Children and Youth International

Children and Youth International, formerly Rio+twenties, is a non-governmental youth-led and volunteer based youth empowerment organization based in Brussels, Belgium and Brighton, UK. Its goal is to "build capacity and empower young people and their representative structures to actively participate in the preparatory processes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio in 2012 (Rio+20)". The organization also serves as one of the Organising Partners of the Major Group for Children and Youth of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
Within the international community working on sustainable development and the Rio+20 Conference, Rio+twenties is known for its capacity building initiatives focussing on youth, such as the "Rio+20 Participation Guide for Children and Youth" and the "Rio+20: an introduction for children and youth" animation movie. In cooperation with other youth organizations, the Participation Guide, originally in English, was translated into four other official UN languages, and made available through the organization's website.