impact
Margot Brandenburg, Associate Director, and Kelly Teevan, Associate, The Rockefeller Foundation
In the months of discussion leading up to Rio+20 at The Rockefeller Foundation, only on rare occasion (if ever) has the event’s official name, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, made its way into conversation. While that designation may be a mouthful, it reminds us of the purpose of this meeting. Rio+20 is an opportunity to survey the progress made toward the goals of economic development, social equity and environmental protection in the 20 years since the Earth Summit as well as a chance to craft a new roadmap for advancing those three connected pillars of sustainable development over the next 20 years.
Thoughts on Rio+20: The Future of Sustainable Transportation
Benjamin De La Pena, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
Photo: Carles Baiges Camprubí
The University of Michigan’s SMART initiative, a Rockefeller Foundation grantee, recently selected Zambikes to receive its SMART Mobi Prize (2012 SMART Mobility Enterprize), recognizing entrepreneurial ventures in sustainable transportation. Zambikes is a social business that manufactures, assembles and distributes locally-manufactured, high quality bicycles, bicycle ambulances and cargo bicycle trailers to low-income households and community groups. The bikes not only provide zero-emissions transport but also empower individuals and communities to address pressing economic and social needs.
Thoughts on Rio+20:The Changing Dynamics of Water
John Thomas, Fellow, The Rockefeller Foundation
As the world’s leaders and approximately 30,000 delegates descend on Rio in June, many urgent and important issues will be clamoring for the attention of decision makers. Yet underlying nearly every priority area to be discussed in Rio is one fundamental element: water. Water intersects with almost all aspects of our work at The Rockefeller Foundation: from health, agriculture and the environment, to urban planning, infrastructure and green jobs, and even impact investing. Water is critical to the health and well-being of millions, for the production of food, for sustaining the services that our environment provides, as a component in the products and processes of nearly every manufacturer, and as a risk filter that investors use to evaluate their investments.
Thoughts on Rio+20: Honing in on Oceans
Dr. Cristina Rumbaitis Del Rio, Associate Director and John Thomas, Fellow, The Rockefeller FoundationOceans make up 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, contain 97 percent of the world’s water, and maintain a $100 billion industry in seafood – the most highly traded food commodity in the world. Yet, global warming, pollution, and overfishing are threatening this critical natural resource in ways that could potentially transform our planet and economic well-being – especially among poor or vulnerable communities.
Thoughts on Rio+20: A Focus on Cities
Benjamin De La Pena, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation
Photo: Carles Baiges Camprubí
The year 2015 is our self-imposed, collective deadline; time to account for our collective progress in achieving the millennium development goals that we set together as a global community in 2000. A decade hence and the world has shifted in surprising ways and so 2015 is a chance to not only review but also to renew and revise our shared goals. We particularly need to reframe the role of cities in sustainable development. The majority of the world is now urban, but only target 11 (goal 7D) of the MDGs is specifically about cities: “By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.”
Events Hosted by Our Grantees and Partners at Rio+20
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The UN Global Compact will host the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum entitled, “Innovation and Collaboration for the Future We Want” from June 15- 18 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. Learn More |
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The "Leaders’ Forum on the Future Women Want," UN Women’s climactic event for the Rio+20 Conference, will take place on June 19, and June 21. |
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"Fair Ideas," a conference jointly hosted by the IIED and Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC) in Rio de Janeiro on June 16-17, will show that a fairer, greener world is a realistic vision. |
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"The Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in the New Economy" will take place on June 15-17. Learn More |