(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Forward-Thinkers: 6 Brazilian NGOs Are Calling For Greater International Collaboration [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2022-09-20

Brazil is certainly more than the Amazon; as more and more NGOs are bringing attention to Brazil's "quiet pivot" to the public.

As the intertwined crises of climate change, inequality, disparities in health and education, and threats to human rights grow increasingly urgent, the need for creative and collaborative solutions becomes non-negotiable. While accounts of the former tend to dominate the news cycle, it is important to remember that organizations and institutions around the world have been making real strides toward addressing the roots of these issues.

In the face of global problems, an America-first mindset is clearly not the solution: it’s up to Democrats to take the lead on embracing international partnerships and setting an example that all nations would do well to follow.

The recent headlines about Brazil’s fraught national politics have obscured the fact that the country boasts a network of over 820,000 civil society organizations that have made extraordinary progress in tackling some of the world’s major challenges. Being on the Global Top 10 lists for both GDP and inequality, Brazil has unique firsthand experience with many of these challenges and with the approaches that have been most effective at reversing them.

Six Brazilian NGOs–Gerando Falcões, Instituto Rodrigo Mendes, Instituto Sou da Paz, Lemann Foundation, Politize! and Vetor Brasil–were recently recognized for their groundbreaking work with a generous donation from U.S. philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. These organizations have since authored a global letter calling on individuals and organizations from around the world to consider partnering more closely with Brazilian NGOs. The letter expresses the hope that Ms. Scott’s donation will act as a further catalyst for global partnerships of this kind, as the authors emphasize the incredible advances that can be made through collaboration and state that “We can’t afford not to pool our knowledge in a world beset by such urgent threats.”

This letter arrives at a time when deforestation of the Amazon rainforest continues at record highs, the ecological impacts of which will not only have major consequences for Brazil, but for the entire biosphere. The traditional communities who have called these regions home for millennia are on the frontlines of this destruction, but are also at the forefront of the efforts to preserve the environment and manage the region’s extraordinary biodiversity. Their dedication, as well as that of the organizations supporting them, is just one inspiring example of what people have been able to achieve through collaboration, coordination, and creativity.

In addition to a strong commitment to environmental justice, Brazilian NGOs have made groundbreaking advances on issues related to inequality, education, public health, and other key areas of concern identified in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. With regard to public health, for example, Brazilian organizations worked to establish the world’s first publicly funded lab for the creation of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine doses and have provided medical support to thousands of individuals living in traditionally underserved communities. This initiative set a strong precedent for the rest of the world, showing how collaborative action could produce swift, effective solutions to an unprecedented and rapidly-evolving challenge.

In this same spirit, NGOs have taken the lead in improving the conditions of individuals living in some of Brazil’s poorest urban neighborhoods. In addition to medical support, they have also provided population mapping, education, and legal representation to thousands of residents who otherwise lack the means to obtain them. Their multi-faceted approach demonstrates their understanding that none of these problems can be adequately addressed on their own, but must be viewed and treated as part of a larger whole.

This same understanding informs the six organizations’ intentions in penning their global letter. They understand that, for all the life-changing work these organizations have already accomplished, much remains to be done, and collaboration remains the most powerful strategy for achieving change that is at once rapid and long-lasting, localized and profoundly global. These organizations’ invaluable experience with the issues facing contemporary Brazil makes them well-positioned to be major players on the world stage, and they hope that increased international collaboration will expand this community of forward-thinking organizations even more.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/20/2123871/-Forward-Thinkers-6-Brazilian-NGOs-Are-Calling-For-Greater-International-Collaboration

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.