In 2023, Sitawi will complete 15 years of developing financial mechanisms and solutions that drive the country's social and environmental transformation. To further strengthen this journey and expand the debates on Good Finance, we held our first Sitawi Connection in September, an event that brought together several people and experts to promote dialogue about the ecosystem with positive socio-environmental impact.
The event was sponsored by the Sabin Institute, Fundo Vale and Instituto Coca-Cola Brasil.
“We need courage for renewal”
The opening of the day featured a presentation by our CEO, Leonardo Letelier, with the reflection: “What future do we want?” Throughout the event, financial approaches and solutions were discussed across three thematic axes: Impact Investing, Philanthropy, and Conservation and Climate Finance.
The table on Impact Investment had the participation of Adriana Barbosa, CEO of Pretahub, Liz Lacerda, responsible for Promotion and Partnerships at Fundo Vale, Gabriel Cardoso, Executive Manager of the Sabin Institute, and was moderated by our Vice President Director, Bruno Girardi.
The main reflection of the debate revolved around the need to transform the financial ecosystem as a means to overcome existing racial and geographic inequalities. “To burst the bubble: we need to expand the field, bring in more voices, more different inputs. We need courage to renew our ecosystem,” says Adriana Barbosa.
Representing Fundo Vale, Liz Lacerda highlights the importance of portfolio diversification for the organization, both to qualify risk and return, and to reach more and more businesses spread throughout Brazil.
Gabriel Cardoso endorses the conversation, highlighting the importance of decentralizing the financial ecosystem, especially outside the traditional Rio-São Paulo axis. In addition, Cardoso stressed that collaboration in the financial ecosystem is a challenge, stating: “We need to find a way to work together and raise awareness that impact is not something that can be achieved in the short term.”
The different types of philanthropy on the agenda
The dashboard Philanthropy had the participation of Aline Odara, Executive Director of the Agbara Fund, Daniela Redondo, Executive Director of the Coca-Cola Brazil Institute, and Fabio Deboni, Program Director of the Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, moderated by Silvia Daskal, Senior Partnerships and Relationship Manager at Sitawi.
Aline Odara brought essential reflections on black philanthropy in Brazil. She highlighted: “We need to rethink black philanthropy. Black women have always been at the forefront, always thinking of solutions in the territory they live in. We are taking proportion of our work and our importance.”.
One of the topics discussed was also the mobilization of resources from large corporations. For Daniela Redondo, “the role of business institutions lies in dialogue and the ability to mobilize resources.”
Fábio Deboni brought an international philanthropy perspective to the debate, noting that access to this capital tends to be slower and more bureaucratic. He mentioned that, although there was some flexibility during the pandemic, conditions have returned to what they were before.
Is there still time to reverse the climate situation?
The highly relevant question arose during the panel on Conservation Finance and Climate. The panel included the participation of Luisa Moreira, USAID Project Management Specialist, Mariana Oliveira, Manager of the Forests, Land Use and Agriculture Program at WRI Brasil, and Dylan Rocha, Environmental Specialist at the Secretariat of the Environment of the State of São Paulo, with the mediation of Fernando Campos, Conservation and Climate Finance Manager at Sitawi.
One of the issues addressed during the panel was the importance of putting people at the center of discussions and solutions for nature conservation. Luisa Moreira highlighted the priority given by USAID to this approach: “We have several problems beyond the climate, we cannot leave people aside in nature conservation. What is needed to get to the top? Going beyond carbon, putting the local population at the center of the solutions.”
Mariana brings an important reflection about the need for transformations, but that transition is more important. “We need quality of life in the countryside, restoration is very expensive, we need to change people, metrics, change criteria and we also need to maintain democracy”, it says.
Impact at the Tip
“The first non-white table is called 'Impact at the Tip', this shows who is holding everything up,” affirms Gelson Henrique, Executive Director of the PIPA Initiative, who acted as the panel's mediator.
This panel was attended by Thux Nascimento, Executive Director of PerifaConnection, Jussara Dantas, Founder and Commercial Director of Coopercuc, and Quilvilene Cunha, Director of ASMAMJ (Association of Agroextractivist Women of the Middle Juruá).
Quilvilene Cunha emphasized the relevance of indigenous communities in protecting nature by saying: “It is the indigenous people who protect nature.” Furthermore, it highlights the perception as a leader in the Médio Juruá territory, where sustainability is built collectively.
“There we work collectively towards a common goal, to improve the quality of life. Traditional communities live in the forest. We preserve it, not because we need it. We do it because it is our base”, highlights Quilvilene.
Both entrepreneurs, Jussara, Quilvilene and Thux highlighted the challenges of being female leaders and how this can inspire and serve as an example for young women in the communities where they live.
Jussara Dantas highlighted that the female presence in places historically dominated by men is a transgressive movement and requires a lot of struggle.“Our trajectory is full of social and cultural struggles, in a patriarchal context where men tend to dominate. Being a mother, a woman, a farmer and a housewife represents a continuous challenge for us, women and leaders.”
What do we want for tomorrow?
The dynamic World Café brought together several experts to discuss different topics such as Democracy, the Future of Work, the Amazon, Cities and Housing, Integrated Health and much more, to cross-pollinate ideas. At the end, everyone presented what was discussed among the participants at the 10 tables.
The Sitawi Connection promoted a space for sharing knowledge and good practices. What we want for the future is more connection and collaboration, allowing us to find more and more partnerships to drive innovative solutions to promote the positive change we believe in.
