A document containing recommendations from the civil society working group on philanthropy has been presented to the federal government.
Promoting philanthropy to address inequalities, unlocking funding, cooperating with global partners, and protecting civil space for access to resources. These are the four main recommendations made by the C20 Working Group on Philanthropy and Sustainable Development (WG9) to the G20.
“The G20 should value and strengthen partnerships with philanthropic networks, corporate and community foundations, consultants and organizations supporting the philanthropic ecosystem, academic centers, individual donors and other funders around the world (…) in order to promote truly transformative sustainable development and effective responses to these complex social and climate challenges, ensuring the social, economic and environmental rights of all, leaving no one behind.”, says the Valid identity document Philanthropy for Sustainable Development, Synthesis and Policy Recommendations of the C20 Working Group 9, delivered during a meeting at the Presidency of the Republic in Brasília on October 24.
According to the managing director of the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), Cristiane Azevedo, the document's creation involved a process of contributions and reflections from over 400 participants from various sectors of philanthropy and civil society, ensuring the participation of diverse philanthropic organizations in debates and spaces for decision-making and global influence.
“This allowed community philanthropy to also be reflected in this document, highlighting its important role in enabling philanthropic resources to reach indigenous peoples, traditional peoples and communities, community-based organizations, as well as groups and movements of civil society, in a way that is appropriate to the reality of their territories, reinforcing its importance in nature conservation, in promoting socio-environmental and climate justice, and in guaranteeing democracy,” Cristiane Azevedo emphasized.
The managing director of ISPN was present at the delivery of the recommendations of the C20 Working Group 9 to the head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Gustavo Westmann, and to the representative of the General Secretariat of the G20 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pedro Simões, alongside the secretary-general of the Group of Institutes, Foundations and Enterprises (GIFE), Cássio França, and experts Gustavo Bernardino and Pedro Bocca, as well as the representative of the global network of philanthropic organizations Wings, Benjamin Bellegy.
Called the "Communiqué" of the Working Group 9, the document will be officially presented to the heads of state at the close of the G20 summit, under the presidency of Brazil, in November in Rio de Janeiro.
GT9, Philanthropy Working Group
GT9 is a technical group led by GIFE, WINGS and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), of which the Comuá Network participated in the Steering Committee. The C20, on the other hand, is a civil society engagement group within the context of the G20, which, in turn, is an international forum with 19 of the world's largest economies and the European Union, to discuss and coordinate global economic and financial policies.
ISPN was present at the delivery of the document to the Presidency of the Republic as a civil society institution and member of the Comuá Network and the Alianza Socioambiental Fondos del Sur.
"The presence of actors and actresses from community philanthropy focused on socio-environmental justice in international forums, such as the G20, is strategic for advocating and defending recommendations that take into account the importance of strengthening civil society, defending civic space, and promoting financing mechanisms that strengthen the struggles for socio-environmental justice and human rights,” assessed Jonathas Azevedo, executive director of the Comuá Network.
According to Azevedo, multilateral forums "also need to be spaces for reaffirming the commitment to defending rights. And community and independent philanthropy, also represented by Comuá and its members, has much to contribute in this regard."
According to Juliana Tinoco, executive coordinator of the Alianza Socioambiental Fondos del Sur, active participation in processes that support decision-making is crucial for setting the agenda for essential terms for philanthropy within spaces of political influence.
"A clear example was the result of the working group's recommendations on philanthropy incorporating mention of community philanthropy, the result of a collective effort by actors in the field," Tinoco highlighted.
The C20 Working Group on Philanthropy for Sustainable Development recommended that the world's major economies:
- address inequalities and prevent exclusion in sustainable development;
- Unlock financing that catalyzes the promotion of sustainable development and just transitions;
- agree on a new framework for global cooperation for partnerships with philanthropy;
- and protect civic space to ensure that local actors have access to resources.
“We hope that the delivery of the GT9 recommendations, which will be officially carried out in November at the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, will be a milestone for the continued engagement of the various actors in philanthropy and civil society in this forum. Our goal is inclusive governance, strengthening cooperation between the Global North and South, to promote fair and sustainable development,” concluded Cristiane Azevedo of ISPN.