After holding international events and meetings throughout the year, IF20 approves proposals based on the priorities of Brasil's G20 Presidency and recommends that South Africa, the next country to chair the Forum, maintain the G20 Social as a space for the participation of civil society and social movements.
With more than 400 participants from approximately 60 countries, the Summit of the G20 Interreligious Forum (IF20) was held in Brasília at the end of August, in support of the Social G20, with the purpose of dialoguing and contributing to the promotion of the three priority areas defined by the Brazilian government for the G20. The event crowned a series of activities developed since the beginning of Brasil's G20 mandate, held in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Belém (PA), Manaus (AM), Geneva (Switzerland), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
According to the IF20 coordinator in Brasil, Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves, "the Forum seeks to provide a platform for participants from different sectors, places, and backgrounds to reflect on and dialogically build solutions to contemporary issues related to the three priority areas of the G20 in Brasil".
Looking ahead, the Forum announced five main recommendations that will form the basis of its engagement with the G20:
1. Contribute to the initiative of the Brazilian Presidency to end hunger, fostering the profound conviction and the worldwide action forces of religious communities.
2. Advocate for policy changes on debt, taxes, and climate funding to enable governments to tackle poverty and address inequality, focusing on the Jubilee year 2025.
3. Address the climate crisis by incorporating indigenous perceptions, challenges, and knowledge from Amazonian countries into the global debate.
4. Promote peacebuilding through intercultural religious literacy, ethical education, social cohesion, and education, presenting successful model programs.
5. Tackling modern slavery and human trafficking through a new official G20 working group that recommends priorities, allocates resources, and drives action.
In the coming months, preparations will be intensified for the IF20's participation in the G20 in South Africa, with part of its agenda being the recommendation to implement the G20 Social in South Africa as well, with the same openness and sensitivity employed by the Brazilian government towards the voices of the religious and interreligious field.
Among those attending the IF20 Summit was Mary Robinson, President of The Elders, and the first woman to serve as President of Ireland (1990-1997). She emphasized the critical role of interreligious cooperation in tackling environmental challenges: "Imagine the change we can create if we all unite our voices." She added: "We are on the verge of a safer, fairer, cleaner, and healthier world. According to science, we are moving towards it, but not fast enough. Our leaders must accelerate the transition away from extractive industries and fulfill their promises to achieve the global goals on climate and nature."
Several authorities and ministers of State participated in the various events and discussions organized by IF20, including Brasil's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, and the former Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, as well as Flávio Pazeto and Felipe Hees, both from the G20 team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brasil, and Gustavo Westmann, Social Coordinator of the G20 and Head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, among other representatives of government agencies.
IF20 will continue to develop its activities according to the priority areas proposed by the Brazilian government during its presidency of the G20, which include a series of webinars and, eventually, an in-person event in Rio de Janeiro in November. The goal is to contribute to the important dialogue proposed by the G20 Social and to disseminate the ideas and recommendations currently being developed.
The full program, recordings of the sessions and interviews, photos, and other material can be accessed at: https://www.g20interfaith.org/2024-g20-interfaith-forum-brazil/.
About the G20 Interreligious Forum (IF20)
The G20 Interreligious Forum (IF20) has brought together diverse actors inspired by the G20 agendas since 2014. Through the organization of meetings in different regions of the world, dialogue, studies, and analysis, the Forum seeks to contribute to the G20 process, bringing the knowledge, experience, and voice of diverse religious communities alongside other groups with global presence.
The central focus of IF20, especially during Brasil's G20 Presidency, is the urgent call to action to help the world's most vulnerable communities. These communities face challenges such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, armed conflict, forced migration and displacement, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 global emergencies, and the problems associated with climate change. The aim is to promote opportunities for effective action towards fair and realistic hope and practice for a better future, seeking to tackle the urgent challenges of our times.
