Civil society organizations, experts and representatives from universities and international organizations will debate, from Monday (22) to Friday (26), a model of a socially fair State that guarantees sustainable development. The event States of the Future (States of the Future, in English) takes place at the headquarters of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), in Rio de Janeiro.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors (a group of the world’s 19 largest economies, plus the European Union and the African Union). The G20 meeting only starts on Wednesday (24), but the deputy ministers, secretaries and directors of the finance ministries and central banks will hold preparatory meetings on Monday and Tuesday (23).
The program will include keynote speeches and panels in a talk show format. Among the politicians confirmed are the president-elect of the European Council and former prime minister of Portugal, Antônio Costa, and the former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet.
Among the professors and experts present are Ailton Krenak, indigenous leader and immortal of the Brazilian Academy of Letters; Denise Ferreira da Silva, professor at New York University; Mariana Mazzucato, founding director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London (IIPP/UCL); and Ha-Joon Chang, professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and author of books such as Kicking the Ladder.
According to BNDES, the current scenario has brought great challenges to governments. Technological advances, pandemics, climate change, new threats to transnational security and significant developments in the labor market require new responses, through the construction of a more sustainable development model with social justice.
Schedule
From Monday to Wednesday, the panels will discuss the current challenges of industrial, economic and sustainability policy, still under the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. On these days, the event will be broadcast live on BNDES channel on Youtube.
There will also be discussions on the role of the State in leading the necessary changes, with the proposal of paths that redesign institutions and create resilient and agile States. The panels will also address the global governance system and the role of state and non-state actors in building futures.
Thursday (25) and Friday will be dedicated to seminars and simultaneous round tables for social dialogue, between national and international experts and civil society organizations. They will discuss topics such as digital transformation, diversity, inclusion, the future of work in the public service and the transformation of education.
BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante will open the event on Monday. On Tuesday, the bank’s socio-environmental director, Tereza Campello, will open the event. Directors Nelson Barbosa (Planning and Institutional Relations) and Helena Tenorio (People, IT and Operations) and Luciana Costa (Infrastructure, Energy Transition and Climate Change) will also participate in the event.
In addition to BNDES, the event is promoted by the Ministries of Management and Innovation in Public Services; Foreign Affairs; and Development, Industry, Commerce and Services. States of the Future It has the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture in Brazil (OEI), Maranta, the Open Society Foundations and the Instituto República.org.
