According to the Data Favela Institute, Brasil's favelas generate around BRL 202 billion every year, demonstrating their economic potential and the entrepreneurial and productive capacity of their residents. This is only one example of how including marginalized populations in the construction of public policies is essential to fighting hunger and poverty in Brasil.
The fight to reduce inequality, hunger, and poverty is a global challenge that requires the active participation of all sectors of society, especially those directly impacted by these issues. Including historically marginalized voices in constructing public policies and social technologies is a matter of social justice and an essential strategy for creating effective and sustainable solutions.
On July 12, 2023, the UN published a report analyzing food and agriculture that confirmed a worsening in Brazilian hunger indicators. According to this report, in 2022, 70.3 million people were in a state of moderate food insecurity, and 21.1 million were in severe food insecurity, which characterizes hunger. These figures reflect the deep socio-economic inequalities that persist in the country and have been aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Hunger and poverty are not just statistics; they are realities experienced by millions of Brazilians every day.
These people often survive in extreme conditions and have paradoxically been excluded from decision-making processes that directly affect their lives. This should be a permanent concern when discussing public policies that affect people in favelas or other marginalized areas of our society, whether in large or small cities.
The economic power of the favelas
Studies have demonstrated that the amount of business and income produced in the favelas is very high. If the favelas were a Brazilian state, they would be the fifth-largest economic power in our country. Considering their social protagonism, favela leaders and initiatives need more assertive strategic spaces, enabling the favela's voices to reverberate in decision-making spheres and in policies that effectively remove these people from a marginalized place and significantly grow emancipation processes.
The Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) indicates that the wealth concentration in Brasil is one of the highest in the world, with the wealthiest 10% holding more than 40% of the national income. This disparity reveals the urgent need for public policies that promote wealth redistribution and social inclusion.
According to the Data Favela Institute, Brasil's favelas generate around BRL 202 billion every year, demonstrating their economic potential and the productive capacity of their residents. However, peripheral communities face enormous difficulties accessing credit, resources, and opportunities to improve their living conditions despite this economic power. Data from Data Favela reveals that around 45% of favela entrepreneurs face difficulties in accessing credit, which limits their opportunities to expand their businesses and improve living conditions in their communities. This scenario reinforces the need for public policies that recognize and strengthen these local initiatives, ensuring that the sustainable practices born in these areas can expand and contribute even more to sustainability and social equity.
In addition, it is essential to recognize and value the ancestral knowledge of less affluent populations, which have historically sought alternatives to overcome hunger and food insecurity through social practices and technologies. Community gardens, water storage, alternative energy sources, herbal medicine, natural cosmetics, organic improvement in family farming, and agroforestry are examples of practices that only receive recognition and are regarded as innovative after being validated by academia despite being part of our ancestral history. Research indicates that these practices, which are often ignored or marginalized, are fundamental to the communities' identity and directly impact promoting sustainability and reducing inequalities.
Including the most vulnerable populations in the construction of public policies should not just be seen as a concession, but as a fundamental strategy for the success of these policies. Participation of these communities in the G20 Social and G20 Favelas is an important step in ensuring that the proposed solutions are effective and sustainable. However, this participation must become a regular practice, not just an exception.
Recognizing the protagonism of people living in favelas and peripheral spaces is fundamental for discussions on sustainability to move beyond theory and become effective. It is necessary that the countries' economic sectors and governments assume their responsibilities, create public policies that integrate these communities into decision-making processes, and support the sustainable initiatives that already exist in these territories. Only in this way will it be possible to ensure that sustainability is not only an agenda of elites but a reality lived and promoted by the entire society, especially by those who suffer most from social inequalities.
The G20 Favelas in the G20 Social
The G20 Social will occur between November 14th and 16th in Rio de Janeiro and has emerged as a crucial space for debate and the construction of strategies to reduce social inequalities. This event stands out for its disruptive inclusion of marginalized populations through the G20 Favelas, which was conceived by the Unified Center of the Favelas (Cufa). Furthermore, it represents a significant step forward in the fight to include these communities in the global agenda.
The G20 Favelas is an innovative initiative that seeks to give a voice to the residents of favelas, quilombos, Indigenous and riverside communities, and third-sector entities. These populations are the most affected by hunger and poverty and rarely have the opportunity to participate in the development of public policies and practices that include them. By inserting them into the global debate, the G20 Favelas recognize the importance of these voices and promote a new perspective on how to address social challenges inclusively and effectively.
