Resident Coordinator Remarks at the C20 Bootcamp

I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to KKF, and particularly the leadership and the organizing team, for hosting this 5 days bootcamp for the preparation of the C20 participation at G20 next year. 

Some may say that a country state is an imagined community. There is no need for everyone to know one another in a country for great solidarity to be achieved. As a matter of fact, a country is more than a state; it is a nation where civil society collaborates with policy makers to establish the foundations of its success.

Civil society is interconnected with the ideal of economic progress, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play an increasingly influential role in setting and implementing development agendas throughout the world and many have been in the forefront of advocating principles of social and environmental justice and equity.

In 2013, 14 years after the establishment of the G20 Civil 20 was introduced to become an official engagement group at the G20. Since then the C20 has grown stronger every year, ensuring that world leaders listen not only to voices representing the government and business sectors, but also to the proposals and aspirations of civil society, with an aim of protecting the environment and promoting social and economic development, human rights and the principle of leaving no one behind, which is the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Almost 10 years to go to 2030 and in order to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals we need to fill the gap between promises and actions. Global collaboration is a necessity to face the tremendous challenges that stand in the way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this context, I encourage the C20 to strengthen analysis and advocacy on the 2030 goals. The “leaving no one behind” principle should be put at the forefront, both in decision- making and actions in order to ensure inclusive growth. Those who are often marginalized, least heard and least visible, including women, disabled, and the elderly, should be able to voice their concerns together with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and have the capacity to hold governments to account. It is vital that G20 leaders preserve and improve conditions for Civil Society Organizations to continue their work so that policies can take peoples’ voices into account, within the G20 as well as in other spaces and multilateral institutions. More than ever, participation inclusion and transparency in decision-making should be a priority for the C20.

King Khalid Foundation plays an important role in fulfilling the kingdom’s vision 2030’s social contract, through building an effective and empowered non-profit sector in the Kingdom.

With that being said, I would like to stress on the need for more engagement of civil society in the Kingdom, because non-profit organizations are the most capable of expressing and addressing society’s needs. In fact, non-profit organizations are usually the key initiators of innovative solutions to pressing social problems. Non-profit organizations have been present as development partners ever since developmental efforts began in the Kingdom. Such organizations have made several contributions as providers of cash and in-kind transfers to the poor, creating educational opportunities for youth, and establishing maternal and child welfare programs. 

The SDGs also do not clarify who should do what: that is to say, the SDGs, instead, operate through partnership between all actors, at all levels. Partnership is an attractive model for ambitious, transformative action – but for any given Civil Society Organization, it might not be clear how much they should be doing of this global work, and so it is not clear what the relevant standard will be, in light of which to assess their contribution. That is why it is urged to be best prepared as a group, starting here and now in this bootcamp, in order to give stronger recommendations to the G20 discussion next year.

I would like to highlight that the Secretary-General has developed a strategy and established the mechanism, consisting 21 UN entities, to make UN’s inputs to the G20 more coherent and strategic. And I encourage the Saudi G20 team to increase engagement with this mechanism in shaping and planning its G20 Presidency. 

Let me conclude by saying that economic growth is key to development, which is why we need to find common ground and language to address civil society matters at the G20, and I commend the Kingdom’s efforts towards seeking the full participation of civil society in the G20 process and guarantee stakeholders’ participation and citizens’ access to the summit process. G20 leaders must hear the voices of citizens and local communities and change their decision-making process to a more democratic and participatory one.

Thank you, I will leave the podium to my colleagues to share their perspectives on G20 priorities and relevant international frameworks.