National Consultation on “G20 and Civil Society Alternatives”

Dr. Rajesh Tandon, President, Society for Participatory Research in Asia, was invited to address the gathering of a few selected civil society leaders to shed some perspectives on the role of civil society against the background of forthcoming G20 meeting in Paris. While admitting that G20 is primarily a ‘rich man’s club’, he asserted that the civil society should invariably get involved with forums like these as they enjoy a considerable level of clout in terms of setting policies and programmes affectingmillions of lives. Given the composition of G20 countries it is crucial to have a sustained dialogue between the political leaders, government officials and the civil society groups in the country. Speaking specifically on the role that VANI can focus on, he shared that it is critical that a forum like VANI to take forward the discussion on the meaning and concept of G20 and subsequently to facilitate a nationwide discussion on the same. Besides this, VANI needs to raise the issue of the role that the government of India plays in these forums with the elected representatives.  He also warned the group that we need to keep a watchful eye that we do not end up displacing democratic multilateral institutions of the UN system by encroaching on their mandates and taking decisions for and on their behalf.

The other prominent speakers of the occasion included Peter Wahl, WEED (G20) Peter Lanzet, EED (G20 Working Group on Development.