G20 Radio Bulletin 136 - Unprecedented event in Rio de Janeiro expands popular participation in the G20

The preparatory meeting integrated civil society and social movements into the G20 discussions, innovating the forum's traditional practices. The agenda reinforces the importance of continuous and effective social participation in facing global challenges such as hunger, poverty, climate change, and global governance, which are priority themes for the Brazilian presidency. Listen to the special article and learn more.

Reporter: More than a thousand representatives of social movements and Brazilian civil society participated in the G20 Social Summit's preparatory meeting, held at Fundição Progresso in Rio de Janeiro. The event, promoted by the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, seeks to strengthen the dialogue between civil society and the leaders of the 20 largest economies in the world. Among the main topics addressed were the priorities of the Brazilian presidency of the G20, which are fighting hunger and poverty, climate change, and the reform of global governance. Antônio Lisboa, from the Unified Workers' Central (CUT), pointed out that the initiative allows social movements to take their agendas to the global debate. 

Antônio Lisboa: When you can bring all these civil society sectors together to discuss and present proposals from the head of state. It is, without a doubt, a leap, a step forward, not only for Brasil's G20 but also for the next ones.

Reporter: Preto Zezé, from the Unified Center of the Favelas (Cufa), stressed out the importance of taking the G20 Social discussions to the favelas. According to him, this allows communities to be included in new spaces for participation.

Preto Zezé:  Let's take the conferences to the favelas so that we can bring as much as possible of the vision of the people who live where world and global challenges are into the place where the leaders are discussing the solutions. 

Reporter: Bárbara Loureiro, from the national direction of the Landless Workers' Movement (MST), spoke about the importance of the Preparatory Meeting. She advocated for land reform, agroecology, and healthy food production as fundamental solutions, emphasizing the participation of civil society in this process.

Bárbara Loureiro:  We don't want people to overcome hunger with just any food but with healthy food produced in other social relationships and food sovereignty as an agenda that includes people's right to choose.  

Reporter: Clemente Lucio, coordinator of the Forum of Trade Union Centers, stressed out the importance of including the work dimension in the G20 debates, aiming to face poverty and inequality. He presented four proposals to the G20 Social. 

Clemente Lucio: The world of work is changing more and more intensely and rapidly, and we need to regulate this change as it is happening, not ten years after it has already occurred.

Reporter: Elisabetta Recine, president of the National Council for Food and Nutrition Security (Consea), valued civil society's participation in the G20. She highlighted the importance of combining immediate actions with structural transformations to fight hunger and poverty, reinforcing that the Brazilian experience of social participation can inspire other nations.

Elisabetta Recine:  This Brazilian experience of social participation, which is not a recent experience, is being updated as the challenges of transformation become increasingly complex. Thus, this opportunity to bring civil society to discuss the issues is fundamental. 

Reporter: Nathalie Beghin, from the Institute of Socioeconomic Studies (INESC), defended the taxation of the super-rich and global tax cooperation to fight tax evasion and increase tax collection. She believes reforming international institutions and including these issues in the G20 can generate resources to address crises and inequalities.

Nathalie Beghin:  It is necessary to cooperate between countries to avoid extorting resources that generate illicit financial flows. Wealthy companies and people set up strategies to evade taxes, and states stop raising billions as a result, so we need to include the topic of cooperation on taxation.

Reporter: Brazilian minister Wellington Dias (Social Development), Marina Silva (Environment), and Márcio Macêdo (Secretary-General of the Presidency), participated in the Preparatory Meeting for the G20 Social Summit. They reaffirmed Brasil's commitment to expand social participation in the forum. Márcio Macêdo spoke about the historical importance of the G20 Social in Brasil, and stressed that the preparatory event seeks to define themes and integrate proposals for the November Summit.

Márcio Macêdo: Today the organization of these three themes begins so that we can arrive at the Social Summit with the themes well defined, well debated, so that people can participate.  

Reporter: Marina Silva spoke of Brasil's commitment to the energy transition and international cooperation in renewable technologies.

Marina Silva: We have a robust agenda on various topics such as, for example, the issue of having a clean energy matrix of more than 40%, achieving a highly relevant reduction of deforestation in the Amazon with deforestation prevention and control plan, that is, Brasil leaves its the mark of leading by example.

Reporter: Minister Wellington Dias emphasized the mobilization coordinated by the Brazilian government to integrate food security, poverty reduction, and climate commitment agendas. 

Wellington Dias: In November, we have the Summit, and then? Then, we advocate for the UN, with its main bodies, to enforce Sustainable Development Goals 20 and 30, where we simultaneously have food security and how we do it with concern for climate commitment. 

Reporter: The discussions initiated at the preparatory meeting will be consolidated in a document, which will be submitted to the G20 Participatory Social platform launched by the Brazilian Presidency of the G20. Individuals, social movements, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs, in the Brazilian-Portuguese acronym ONGs), and governments can submit proposals. The platform will serve as the basis for the G20 Social Summit. Also, at the event held in Rio de Janeiro, a communication strategy was announced to involve society in the G20, with coverage that includes diverse groups and innovative formats. According to Brunna Rosa, Secretary of Strategy and Networks of the Federal Government, the idea is that each group covers the event with its own identity, expanding communication collaboratively.

Brunna Rosa: We are launching a collaborative coverage inviting all collectives, movements, entities, and groups that want to participate in this G20 Social so that we can make the network able to talk about the same topic in different ways, respecting their individuality.

Reporter: The G20 Social Summit will be held between November 14th and 16th in Rio de Janeiro, preceding the Heads of State and Government Summit.