Data Privacy Brasil in the T20: Inclusive Digital Transformation

Description

The Group of 20, also known as the G20, is one of the main forums for global economic cooperation, playing a fundamental role in addressing major global socioeconomic issues. The G20 is composed of 19 countries and two regional bodies (the African Union and the European Union). One of its main strengths lies in its multisectoral composition for debates, which are not restricted solely to member states, reflecting the multifaceted nature of global problems and challenges.

The G20 process includes engagement groups, which allow for the direct participation of other sectors of society, beyond the official participation of governments. In this sense, there are distinct groups that address specific themes through the lenses of different sectors. This is the case of the Think 20 (T20), the engagement group aimed at think tanks and research centers, which, during the Brazilian presidency, was coordinated by a triad composed of representatives from the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), and the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG).

Each engagement group has its respective Task Forces, which are thematic and aim to address issues related to their specific focus areas. In the case of T20 Brazil, there were six Task Forces: (1) Combating inequalities, poverty, and hunger; (2) Sustainable climate action and just and inclusive energy transitions; (3) Reform of the international financial architecture; (4) Trade and investment for sustainable and inclusive growth; (5) Inclusive digital transformation; and (6) Strengthening multilateralism and global governance.

Each Task Force is coordinated by representatives of think tanks or research centers. In the case of Data Privacy Brasil, we were selected, following a call for expressions of interest, to coordinate Task Force 05, “Inclusive Digital Transformation,” together with another organization, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) from India. In this context, our main role was to foster the participation of think tanks and research centers in the T20 process, enabling in-depth discussions on issues related to the notion of inclusive digital transformation.

Although this initiative was more concentrated within Data Privacy Brasil’s Governance and Regulation area, it represented an institutional role in the coordination of Task Force 05, involving direct and indirect participation from all other areas of the organization.

The work carried out by the engagement groups resulted in recommendations that were submitted to the Leaders’ Summit through the Sherpa Track. During Brazil’s G20 presidency, one session of the Sherpa Meetings was dedicated exclusively to receiving these recommendations, in time for the ministerial meetings of the Sherpa Track working groups in July 2024. The recommendations were formulated based on policy briefs submitted by think tanks and research centers from around the world and published on the official T20 Brazil website.

The themes addressed during Brazil’s G20 presidency encompassed issues related to inequality and power asymmetries, pointing to the need for reforming global governance and for rights-centered policies. In this way, our engagement in T20 Brazil was aligned with our strategy to strengthen and foster South-South cooperation, enabling countries of the Global South to help shape the international agenda and direct efforts toward more inclusive and dignified technological development and use.

Engagement through the T20 emerged at an opportune moment for Brazil in terms of global governance. Beyond holding the G20 presidency in 2024, the country was preparing to assume several other leadership roles: the BRICS presidency and preparations for COP30 in the state of Pará, both in 2025. At the same time, Brazil was gaining prominence on issues such as artificial intelligence and information integrity, one of the priorities of the Digital Economy Working Group for 2024.

In leading the Inclusive Digital Transformation Task Force, we sought to reflect on priorities concerning the digital agenda at both local and global levels, in collaboration with organizations working on these issues, including many involved in the T20. This work was guided by a data justice approach, from which stemmed the recommendations presented in the final statement of Task Force 5 and in the São Luís Declaration, an effort led by the T20 in collaboration with different engagement groups that consolidated consensus on artificial intelligence from a perspective centered on the protection of fundamental rights, decent work, and multistakeholderism.

These recommendations emphasized, among other points, the need for fair, participatory, and rights-centered data governance. The recognition of data governance as a foundational and cross-cutting issue in technological development resonated in the Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration, as well as in the subsequent South African presidency, which mobilized the concept of data justice in the concept note of the Digital Economy Group and created a Task Force on AI and data governance within the Sherpa Track.

In 2025, Data Privacy Brasil continued its engagement in the T20 by co-leading a subtopic of Task Force 2, “Digital Transformation,” during South Africa’s presidency. Through work on the subtopic “Inclusive and Equitable Digital Government: DPI as an SDG Catalyst,” recommendations were produced and incorporated into the Task Force’s final declaration, recognizing the need for the development of Digital Public Infrastructures through participatory frameworks oriented toward public value.

We hope that both the work carried out here and the Global South network formed around the G20 can be leveraged beyond this institution and beyond the Brazilian and South African presidencies, in order to attract resources and attention to other global and local spaces that seek rights-based and citizenship-centered approaches for these populations.