Enabling health care access in low-income neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro is not an easy task. Violence, lack of infrastructure, and lack of trained personnel willing to work in these areas are just some of the obstacles to the improvement of health services for people living in this city’s poor communities. To respond to these concerns, some non-governmental organizations have begun to partner with the local government in order to improve coverage and quality of health services in the favelas. One organization that stands out is VIVA RIO (VR), a part-research, part-service-delivery institution that has been operating as a service provider with the local government since 2008 and has successfully contributed to improvement of basic health service coverage in Rio’s southern and northern zones. Currently, VR operates 57 basic health units and 2 psychosocial units, benefiting 950,000 people in 35 of the city’s neighborhoods. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Tue, 07/31/2012 – 01:00
Women living in informal settlements in Rio de Janeiro are undoubtedly among the most vulnerable inhabitants of these areas. Their lack of basic health and education services makes them vulnerable, and they are strongly affected by various forms of violence. They also earn less than men living in the favelas. In a study from 2010, the Fundação Getúlio Vargas found that women in informal settlements in the city earn an average monthly wage that is slightly more than half of what men earn (R$262 versus R$423). The same study found that the lack of education and insufficient reproductive health access has contributed to the rise of adolescent pregnancy within informal settlements, producing teen pregnancy rates five times higher in favelas than in other neighborhoods. Such well known informal settlements as Cidade de Deus and Rocinha have, respectively, 27 percent and 21 percent of newborn babies born to women who are not even 20 years old. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Tue, 07/24/2012 – 01:00
Rio Cómo Vamos (“How are we doing, Rio?”), aka RCV, is a citizen-led organization that aims to improve living conditions in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It was established in 2007 by a group of residents who took as their inspiration a successful initiative in Bogota — where, for the past 15 years, Bogotá Cómo Vamos has given residents a window on the management of the city and a way to communicate concerns and monitor improvements. The same model has been introduced in many other Latin American cities, with those organizations joining together to form the Red Latinoamericana por Ciudades Justas y Sustentables (Latin American Network for Just and Sustainable Cities). Brazil also has its own network, the Rede Brasileira por Cidades Justas e Sustentáveis (Brazilian Network for Just and Sustainable Cities), with more than 20 participating municipalities. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Thu, 07/19/2012 – 01:00
Rio+20 has offered a space for reflection and exchange on many aspects of our relationship with the environment, as well as stimulating focused discussion on concrete changes we can make as we move forward. One such subject — one that concerns all of us in its various aspects — is waste and the need to massively reduce it, better collect it, systematically recycle it, and make it the basis for profitable green businesses. An event on Wednesday entitled PlastiCity offered an excellent opportunity to learn from different approaches to waste in its various dimensions. It touched on issues related to plastics, but also explored the importance of recycling and partnering with all actors in the “recycling chain.” Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Thu, 06/21/2012 – 01:00
The official sessions of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 started today, with 193 heads of state in attendance. Although specific agreements are still to be announced, it is already known that key topics of discussion include the need for urgent measures for poverty reduction and for making communities more resilient in responding to climate change. In the meantime, the parallel sessions of Rio+20 have been discussing a range of topics, most related to these priorities; some participants have presented global, regional, and national perspectives, while others have examined these issues from a local point of view. Two events worth highlighting took place today at Rio Centro, both of which explored the importance of building more resilient communities capable of adjusting and adapting to shocks and adversity. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Wed, 06/20/2012 – 01:00
The Cúpula dos Povos is located at the Aterro do Flamengo, close to the center of Rio de Janeiro. It is the main congregation point for social movements that want to have their voices heard during Rio+20. The Cúpula is also where indigenous communities from several parts of the world have gathered to discuss issues that range from climate change and poverty reduction to land rights. An estimated 1,500 to 1,700 indigenous people are said to be present at the event. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Tue, 06/19/2012 – 01:00
With more than half of the world’s population now living in cities — and estimates suggesting this figure will reach 70 percent by 2050 — the debate about how to achieve more sustainable and inclusive cities is at the heart of the Rio+20 discussions. Well worth highlighting were two events on “The Sustainable and Just City: Rio+20 and Beyond,” which were sponsored by the Ford Foundation and took place June 17 at the Forte de Copacabana and June 18 at Rio Centro. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 06/18/2012 – 01:00
The Rio+20 side events have just begun. The main gathering place is in the Rio Centro complex in Rio de Janeiro’s southern region. The event seems well organized: there are plenty of local people helping with logistics and providing information; the venue is spacious and comfortable. There are countless rooms where different kinds of conferences, discussions and debates are taking place. There are even blogging rooms, where participants can work on their computers and report back to their virtual communities about the events … and yes, there’s a lot to report. But covering everything is just impossible, so we’ll be reporting on selected events that focus on issues related to urban problems and the challenges of sustainable development in cities. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Fri, 06/15/2012 – 01:00
Twenty years after hosting the first Rio Summit (in Portuguese, Eco ’92), Rio de Janeiro is once again the host city for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as the Earth Summit Rio+20, which will take place from June 20-22, 2012. Although state leaders from several developed nations — including the United States — will not be there, more than 100 heads of state have confirmed their attendance, along with some 50,000 other participants representing country delegations, local and global civil society organizations, key policy makers, members of the private sector and the media, and many other interest groups. The summit will focus on the green economy from the perspective of sustainability and the eradication of poverty, as well as aiming to create an institutional framework for sustainable development. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Thu, 06/07/2012 – 01:00
Vinte anos após de sediar a Eco 92, Rio de Janeiro vira novamente a cidade sede da Conferência das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, conhecida como Rio+20, que acontecerá em Junho 20-22, 2012. Embora tenha algumas ausências de chefes de estado de países desenvolvidos, como os Estados Unidos, a conferência já tem confirmada a presença de mais de 100 chefes de governo além de mais de 50.000 participantes incluídos representantes de delegações, da sociedade civil, de empresas e da media e de outros grupos de interesse. O encontro estará focado na economia verde desde a perspectiva da sustentabilidade e da erradicação da pobreza, além da criação de um marco institucional para o desenvolvimento sustentável. Learn more.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Thu, 06/07/2012 – 01:00