Griffith business student Brittany Laidlaw will be representing Australia as a youth delegate at the biggest international environmental summit of the decade.
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as the Rio+20 Summit, will be held in Brazil in June 2012.
Brittany and five other young Australians have been selected to form the Global Voices Rio+20 Australian Youth Delegation.
The 21 year old Gold Coast student is studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Sustainable Enterprise.
Her key interest is in food security, particularly issues relating to dependence on fossil fuels in food production.
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon has described Rio+20 as one of the most important global meetings on sustainable development in our time.
More than one hundred world leaders, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard, are expected to attend, and Brittany is looking forward to being in the midst of key environmental discussions.
“The forum will provide an exceptional platform for the ideas and opinions of everyone, students, academics and political leaders, to be heard,” Brittany said.
“The focus will be on the responsibility of governments and multinational corporations in making serious commitments to creating a sustainable future for the next generation,” she said.
Brittany recently returned from Canberra, where she met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Environment Minister Tony Burke, and the Brazilian Ambassador to Australia, Mr Rubem Barbosa.
Brittany is completing a Research Fellowship with Global Voices as part of her experience. This will include writing a paper on one aspect of sustainable development which was discussed at the summit.
Established in 2011, Global Voices seeks to promote an understanding of and participation in international diplomacy by young Australians. It does this through regular events and research & development opportunities at home, along with the coordination of youth delegations to important diplomatic forums abroad.