The international Civil7 Kick-off took place on 11 February. More than 270 civil society actors attended the digital event to find out more about the Civil7 process and to engage in dialogue with Gisela Habel, Deputy Head of the G7/G20 Sherpa Office at the German Chancellery. The event was organised by VENRO and the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, which are mandated by the German Federal Government to coordinate the C7 process.

Alongside participants from Germany, international civil society representatives dialed in from all parts of the world, for example from Ethiopia, Turkey, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, Italy, the Czech Republic, the USA and even the Fiji Islands. Furthermore, other G7 stakeholders, for example from the G7/G20 Team of the German Ministry of the Environment and representatives of other Engagement groups such as W7 attended the event.

After the official welcome by Anke Kurat (VENRO) and Roman Herre (Forum on Environment and Development), the Civil7 process was presented by the coordinators Daniela Dicks and Moritz Böttcher who emphasized: “The approach that we are taking this year is very different from the ones before: We wanted to make sure that Civil7 is not only an institution for civil society organizations from the host country but to be open for civil society actors on an international level.”

The internationalization of the process is also reflected in the Working Groups, which are each headed by a German and an international coordinator. The Kick-Off event gave them the opportunity to say a few words about their goals and intentions within the C7 process. Patricia Miranda, coordinator of the Working Group ‘Economic Justice and Transformation’ and member of the Steering Committee pointed out as many others the importance of having an “inclusive, diverse Working Group with voices from the South and from the North”.

The presentation of the G7 priorities by Ms Habel was followed by a discussion along key topics and priorities of the international civil society. These included for example questions on how the G7 will deal with rising debt in low-income and middle-income countries, how local vaccination production can be improved, or how countries affected by loss and damage will be better financially supported. Important for many participants was to underline the role and the responsibility Germany and the G7 have to create a more social, sustainable and fair world. Gisela Habel closed the Q&A with a concrete advice regarding the drafting of C7 policy recommendations: “The clearer, the shorter, the more concrete – the easier for us to work with.“

We would like to thank all participants and Gisela Habel for the committed and interesting exchange!