First, on the core idea of development, C20 presided over by India needs to expand from the idea of civil society from only rights-based activism to include responsibility-based localized developmental work. This is a major difference in the thought process that centers the idea of civil society on the unit of community identities, rather than only individual identities. Dr. R Balasubramanium, Member, Capacity Building Commission and Founder, SVYM says: “The responsibility-based approach followed by the grassroots communities in India is the reason for our sustained cultural diversity and decentralized nature of authority. Civil societies must design their interventions with the core of community, rather an individual”

Second, C20 needs to not just act as voices of the grassroots at the policy table, as is the dominant worldview for the role of civil society, but also to share an independent system that executes bottom-up development with community ownership. This means an actionable role of civil society for development, not just as an arm of the government but as a core system of society. Divya Singh, Consultant to the Ministry of Culture says “C20 offers a unique opportunity for Indian Civil Society to bring the experiences and needs of the grassroots of India to a global policy table for synergic action across the world in sync with local cultures”.

Third, as a nation recognized globally for diversity, India must showcase India’s social diversity to the world as an example of mutual respect, co-existence, and symbiotic existence of cultures. Civil20 needs to take lead in this leveraging all the different facets including artisan groups, social leaders, social workers, advocacy groups, activist organizations, and community institutions. Dr. Nomesh Bolia, Professor, IIT Delhi says: “Indian diversity has always awed global stakeholders, and G20 is an opportunity for the civil society organizations to demonstrate the Indian example for unity in the contemporary world order ridden with conflicts”.

Fourth, in the two main constituents of any civil society group: people and resources, India has a unique model to offer to the world. The deep-rooted spirit of volunteerism or selfless service (sewa) in Indian culture is a core component of a large number of civil society groups in India. Even in terms of resources, the majority of civil society groups continue to serve with trust-based localized fundraising efforts with the communities making selfless donations (daana) on regular basis. Venkatesh Murthy, C, Youth For Seva says: “In India, lakhs of local NGOs are completely driven by volunteer-led teams, and supported by their localized community contributions. This model is super effective as it is trust-based.”

The Indian Civilization has sustained and nurtured itself for millenniums based on a mutual dependency between samaj (society or civil society), bazaar (businesses) and sarkar (government). India’s G20 Presidency propels its role as an emerging leader in the global scenario, where India can share a vision for the future based on civilizational values. C20 needs to play an important role by being assertive, confident and prepared for a global footprint. India needs it. The world needs it. Humanity needs it.

About the Authors:

• DM Kiran is the sous-Sherpa at Civil20 and a founding trustee for Youth for Seva. He has formerly served as the CEO at ONGC Foundation.
• Kumar Subham is the Director at Sewa International and a member of the working group at Civil20. He had previously co-founded Rashtram School of Public Leadership, Rishihood University and Vision India Foundation. He has done his BTech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi.