Civil 20 (C20) has successfully produced the C20 Policy Pack, a document containing a series of policy recommendations on various issues, for G20 leaders.
The document was delivered on the opening day of the C20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Thursday.
“We call on all leaders of the G20 to end their own self-interests and work as a united front to solve the crises. It is time to collaborate in promoting world peace and humanity by enhancing recovery efforts to solve the current global situation," the C20 chair, Sugeng Bahagijo, said in a statement.
The submission of the C20 Policy Pack is an important intervention from the global civil society to produce a concrete result in the form of a just and inclusive policy at the G20.
The document was read out by the coordinators of seven C20 Working Groups and responded to by Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati; special staff to the Indonesian Finance Minister, Yustinus Prastowo; expert staff to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for strategic planning, Yudo Dwinanda Priaadi; co-chair of the Environment Deputies Meeting - Climate Sustainability Working Group (EDM-CS WG) of the G20, Sigit Reliantoro; Mexican Ambassador to Indonesia, Armando Gonzalo Alvarez Reina; and the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Shri Manoj Kumar Bharti.
“The world will face more complex challenges in the future, and it will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders to leave no one behind. I hope C20 continues its role as a platform to voice people's aspirations and works together with G20 by not only providing insights and expertise, but also ensuring that governments are accountable for their commitments,” Indrawati said in her response to the C20 Policy Pack.
There are several reasons why G20 leaders must not ignore the C20 recommendations: First, the C20 has prioritized issues that reflect the principles of justice, equality, inclusiveness, collaboration, and sharing of financial resources.
For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global development and has caused misery to millions of people, especially those in developing countries. Equal access to COVID-19 vaccines across nations has yet to be achieved.
As of August 2022, only 20.3 percent of the population in the African continent has been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, half of the countries in Europe have achieved a more than 85 percent immunization rate and have already initiated booster vaccinations.
The climate crisis, prolonged by the indecisive actions of world leaders, has also caused a dramatic convergence of crises.
“We truly hope to optimize the C20 platform to amplify our call to accelerate action on issues prioritized by the C20 coalition, including just energy transition through setting clear targets and policies to curb carbon emissions in G20 countries, and prioritizing the shift to more sustainable sources of energy for a truly secure future for all that leaves no one behind,” Bernadette Victorio from the C20 International Advisory Committee stated.
In this context, C20 has recognized the significant role of the global financial sector in taking this agenda forward, she added.
“We urge G20 leaders to ensure that the sector also implements clear policies and regulations that align with the Paris Agreement, and to ensure that international financial institutions also transparently and accountably deliver on their commitments, evidenced by public disclosures on their progress,” she noted.
Second, the C20 has answered the priority agenda raised by the Indonesian G20 by focusing its recommendations on the issues of a just and inclusive global health architecture, climate justice and a just energy transition, tax justice and inclusive sustainable finance, as well as inclusive digital transformation.
“Taking into account the urgency of gender equality, persons with disabilities, humanitarian action, civic space and anti-corruption, sustainable climate action, C20 addresses them as cross-cutting issues and therefore, makes sure no one is left behind,” Sous Sherpa of C20, Risnawati Utami, said.
Third, the civil society recommendations can serve as a balancing aspect that minimizes—if not eradicates—the “business as usual” attitude that may appear in the decision-making process of the G20 amid international turmoil, for instance, the energy, food, and financial crises that have been exacerbated by the Ukraine-Russia war.
Moreover, numerous G20 ministerial meetings have failed to produce joint ministerial declarations, and this has become a huge concern for civil society organizations, as it shows that the G20 have not been able to put aside their differences, and instead are focusing on their own interests.
Fourth, the C20, as the platform for civil society, has given voice to evidence-based aspirations of the people of the world, the end users of the G20 resolutions.
Further, the C20 recommendations perform a key role in reminding the G20 leaders to achieve just policies that work well to protect humans and put humanity first. Therefore, G20 leaders must consider and take real action based on the recommendations to resolve global issues by adopting participatory, inclusive, and sustainable approaches.
“Today is a monumental event for CSOs across the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. The C20 Summit is a peak and a result of inclusive and collaborative works of the C20 across the globe. We, as global citizens, would like to remind and recall the G20, and all of us to put aside all differences and prioritize crisis resolution to ensure a just recovery for all citizens across the world,” C20 Sherpa, Ah Maftuchan, said.
The C20 Summit has convened ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit 2022 and has been hosted by Indonesia as the leader of this year’s C20.
The C20 Summit has seen a high level of participation, with 566 national delegates from Indonesia and 55 international delegates attending the event in person and 280 national and 150 international participants joining the event virtually. They all belong to 280 civil society organizations from 55 countries.
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