Comprehensive health, education and inclusion, gender and equity, anti-corruption, environment and energy are some of the thematic axes that mobilize various civil society entities in the defense of rights, coming from the group of member countries of the so-called G-20. Brazil participates in this list along with other developing nations, such as South Africa, China, India, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, in addition to the rich countries of the G-8.
Called C-20, that is, Civil-20, these NGOs and social movements meet annually in the country that leads the G-20 to discuss paths and proposals that are then handed over to government leaders. This year the meeting took place in Buenos Aires, since Argentina is the current president of this club of nations. On the 6th and 7th of August, at the San Martin Palace, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 250 representatives of civil organizations, in addition to other government leaders, discussed guidelines for emerging issues in the G-20 countries, seeking to join forces and define strategies for overcoming the thematic challenges mentioned above.
Between plenary sessions and simultaneous activities, there were many subjects on the agenda. One of them, Environment, Climate and Energy, was conducted by Alice Amorim, from the Instituto Clima e Sociedade (ICS) who mediated and also qualified for participation. This dialogue table had three other members, Enrique Konstantinidis, Argentine who locally leads this emphasis on climate and energy, Silvia Alonso, from the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and Clemir Fernandes, from ISER, representing Fé no Clima. In my speech, I addressed ISER's trajectory in this environmental field, from the Vigil das Religiões Mundiais at Eco-92, through various researches in this field, to the Fé no Clima Initiative from 2015. I told you a little about this action that has bringing together a diverse set of prominent religious leaders from Brazil and other countries and how Fé no Clima opened spaces for dialogue between such leaders and also between them and climate scientists.
I emphasized how these connections have resulted in qualified efforts for greater action by the religious communities involved in climate change, as well as by them for the broader society, including searches for greater incidence in the public space. I also informed about the next steps of Fé no Clima, such as the meeting of religious leaders for this second semester and other events in 2019, aimed at qualifying, mobilizing and acting from religious communities.
The document of this C-20 meeting, aiming to influence the official meeting of the G-20 to take place next November, also in Buenos Aires, was officially delivered to the current leader of the Group, president Maurício Macri.
Fé no Clima, which began with an international dimension at the famous 2015 meeting, continues its trajectory in global summit forums aimed at expanding connections and convergences, from religions, to greater defense of human life on the planet in the face of the challenges of climate changes.
Clemir Fernandes, sociologist and researcher at ISER
Photos: Alice Amorim