EPIIC Students Participate in UN Earth Summit

Over the summer, 22 Tufts, Fletcher, and Urban and Environmental Policy (UEP) students attended the United Nations (UN) World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa in conjunction with Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) program.

The purpose of the WSSD was to address specific environmental issues and to come to agreements on issues such as the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, poverty eradication, and technology transfer between developed and developing nations. EPIIC students earned the privilege of attending this year's World Summit because of their prior contribution to UN forums.

Earlier this year, the students used their experiences to apply for UN accreditation as a non-governmental organization (NGO) based at Tufts and called it the Institute for Global Leadership. The express purpose of the creation of an NGO was to be able to participate in the proceedings of the WSSD.

Despite the grand expectations that some students had about the benefit of the summit, many returned from Africa somewhat disappointed. Most were glad they had witnessed first-hand how international forums are conducted, but were dismayed that the main goals of the summit were not accomplished.

The problem, students felt, was that no weight was given to what they had to say.

Malini Goel, one of the Tufts delegates, said that participation of NGOs could make a difference at conferences "as long as they are not placed on the other side of town logistically and their message does not fall on deaf ears." Most of the student delegates echoed her frustration and spoke of a great "divide" between UN officials and NGOs.

Although the youth panel in which the Tufts delegates participated presented its thoughts to the official plenary, student Joseph Gulezian doubted that the officials were paying attention. But UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who spoke at the Fletcher School in 2001, said in Johannesburg, "We have to be careful not to expect conferences like this to produce miracles."

Thought students doubt the effectiveness of their trip, many felt it was a good experience. Tufts student Anne O'Loughlin appreciated the diversity of the people at the summit. "I don't think I'll ever be in a situation like that again where I can sit in Africa between a man from Peru and a woman from Sri Lanka, listening to someone speak from Costa Rica, Pakistan, New Zealand [or] Egypt," she said.

A small contingency of students attended the Earth Summit in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil along with Rio journalist and Nieman Fellow Geraldo Samor and The Boston Globe's photo-journalist Stan Grossfeld. In the years since, EPIIC students have attended a number of summits around the world, discussing international issues ranging from economic development to religion and politics.

The ultimate goal of sending students to Johannesburg was educational, both for the students involved and for the entire Tufts community. Ongoing "wrap-up" meetings among the delegates, EPIIC Director Sherman Teichman and Assistant Director Heather Barry will address how to inform the student body of their discoveries in Johannesburg.

For most of the Tufts delegates, this was their first time in Africa, so the trip was also an opportunity to experience a new place. "We spent a good two to three hours each day driving to and from the conference and between conferences," student Josh Metcalf-Wallach said. "And these times gave me opportunities to speak with local South Africans who were driving the buses or on them. To be able to hear first hand their experiences, what their life is like, and to hear how things have changed, or not changed, since '94, the end of apartheid, was really powerful and fulfilling for me."

A few students had been to the continent before. Kate Davenport and Sara Standish tudied abroad in Zimbabwe and Cape Town, respectively. They said that attending the summit was a way to apply what they had seen to their academic pursuits.

For the students for whom international forums were new, it was an exciting experience. Chelsea Freer said she attended a speech by former South African President Nelson Mandela, and that other delegates heard British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and other heads of state and foreign dignitaries speak. In Johannesburg, that sort of thing was "commonplace," she said.

Teichman said the student delegates had "prepared in ways that were truly remarkable." Those who had taken the EPIIC course described it as very informative and a lot of work, preparing them well for thinking critically about global issues. The delegates also attended several preparatory conferences in New York before the summit in Johannesburg.

The creators of the Institute for Global Leadership set up an application process for other interested students and any student was eligible to apply to become a delegate. Delegates academic curiosities ranged from world politics to environmental issues