Fashion Visionary invited to accompany U.N. delegation at environmental conference in South Africa

Euneika Rogers is a mover and a shaker at the grassroots and in the boardroom. This Fashion Industry pioneer and Youth Activist, also directs one of the countrys most visionary non-governmental organizations and an innovative force in the sustainable clothing movement. Now the United Nations has invited Rogers to a crucial global meeting on the environment.

ATLANTA -- Euneika Rogers is a mover and a shaker at the grassroots and in the boardroom. This Fashion Industry pioneer and Youth Activist, also directs one of the countrys most visionary non-governmental organizations and an innovative force in the sustainable clothing movement. Now the United Nations has invited Rogers to a crucial global meeting on the environment.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 -- September 4 2002. This meeting is promised to be one of the largest and most important international meetings ever held in the integration of economic, environmental and social decision-making.

The WSSD -- an international coalition of heads of State and Government, national delegates, and representatives -- has evolved from Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan for achieving sustainable development adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. It will now focus on building commitment at the highest levels of government and society. Rogers will present an agenda to improve skills of Fashion Industry decision-makers and educators for implementation of sustainable clothing production practices.

The WSSD is a rare opportunity for world leaders to come together and discuss the problems of the planet and I am happy to be included in the second decade after Rio 10," says Rogers. I intend to show that when done with care -- a way that utilizes human creativity and innovation wisely and one that tends to social and ecological sustainability in addition to economic priorities, that the fashion Industry can be used as an important tool for generating positive change."

For Rogers, the meeting is just one highlight in an eventful year. This summer the YES WORLD organization celebrated her as one of 25 young women activists from nearly 20 countries dedicated to building a thriving, just and sustainable world for all. This past October she was the first African American Youth Activist to speak at the Bioneers conference, sharing credits with Adam Werbach (youngest president of Sierra Club) and Julia Butterfly Hill.

The WSSD will list views from 9 major groups such as: business and industry, women, children and youth, indigenous people, local authorities, workers and trade unions, NGOs, scientific and technological communities, and farmers - all of which will be integrated through a multi-stakeholder dialogue process.

In addition to her contribution to stakeholder dialogues, Ms. Rogers will participate in parallel events organized by the Johannesburg World Summit Company (JOWSCO) with her Global Quilt" awareness campaign. She will include WSSD participants and South African UBUNTU Villagers in the project as a tribute to solidarity between leading actors who have dedicated their lives to social change and improving their communities.

NOTE TO EDITORS/REPORTERS: For more specific information about The World Summit on Sustainable Development and Agenda 21, please log on to www.johannesburgsummit.org or call the UN Department of Public Information at: 212-963-6870 / 212-963-2932
E-mail: mediainfo@un.org