Civil 20 Holds Midterm Meeting in Rio Ahead of Sherpas' Gathering

The G20 Civil Society Engagement Group convenes in Rio de Janeiro to consolidate recommendations for G20 leaders on critical issues, including hunger eradication, just energy transition, gender equality, inclusive economies, and anti-racist initiatives. The event will feature international representatives and officials from Brazilian government ministries.

The G20 Civil Society Engagement Group, Civil 20 (C20), will convene in Rio de Janeiro on July 1-2. The meeting will bring together representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Culture, Women, and the General Secretariat of Brasil’s Presidency.

The second global meeting of C20 Brasil will take place at Casa Firjan in Botafogo. It will gather civil society organizations, authorities, and experts from around the world. This year's engagement group comprises over 2,000 organizations from over 90 countries. The meeting will present and discuss a series of policy recommendations developed by C20 to reduce inequalities among the countries that make up the world's largest economic forum.

The C20 will make recommendations to the G20 on issues such as hunger eradication, just energy transition, gender equality, inclusive economies, and anti-racist initiatives. These recommendations address economic, social, and climate crises, promote sustainable development, and ensure human rights. In summary, the engagement group seeks to ensure that heads of state hear the voices of civil society. 

The midterm event will open to the public on the first day. It will feature debates on political issues with Brazilian ministerial representatives in attendance. The second day will focus on internal work, highlighting the meeting with political coordinators (Sherpas) from G20 member countries. The agenda is available on the Civil 20 Brasil website. 

This year, the Civil 20 is chaired by Henrique Frota, a representative of the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não Governamentais/ABONG), with Alessandra Nilo, co-founder of the NGO Gestos – HIV and AIDS, Communication, and Gender (Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero), serving as the Sherpa.   

The first global meeting of C20 Brasil occurred in Recife, Pernambuco, in March this year. It brought together representatives from at least 60 countries and 2,100 entities. The discussions focused on integrating international issues with local realities, emphasizing the importance of civil society involvement in decision-making, and putting forward practical solutions to several complex global challenges.

In addition to the C20 and the Sherpas meeting in Rio de Janeiro from July 3 to 5, several other engagement groups (EGs) will convene from July 1 to 5. These groups include Ocean 20, Parliament 20, Science 20, Startup 20, and Think Tanks 20. This period also marks an unprecedented opportunity for civil society participation.

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