The 2024 G20 Interfaith and PaRD Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development in Brasilia, Brazil, brought together a distinguished group of leaders, policymakers, academics, religious and other civil society representatives to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Held from August 19-22 under the theme “Leave No One Behind: The Well-Being of the Planet and Its People,” the forum was a collaborative effort between the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) and the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), supported by further partners. This year’s event aligned with Brazil’s G20 Presidency theme, “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet.”
A Platform for Global Collaboration
Prof. Cole Durham, president of IF20; Prof. Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves, associate professor at the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU); as well as representatives from the other organising partners welcomed over 300 in-person participants from over 60 countries, with an additional audience online, including high-level representatives from the governments of the United States, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as multilateral organisations such as the African Union, the KAICIID Dialogue Centre, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The World Bank. Indigenous Peoples from Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Guyana, Siberia, and Mali were also represented. Brazilian participation was notable, with political key figures such as Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister for the Environment; Silvio Almeida, Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, and Gustavo Westmann, Head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil and G20 Social Coordinator. All of them emphasized the importance of inclusivity and the need to involve religious actors in addressing critical issues such as peace, protection of human rights, and environmental protection.
Addressing the forum’s focus on integrating religious perspectives with human rights and policymaking, minister Almeida emphasized, that faith is compatible with human rights and that any differences between secular and religious actors can be overcome by the basic desire to be better than were before. Westmann highlighted the forum’s unique position among groups striving to influence the G20: “I’ve been working with engagement groups, actors, and stakeholders who are trying to have an influence on the G20, and this gathering is by far the most diverse not only in terms of religion, race, differing viewpoints, and background, but also in terms of nationality and the inclusion of non-Brazilian foreigners.”
Addressing Global Challenges
Throughout the forum, participants engaged in a wide range of sessions focusing on critical global issues, including climate action, food security, peacebuilding, holistic well-being, human trafficking, and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence. PaRD members played a pivotalsignificant role in shaping these discussions, contributing to around 30 sessions that focused on key themes like poverty, inequality, mental health, and Indigenous religious freedom. These discussions underscored the importance of integrating ethical, wisdom-oriented and spiritual perspectives into the global policymaking process.
Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders and former President of Ireland, delivered a compelling keynote address, emphasising the interconnectedness of environmental stewardship and human welfare, highlighting the crucial role of religious communities and Indigenous Peoples in this global effort: “Religion is no stranger to the concept of caring for our planet. The same idea is at the core of many Indigenous religions. Indigenous peoples have a deep kinship with nature and profound understanding of the importance of caring for nature in order to care for humanity.”
Esben Lunde Larsen, Senior Specialist at the World Bank and former Danish Minister for Environment, Agriculture, and Food, enriched the conversation by sharing a personal story about his grandmother whose frugal and sustainable lifestyle in early 20th-century Scandinavia offers valuable lessons for today’s world. Larsen emphasised that real change begins at the individual level and needs more than issuing statements: “But nothing of this leads to real change, if we don’t change. If we do not mobilize change. We can fight food waste with our shopping cart, planning our meals, be mindful about composting, and secure leftovers for the next day, while saving money. We can appeal to our local or national religious and political leaders for a clearer focus on caring for creation. We can care for our neighbours and their well-being at many levels.”
“Attending the PaRD and IF20 Annual Forum as well as interacting with hundreds of participants from different regions, faiths and traditions was an eye-opening moment for the Indigenous Peoples representatives who attended the conference for the first time,” said Binalakshmi Nepram of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a PaRD member. “We thank PaRD for including Indigenous Peoples in the forum. This will pave the way for an inclusive spiritualism which will help heal people and the planet and promote peace.”
In another powerful address, Professor Ivo Pereira da Silva from the Federal University of Pará and the Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, delved into the importance of inclusive secularism in promoting peace and social cohesion. Using the metaphor of secularism as either a sword or a shield, Silva illustrated that secularism can serve as a sword to attack, suppress, or eliminate religion and its manifestations from society, or as a shield to protect religious freedom and belief, while defending the public space from fundamentalist religious impositions. Silva advocated for the latter approach, arguing that “secularism as a shield aligns with human rights,” and emphasized the need for a model of secularism that safeguards freedom of religion and belief while upholding state neutrality. He highlighted how this approach nurtures a balanced relationship between the state and religious communities, ensuring respect for diverse beliefs and preventing any single group from dominating the public sphere.
