5 June 2012: The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) media workshop has concluded with a call to action, which, among other things, calls for agreement at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) on a process for mandating corporations to produce annual sustainability reports.

The workshop, titled “A Generation of We Can: Media as Partner for Sustainable Development,” was held from 4-5 June 2012, in Barcelona, Spain, on the occasion of the World Environment Day, celebrated annually on 5 June. Organized by the Group Knowledge for Development (GK4D) and hosted by UfM, the workshop consisted of activities on communication and capacity building for sustainable development.

Workshop participants highlighted the key role that media and social networks play in stimulating and catalyzing action and exchange among activists, scientists and communicators. They noted for instance, that social networks such as Twitter and Facebook can be used to raise awareness of important initiatives on sustainable development, and further agreed that there was a need to enhance education, dialogue and the exchange of information.

The Call to Action, produced by the workshop, outlines key possible outcomes from Rio+20 on the Green Economy, the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD), and the development of possible conventions, such as that on access to information, public participation in decision-making and environmental justice. It also outlines desired outcomes relating to civil society engagement and involvement in decision making, and corporate sustainability. [UfM Press Release] [Call to Action]