Students Participate in United Nations Sustainable Development Sessions

AMES, Iowa — The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) met in New York City during the first two weeks of May with four students attending from the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Sam Bird, a senior in global resource systems from Ames, has attended the last three meetings. He says each time has been a learning experience about how the United Nations operates and its political relationships. This is the 19th CSD meeting and Bird plans to attend next year's meeting in Rio de Janeiro, which is being called Rio+20. "We want to be at Rio+20 to raise awareness and make agriculture a bigger issue," Bird said. "We are hoping to collaborate with students in Switzerland to create an international awareness of agriculture as it relates to sustainability." Next year's Rio+20 meeting will focus on "The Green Economy." The CSD was created in 1992, as a result of the "Rio Earth Summit," held that year. The CSD includes 53 member states and has met in New York City annually since its first meeting in Rio. The students attending the CSD sessions included Sagar Chawla, a senior in biology; Madeline Tomka, a senior in agronomy; and Claire Wandro, a senior in global resource systems. The students are members of the International Association of Students in Agriculture and related Sciences (IAAS), which is recognized as an accredited Non-Government Organization (NGO) by the United Nations. Next year Bird and Wandro will serve as co-presidents of the Iowa State chapter. Bird said attending the sessions helps students understand the issues and complexities involved in sustainable development. This year the students had three goals: to learn as much as possible, to share the students' view with the CSD members and get more students involved in the future. "We observed policy negotiation sessions among government delegates, we participated in youth caucus strategy sessions and we attended panel discussions on topics related to sustainable development," Bird said. To view more about the CSD meeting from the student point of view go to the student blog at http://thegrowblog.blogspot.com/.