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Phil. H. Kamaruddin Amin, Director General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, delivered an insightful video message during the “Poverty and Inequality” session at the G20 Interfaith and PaRD Annual Forum on Religion and Sustainable Development 2024 in Brasilia, Brazil. His speech emphasized the importance of government engagement in multistakeholder partnerships and shared valuable insights from the Ministry’s two-year experience collaborating with PaRD.
High-level Engagement and Outcomes
The forum’s impact extended beyond its immediate discussions, as it facilitated crucial dialogues between PaRD Leadership and Brazilian officials, including Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Chief Diplomatic Advisor for International Affairs Celso de Tarso Pereira and Alexandre Pupo from the Office of the Special Advisor to the Brazilian President.
Khushwant Singh, head of the PaRD Secretariat, praised the collaborative spirit of the event but also highlighted the urgency for action, stating, “The new Sustainable Development Report 2024 shows that we are completely off track. Only 16 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets are going to be met as of now. The report argues that global challenges require global cooperation and more multilateralism. This is true. But it is also true that we can only achieve the SDGs with civil society, and not without it. This includes religious and Indigenous actors. This includes being more attentive to ethical considerations. This includes a transformational shift in our values and attitudes. Therefore, we have really tried to implement the motto of not leaving anyone behind in the organisation of this conference, and the government of Brazil hasn’t left us behind either.”
In various high-level political talks, it was agreed to intensify the exchange between the Brazilian government and PaRD in the near future. The parties also expressed interest in exploring ways to collaborate on the new Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. This initiative, a key proposal of the Brazilian G20 presidency, aims to mobilize international resources and knowledge to implement public policies and social technologies that have proven to be effective in eradicating hunger and poverty worldwide. Presidents of multilateral banks, members of UN agencies, international authorities, and Brazilian ministers, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, endorsed the documents establishing the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty by acclamation on July 24, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro.
At the pre-launch of the Global Alliance, President Lula said: “The data released today by [the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)] on the state of world food insecurity is appalling. Extreme poverty has increased for the first time in decades. The number of hungry people around the world has risen by more than 152 million since 2019. This means that 9 percent of the world’s population (or 733 million people) are undernourished. […] Hunger has the face of a woman and the voice of a child. The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically increased malnutrition and these high rates remain unchanged. Armed conflicts disrupt the production and distribution of food and supplies, contributing to rising price. Extreme weather events take lives and devastate crops and infrastructure. […] The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty […] will be the most important legacy of Brazil’s G20 presidency. Its goal is to give renewed impetus to existing initiatives by aligning efforts at the domestic and international levels. We want to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track.”
Forward-looking Recommendations
The forum’s engagement with the G20 process will continue through the G20 Social initiative, a new platform established by the Brazil G20 Presidency aimed at increasing civil society participation in G20 deliberations. As the forum concluded, the following recommendations for the G20 were put forward:
Brazil’s plan to end hunger should be supported by harnessing the global influence of religious communities. There is a need to push for changes in debt, taxes, and climate finance policies to help governments fight poverty and reduce inequality. Indigenous knowledge and wisdom must also be included in global discussions, particularly concerning the climate crisis. Peacebuilding ought to be encouraged by promoting cross-cultural religious literacy and understanding, ethics education, social unity, and by highlighting successful approaches. Additionally, the fight against modern slavery, including human trafficking, requires the establishment of a new G20 working group to develop action plans, allocate resources, and drive effective action.
As PaRD continues its mission to amplify the contributions of religious and civil society actors towards the SDGs, the forum in Brasilia stands as a testament to the power of collective action. The commitment shown by global leaders and participants alike to address these pressing challenges reinforces PaRD’s mission that by working together, a just and sustainable future where the well-being of everyone is at the centre, is possible.
