Abong – Brazilian Association of NGOs is a national association created in 1991 with the aim of strengthening Brazilian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that work in the defense and promotion of rights and common goods. They work in partnership with social movements and dialogue with governments for an environmentally fair world, with equal rights and free from all forms of discrimination. 

Selected as a partner for the Financing for Sustainable Development (FfSD) Forus project on “Strengthening the dialogue between civil society and public development banks (PDBs), Abong embarked on a mission to enhance public understanding of PDBs and increase CSO participation in their governance. Abong aimed to connect its findings to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring, particularly SDG 17, in collaboration with the Brazilian Civil Society Working Group for the 2030 Agenda, they participated in the monitoring and production for the 2023 Spotlight Report by the Brazilian 2030 CSOs WG. Additionally, Abong had a significant role in strengthening the Forus Financing for Development working group and boosting CSO involvement in the Finance in Common Summits through coordinated actions with various networks, promoting transparency and sustainable development. 

Abong developed a mapping of the public development banks (BNDES and BRICS bank). The main objective of the research is to facilitate the resumption of the debate in Brazilian civil society about the role of these institutions in financing sustainable development, as well as to identify opportunities for the participation of CSOs in their decision-making structures. Abong has also been a key player in nurturing relations with CSOs in the BRICS countries for joint advocacy on the NDB- New Development Bank.

This project is supported by Forus in cooperation with the Agence française de développement (AFD)