RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil launched what it calls a social summit on Thursday ahead of next week’s Group of 20 meeting of top economies; The first such event focused on gaining civil society input ahead of the main annual summit.

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said 40,000 people from G20 countries were expected to attend meetings and panels by Saturday at renovated warehouses in the port area of ​​downtown Rio de Janeiro and the nearby Museum of Tomorrow. The main summit will take place in Rio on Monday and Tuesday.

Vieira said he was part of the meeting at the opening ceremony, which was attended by other government ministers and First Lady Rosangela da Silva. Brazil’s G20 agenda Promoting sustainable development and green energy, fighting poverty and reducing inequality.

“There can be no discussion or effective measures on this issue without welcoming community input,” Vieira said.

Recommendations developed at the social summit will be summarized in a final document to be presented at the leaders’ summit.

First Lady da Silva, known as Janja, said launching the G20 with a socially focused event made Brazil’s presidency different from previous summits.

“I think starting from here we can ensure that voices are heard and their recommendations are accepted effectively,” Janja said.

Brazil’s low-income neighborhoods provide input

Separately, representatives of Brazil’s low-income communities also met in Rio as part of an initiative called F20 and last week presented a joint statement outlining their priorities. These include tackling inequality, supporting climate justice, improving access to sanitation and advancing digital and financial inclusion.

These neighborhoods, popularly known as favelas, are home to 16.4 million Brazilians, or 8% of the country’s population, according to the government.

And the challenges of favelas are evident in places like the mountainous Rio neighborhood of Rocinha, which recently took the title of most populous from another favela outside the capital Brasilia. Residents of Rocinha cope with open sewers and a lack of economic opportunities.

Antonio Florencio, 58, a 40-year Rocinha resident, expressed frustration with long-standing infrastructure projects that fail to meet the needs of his community. The upcoming G20 meeting seemed much further away than the 20 kilometers (12 miles) between Rocinha and the Rio Museum of Modern Art, where the summit will be held.

“To be honest, the G20 itself will discuss an agenda that needs to be better for the whole country and the world. But I don’t think it will improve anything in this community,” he told The Associated Press.

Alongside the social G20, the Brazilian government organized a free music festival in the city’s port area from Thursday to Saturday. Popular artists such as Seu Jorge, Daniela Mercury and Zeca Pagodinho perform.

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Gabriela Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.