On behalf of Augustinians International, the Delegation of the Order of St. Augustine at the United Nations, we welcome you to our new website.
The Order of St. Augustine (www.augustinians.net) is a worldwide Roman Catholic religious order of brothers and priests serving in 43 countries. We are also associated with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Augustinians International invites you to participate in our UN presence. We hope this website can tell you something of what the UN is doing and something of what we are doing there. Please feel welcome here. Feel free to read about our work, explore the websites of organizations we collaborate with, and contact us with your ideas. The UN belongs to us all, and all of us are needed to make a difference there.
Here on our website, you can find information about our NGO; St. Augustine’s views on justice and peace; the committees we work with; the UN and its agencies; and the social justice ministries of Augustinian friars and laity in each of our circumscriptions.
Rio+20
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20-22 June, 2012. The conference marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which also took place in Rio de Janeiro. Five representatives of Augustinians International will travel to Brazil to take part in the NGO meetings and events, as well as general sessions of member states.
The following information is from the official UN website for Rio+20, as the conference is informally called.
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) is being organized in pursuance of General Assembly Resolution 64/236 (A/RES/64/236). The Conference will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government or other representatives. The Conference will result in a focused political document.
Objective of the Conference
The objective of the Conference is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges
The Conference will focus on two themes: (a) a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (b) the institutional framework for sustainable development.
For more information, please visit the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development website.
For information on NGO participation in Rio+20, please visit the NGO Major Groups page of the UN CSD website.