CitNet helps U.S. youth experience, influence international development negotiations

By Gary Pupurs, SustainUS

Last spring, nearly a dozen youth from around the U.S. converged on the United Nations' New York headquarters to experience international policy negotiations and share their opinions on global social development with diplomats, NGO colleagues, and peers. One law student recently returned from the COP-10 climate change negotiations in Buenos Aires in December. This February, CitNet will again assist several youth, all members of the SustainUS network, to attend the 43rd session of the Commission for Social Development.

SustainUS is a vibrant national network of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Founded in 2001 by several attendees after the Hague's climate change negotiations, SustainUS has developed into a unique organization of college activists, young professionals, and high school students who are active in both policy-making arenas and local grassroots projects, striving to "build a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability".

While SustainUS was able to send many of its members to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) through special accreditation, they have not yet completed the process of becoming a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. As such, they've not been able to attend other UN events, except for the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD), because of their participation in WSSD.

For the past three years, CitNet has helped SustainUS (a CitNet network member) to send people to various UN events as CitNet members and has served in an advisory role through the new network's learning curve.

CitNet has also helped participants from various other CitNet member networks and organizations to attend international and New York events on women's issues, social development, climate change, and trade, among others.

While some come simply to learn about the UN process and experience an international negotiation, others present side events on their own projects and initiatives, or identify and intensively lobby the influential diplomats from myriad countries, in an effort to seek outcomes favorable to sustainability (or block harmful agreements).

The benefits of attending these international UN events as CitNet members are not limited to young people. Any CitNet member can request to be part of a CitNet delegation, if the event is open to NGOs.

If you'd be interested in attending an upcoming event or would like to become a CitNet member, you are welcome to contact info@citnet.org or 301-770-6375.

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Gary Pupurs

Gary Pupurs is a Board Member of SustainUS.

Gary was employed as the Communications Manager at ISF and was responsible for leveraging strategic collaboration among ISF partners and manages the content, design, and production of ISF's websites, databases, and publications. Previously, Gary was employed by Social & Health Services, Ltd. as a web development manager and web applications programmer. He has also worked at the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center developing course materials and custom Census datasets for the Social Science Data Analysis Network.

Gary served as the 1997 Youth Delegate on the US government delegation to the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, and presently is a board member for SustainUS, a national youth network dedicated to sustainability.

Mr. Pupurs received dual BA degrees in Economics and International Studies from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.