"Blame it on Rio"

I doubt that very many readers recall the 80’s farce “Blame it on Rio” starring Michael Caine. In fact, given the intergenerational peccadillos that are the theme of the film, I suspect that such a movie wouldn’t be made today.?? If there is any relevance of that movie to this opinion piece it is that Rio can have a memorable impact.

?In my case, what made my recent visit memorable had nothing in common with the carryings-on of the film, but everything to do with the impact that Rio had on my sense of the possible. ?Not the sexual possible but the political, economic, and civil society possible. And not actually Rio; more accurately, Brazil.

?So, what was going on and why was I there?

?This year, the president of Brazil is the chair and host of the annual meetings of the G20.? Proud of his role in reestablishing a healthy liberal democracy in Brazil after some dark and forgettable years, President Lula has made an impressive investment of his leadership and influence to bring a wide variety of sector-‘20s to Brazil, to explore policies that can respond to the global issues that threaten the world order.?? Inequitable tax systems, unjust distribution of food, victimization brought about by climate change, destructive debt burdens held by developing countries, the erosion of respect for civil society – to name just a few.?

?Now, listing these is not in itself new, nor surprising to hear among those progressive voices concerned with systemic inequities and their impact on millions.? To hear them addressed and solutions endorsed consistently by officials of one of the G20 countries was extraordinary. Simply being present to witness this and to hear for myself the articulation of policies that would address and redress these issues made a tremendous impression on me.? And surprising given some prior experiences I had with comparable meetings some years ago – more about that below.

?I was there as part of the small delegation of WINGS, the only true international network of entities involved in philanthropic giving throughout the world. The reason for our delegation was to attend the midterm meetings of C20 – C for Civil Society and of the T20 – the T for Thought groups - thinktanks, policy groups, academic institutions, etc.? Various delegates, myself included, had participated in a number of the work groups leading up to the issuance of public position papers to present to the representatives of the 20 governments [called Sherpas] in hopes of influencing the policies endorsed by the G20 when it meets in November.?

There was quite a remarkable overlap between the position papers of the two groups.? The way in which the papers were presented, and the formulations reflected the differences of style and approach of the two sectors they represented, but the bottom lines were virtually fully in-sync.? Yes, the C20 was clearly a collection of more grass roots groups and those who participated in informing were generally more hands on. ?It was a bit messier. The T20 was more button downed – both stylistically and in tone. Yet working in parallel, they each arrived at policies that did not shy from the urgency of the challenges facing the entire world – even if in different ways.? Moreover, the unique role of philanthropy in bridging these two sectors was quite evident – and empowering.

?As mentioned above, the participation and, often the endorsement by government officials was the great surprise.? Some years ago, I had been invited to attend and speak at several comparable gatherings related to the G8 [now G7].?? There too the discussions were robust, the recognition of systemic issues on the table, and the policy recommendations courageous.? But there were no government officials of any of the host countries in the room.? They were all down the road – or even in a different city. It was fully a parallel process with little indication that all of the well-intentioned work and eloquent speeches would ever reach the rooms of the true policy setters.? But in Rio, as I mentioned above, there were Brazilian officials at every setting, South African officials at many [South Africa is next year’s chairship], and more.?

?No one, I am sure, believes that every proposal will be fully endorsed by all of the G20 countries.? But I am told that at least 2 or 3 other countries have already signed on as co-sponsors of many and others will endorse many others.? Since the policies of the G20 are not binding, endorsement and affirmation may be as much as one can hope for.??

?Why was I asked to be included in this delegation?? One of the reasons is because I am now of the seniority to present a sense of gravitas in meetings I am asked to attend.? I have seen this on many international occasions over the last several years.? But the other reason is because, as of now, the USA is on tap to chair the G20 in 2026, and it is valuable to have continuity of experience to inform philanthropy’s role.? 2026 is the 250th anniversary of this nation so we can hope that it becomes a celebration of American democracy over demagoguery and a healthy civil society over a cynical atomized one.?

?One can hope.? Sadly, many whom I met in Rio have concerns about whether the USA will indeed follow through on its chair role, and if it does, what will be encouraged, allowed, or endorsed.? No reader needs me to spell this out.? It was the one discordant note of an otherwise uplifting and gratifying few days.

?Okay, blame it on Rio.

Also published as #486 on WisePhilanthropy.Institute

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