TWENTY YEARS AGO IN 1992, THE UNITED NATIONS HELD A "CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT" (UNCED), IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM 179 COUNTRIES, NGOS AND THE MEDIA PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS FOR GLOBAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS POVERTY, WAR, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND THE GROWING GAP BETWEEN INDUSTRIALIZED AND POOR COUNTRIES. A PARALLEL NON-GOVERNMENTAL EVENT CALLED THE "92 GLOBAL FORUM" GATHERED 18,000 PARTICIPANTS AND 400,000 VISITORS. THE OUTCOME OF THE UNCED MEETING WAS "AGENDA 21" A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH THE WORLD NATIONS COMMITED TO IMPLEMENT. SINCE JANUARY, INFORMAL NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN HELD TO PIECE TOGETHER A PLAN OF ACTION TO BE ADOPTED BY THE UPCOMING "RIO PLUS 20" U.N. SUMMIT THIS MONTH IN RIO. THIS PAST THURSDAY, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY GROUPS CAME TO THE MARTIN LUTHER KING LABOR CENTER IN MANHATTAN TO CONVERSE WITH RENE ORELLANA HALKYER, HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF BOLIVIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. WBAI FRED NGUYEN WAS THERE AND FILES THIS REPORT...