Civil society representatives have made several recommendations on sustainable finance and multilateral development banks (MDBs). The recommendations include reforms for MDBs, improving investments in emerging markets, introducing standards for international taxation and improved access to funding for green infrastructure projects in the Global South. They were made to the G20 Deputy Ministers of Finance and Central Bank vice presidents and were part of an innovative session held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The session and its recommendations form part of Brazil’s G20 Presidency priorities. The G20 Social coordinator Gustavo Westman believes that the meeting between the vice presidents and civil society representatives highlights the importance of the session, which has traditionally not been inclusive of formats such as debates. “One very specific objective is to discuss issues such as creating a fairer financial lending system, reforming governance and the global financial system, taxing the super-rich, and holding discussions so that the debts of developing countries can be forgiven or exchanged. This is what we want in terms of financial issues so that we can have a fairer, more sustainable future with less inequality,” says Westmann.
