Civil society’s concerns regarding NGO participation in the G7

Mr. Emmanuel Macron,
President of the French Republic

Dear Mr. President,

France, when it assumed the Presidency of the G7, expressed its intent to ensure the G7 is
more accessible and sets an open process “closely associating citizens”. However, the
announcement by the French Presidency that civil society organizations would have no
access to the G7 Leaders summit and the decision to postpone a one day dialogue with
Civil Society Organizations from France and G7 countries in your presence on the very
same day as the civil society summit planned for weeks, tell an opposite story.
We would like to express our deepest concerns about these recent developments, as
they undermine the participation of civil society in the G7 process.

We therefore ask the French Presidency to commit that it will ensure open and
effective participation and access of civil society representatives at the Leaders
Summit in August. Moreover, we ask you to make sure the meeting in your presence
and a number of Ministers on July 2 will allow for a real discussion on the
recommendations prepared by national and international civil society organizations.

For several years, national and international civil society groups and networks, in particular
through G7 constituencies, called on G7 countries to take commitments to promote
international solidarity, gender equality and the protection of our planet. Civil society’s
expertise must be acknowledged, recognized and heard at the highest level so that the
decisions taken by G7 leaders are not disconnected from the reality and needs of the people
who will be directly affected by the G7 outcomes.

While the French Presidency claims to be progressive, it would not be acceptable for France
to roll back on its commitment for a more open G7 and to reduce the role of civil society in
this G7 when comparing it to previous presidencies. Such a rollback would represent a
dangerous precedent for future summits. In 2018, the Canadian Presidency granted access
to the media center of its summit in Charlevoix to non-governmental organizations. If France
wants to ensure the transparency and accountability of decisions taken at the G7, it can not
show less ambition than its predecessor.

Mr. President, the G7 Leaders Summit is an opportunity for France to reaffirm the value of a
transparent and inclusive multilateralism, at a time when some try to undermine the very
idea of international cooperation among nations. We hope that you will hear our call to
ensure effective participation of civil society ahead and during the Leaders Summit in
August.

Yours sincerely,

Signatory organizations, many of whom are active members of Civil Society 7, Women 7

1. Action contre la Faim
2. Action santé mondiale
3. Aide et Action
4. Alliance Internationale des femmes
5. Amnesty International
6. Association Chance et Protection Pour Toutes
7. Association des Femmes de l’ Europe Méridionale
8. Association des Femmes Diplômées des Universités (AFFDU)
9. Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs (VENRO)
10. Association Olympe
11. AQOCI (Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale)
12. BPW FRANCE
13. CARE France
14. CCFD – Terre Solidaire
15. Center for Democatic Education
16. Club Gen Startuppeuse ESSEC
17. Conseil National des Femmes Françaises
18. Coordination Sud
19. Du Côté des Femmes
20. En avant toute(s)
21. Equipop
22. Fédération Nationale Solidarité Femmes
23. Femmes pour le Dire, Femmes pour Agir
24. Femmes solidaires
25. Greenpeace France
26. Humanity Diaspo
27. INPADE / FOCO
28. International Center for Research on Women
29. Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC)
30. Japan NGO Network for Education (JNNE)
31. Le Planning Familial
32. ONE
33. Oxfam France
34. Plan International
35. Plan International France
36. Regards de Femmes
37. Réseau Action Climat France
38. Réseau Féministe “Ruptures”
39. Réussir l’égalité Femmes-Hommes
40. Save the Children
41. TERRAM PACIS
42. Theirworld
43. Uhuru Community Development Project
44. UNICEF France
45. WECF France
46. Women Included
47. World Vision International