Dr. Arvind Kumar*
The G20 India’s focus to cater to range of development challenges for the world has aroused global citizenry to actively look towards the forum’s leadership. Subsequently the C20 as a forum has progressively pushed for bringing a people-centric approach and cultivating sensitivity and awareness. It is on this background that the G20 has regularly been convening C20 forum which witnesses interface with global civil society.
Why Civil Society Engagement matters?
Civil society engagement within G20 India matters because we are only 7 years away from the 2030 deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and the gap between the actions taken by governments and the measures that need to be taken to achieve them is immense. Most of the challenges we face – political polarisation and extremism, human rights abuses and civic space restrictions, extreme inequality, systemic corruption, gender disparities and gender-based violence, environmental degradation, etc not only remain unanswered but continue to deepen.
Practitioners, policymakers, and academics may pause for a moment and consider this question: How significant are CSOs in the grand scheme of things given that public diplomacy is also continuously changing, reinventing itself, and calling for numerous methodologies of evaluation? With big corporates encroaching on every area of our lives, do they even have any room? Civil society organizations play multiple roles. They are an important source of information for both citizens and government. They monitor government policies and actions and hold government accountable. They engage in advocacy and offer alternative policies for government, the private sector, and other institutions. They deliver services, especially to the poor and underserved. They defend citizen rights and work to change and uphold social norms and behaviors. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the Global South are leading a huge range of South-South Development Cooperation (SSDC) initiatives. New research shows how these initiatives are promoting social accountability, supporting post-disaster reconstruction and effectively sharing rural and urban development knowledge.
At the international level, there is a clear sense that business as usual is not an option anymore, and that in order to achieve the global goals for sustainable development, multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed in at all levels. In particular, the contribution of partnerships between civil society organisations (CSOs) and the private sector – ranging from cooperatives, to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporations – is key to achieve sustainable development in a balanced and integrated manner, and to generate urgent transformative changes and innovative business models. MSMEs of about 63 million in India absorbs a vast majority of the national workforce, and to enhance this very room for economic growth we need to build enterprise network through expertise of CSOs and provide network members with an additional tool to assist SMEs in their transition to more sustainable business models.
How much space do international forums such as the G20 offer for civil society to influence policy-making in reality?
Civil society engagement within G20 India can help because civil society brings a set of unique skills to the table. Civil society groups are not just watchdogs. They are innovators, technologists, researchers and policy experts who can help support policy implementation to achieve the best possible results. They functions as a bridge, helping translate technical jargon into language people actually use, explaining what change means and bringing citizens’ perspectives back to decision-makers. Last but not least, civil society provides much-needed balance. One of the greatest weaknesses of economic multilateral forums is the lack of openness to having civil society represented at the same table where business interests sit. This raises the question of whether the G20 India will value the interests of citizens.
The G20 India’s focus to cater to range of development challenges for the world has aroused global citizenry to actively look towards the forum’s leadership. Subsequently the C20 as a forum has progressively pushed for bringing a people-centric approach and cultivating sensitivity and awareness. It is on this background that the G20 has regularly been convening C20 forum which witnesses interface with global civil society. However, its record of speaking to citizen groups and civil society is mixed at best. For instance, despite all the knowledge that civil society had on financial issues, the G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group had systematically closed its doors to civil society participation. On the other hand, CSOs were lucky to have a standing item on the agenda of the Anti-Corruption Working Group, in which governments spoke to business and civil society on the same footing.
How India’s G20 presidency can change civil society engagement?
Under the C20 India initiative we have to identify the priority areas of this engagement group like hunger, conflict, extinction of species, and environmental destruction which are the most important issues facing the world today. We should put sincere effort to develop solutions. The G20 is quickly taking its place as an influential, inclusive multilateral grouping. It presents a new opportunity for civil society in Global South to have a stronger voice at regional and global levels. Therefore, CSOs at G20 India must increase their participation in global governance by building sustainable relationships with other multilateral groupings too. Large, richer transnational CSOs can contribute to strengthening indigenous CSO capacities to shape their own destinies.
If anyone doubted the critical role played by civil society organizations, COVID-19 proved it otherwise. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, with choked supply chains and the return of wars and deadly border attacks, the urgent need for countries and cities to come together and work cohesively toward resolving grand challenges is now more than ever. But beyond these crisises, civil society is an essential building block of development and national cohesion. Does non-coercive statecraft still have a place in the twenty-first century? The question stands as a litmus test for the political leadership.
According to latest figures by Niti Aayog, 92000 Civil Society Organization (CSOs) are registered on Darpan Portal of the Government of India. The portal tries to aim our Prime Minister’s idea of complete assimilation of the nongovernmental space as these development organizations facilitate a cross-sectoral dialogue within the private as well as public sector to engender collaboration among them to produce innovative solutions. Out of these 92,000 there are 200 civil societies which have presence globally as well and due to their yeoman activities enjoy various UN accreditations. Given this experience and expertise, these organisations have a significant role to play in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Shouldn’t these civil societies, their expertise and capacity be utilized especially considering the G20 India?
The interconnectedness of various sectors with civil society is evidently discernible in today’s times, and that is why these initiatives such as C20 bear resonance. Through CSOs leadership, readiness and willingness to establish the required partnerships throughout the world; they can be as a connector, who either works on the edge or deep inside the others’ worldview. They can allow for a flow of information and resources with a view to generate collaboration and corporation to act as a translator and nurture the relationship with other sectors so that the challenges of capacity building, risks in supply chains, capital outflow volatility, global warming etc can be addressed seamlessly.
A dynamic, diverse and independent civil society, able to operate freely, knowledgeable and skilled with regard to people centric approach is a key element in securing all inclusive sustainable development in all regions of the world.
*President, India Water Foundation
