Under the motto “You are heard” the C20 Summit took place from 5-7 October 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. A delegation from the C7 Secretariat attended to hold a workshop and to increase cooperation between the C7 and C20 processes.

From the beginning of C7 2022, international networking and collaboration have been central components of this year’s process. For the first time, it was a central goal not just to include organisations from G7 countries, but to act as a platform for global civil society. We wanted every interested organisation to be able to bring in their perspective and to engage with the G7 governments.

For example, this was achieved by establishing an international Steering Committee. Its members were invited by considering professional expertise, geographical origin and gender aspects in order to represent various international civil society groups. Furthermore, we actively invited civil society actors from around the world to join our five Working Groups to participate in the elaboration of our policy recommendations and our C7 Communiqué.

Besides diversifying our own structures, we also wanted to connect closer with other engagement groups and especially with the C20. The current G20 presidency is held by Indonesia and the corresponding C20 Summit was held from 5 to 7 October in Bali. A delegation of the C7 secretariat participated in the summit and organised a side-event titled “Stronger together – Perspectives on C7 and C20 alignment”.

In the first part of the event, the structure, results and lessons learned of this year’s C7 process were presented. Subsequently, these insights were used for a discussion between representatives of C7 and C20 on how cooperation can be intensified and how the work can be better aligned. Organizers of the upcoming C7 and C20 processes were also involved ─ the G7 presidency 2023 will go to Japan and the G20 presidency to India.

In the discussion, the intention of the Japanese civil society was highlighted to continue to use the structures established in this year’s C7 process including the Steering Committee as well the inclusion of organisations from beyond G7 states.

C20 representatives made clear that a broad civil society participation is equally important to the C20 process. In regard to the next presidency, participants from India also underlined the importance of including diverse perspectives in the working groups.

Moreover, there was a common sense between participants that C7 and C20 should cooperate more closely to make advocacy efforts more effective. Specific activities or formats should be discussed, which can be used to share knowledge and to push for specific shared goals. This could be joint statements, press releases or strategic discussions.

Lastly, in the discussion it became clear that multilateral institutions currently aren’t suited to deal with the multiple crises we are facing. It was underlined by several participants that civil society has to actively engage in the reform of these institutions to make sure that civil society is represented and that everyone will be able to properly engage.