Brazil has launched what it calls a social summit ahead of next week’s Group of 20 meeting of the top economies

Brazil launched what it called a social summit Thursday ahead of next week’s Group of 20 meeting of top economies, the first such event focused on drawing civil society input ahead of the main annual summit.

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said 40,000 people from G20 countries were expected to attend meetings and panels through Saturday in revamped warehouses of downtown Rio de Janeiro’s port area and nearby Museum of Tomorrow. The main summit takes place in Rio on Monday and Tuesday.

Proposals developed at the social summit will be summarized in a final document to be presented at the leaders’ summit.

Separately, representatives from Brazil’s low-income communities have also been gathering in Rio as part of an initiative called F20, and last week presented a joint statement outlining their priorities. These include combating inequality, promoting climate justice, improving access to sanitation and advancing digital and financial inclusion.

These neighborhoods, popularly known as favelas, are home to 16.4 million Brazilians, or 8% of the country’s population, according to the government.

And the challenges of favelas are evident in places like the mountainside Rio neighborhood of Rocinha, which recently reclaimed the title of most populous favela from another one outside the capital Brasilia. Residents in Rocinha cope with open sewage and a lack of economic opportunities.

Gabriela Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.

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Via Independent