Foto: Rede Comuá
Jonathas Azevedo, a program advisor at Comuá, is preparing to take over as executive director of the Network in October this year. Currently in the final stages of a careful transition process carried out with Graciela Hopstein – who will step down from the role of executive director of Comuá in September – Jonathas recognizes the Network’s growth in recent years, as a result of his predecessor’s work, and highlights the importance of celebrating achievements, while remaining mindful of the challenges ahead, including the expansion of the far right and attacks on civil society and democracy, as well as the dramatic cuts in the funding available to the social justice and human rights agendas.
At the same time, in light of this scenario, Jonathas notes an opportunity to strengthen the existing solidarity networks and connections, especially among organizations from the Global South, and to exchange ideas on resilience strategies. He also emphasizes the G20 and the COP 30 events that are to be held in Brazil, which he sees as windows of opportunity to promote the practices of socio-environmental justice and community philanthropy.
“A question that moves me is ‘how can I be a good ancestor?’ And it will continue to move me during this new phase. I will soon take on this new position with the utmost humility and respect, honoring what was built and accomplished by Graciela’s work, who has dedicated so much of herself to the Network and from whom I was able to learn so much over the past two and a half years, and by the tireless efforts of the member organizations, to ensure that the resources reach the communities and territories. I remain steadfast in my commitment to strengthen community philanthropy and socio-environmental justice, confident in its role in defense of our democracy and against inequity and injustice. The journey will not be easy, but I know that I do not walk alone.”
What position do you see the Comuá Network in today within the national, regional and international philanthropic ecosystems?
In the past few years, as a program advisor, I have had the opportunity to represent the Network in different forums, including regional and international forums. And during those experiences, the curiosity and interest that people show in learning more about the work done by the Network and its members is always quite palpable. In fact, it is an inspiration for many organizations. In this sense, I see the Network in a position of reference within the field of socio-environmental justice and community philanthropy. And getting to this place was not easy, especially in Brazil, where philanthropy is still very conservative and contributes very little to the fight for fundamental rights. So, being in this position is also about resilience, in a context that is quite adverse in terms of supporting civil society. What we have achieved so far is the result of many years of advocacy work, which must be celebrated, but it is also a message that we still have a long way to go.
As a program advisor, you have contributed to the Network’s growth from a mainly structural viewpoint. How do you see the coming period in terms of holding this position and even growing?
In recent years, I was able to witness important milestones in the history of the Network: the 10th anniversary seminar, the launch of the Saberes Program, the first edition of the Transforming Philanthropy Month, the change of the Network’s name and branding, its formalization… I have also witnessed the arrival of new members. And all of this in a complex time for the country: post-pandemic, the end of the Bolsonaro government… I am very happy and honored to have contributed, in some way, to the strengthening of our advocacy strategy. Now that these foundations are more consolidated and we are a formalized entity, we must keep working to ensure the sustainability of these efforts, because there is still room for the relevance and the political role of the Network to grow even more. As we often say within the scope of the Giving for Change Alliance, of which the Network is a member, community philanthropy and civil society actors are building “an emergent system,” on different foundations, according to other principles, different from those of the more traditional international development and philanthropy system. So, the practices of community and independent philanthropy already provide important clues of what these alternative futures might look like. It is a construction that takes time, but I am absolutely sure that Comuá, along with its members, still has much to contribute to these discussions.
What challenges and opportunities do you anticipate for the Network under your management?
The current wave of autocratization, with the growth of far-right groups and attacks on civil society and democracy, is undoubtedly one of the main challenges. This context directly impacts the work of our members, who are financing organizations, movements, collectives and society leaders on the frontlines defending democracy and advocating for rights. In this sense, the Network is an important space for political coordination and organization among its members, for sharing and support, like we saw during the Bolsonaro government and the pandemic. Strengthening this community will become more and more necessary.
Another challenge, which is also associated, to a certain extent, to this political context of diminished civic space and the rise of far-right governments, is the matter of funding. We have already seen dramatic funding cuts for international cooperation and philanthropy tied to social justice and human rights agendas. And this directly impacts the work of the Network’s members, whose funding comes mainly from international sources. On top of this are the recurring attempts by far-right groups to raise more barriers to hinder the arrival of international funding for civil society, bureaucratic criminalization, disinformation campaigns, scientific denialism, and other strategies used by these groups.
At the same time, I believe that this scenario provides us with an opportunity to strengthen the existing solidarity networks and connections, especially among organizations from the Global South. We already participate actively in the #ShiftThePower movement and other international networks and connections, and the exchanges on resilience strategies tend to grow in the coming years. Furthermore, with the world’s eyes on Brazil due to the major events to be held here, such as the G20 this year, and the COP 30 and the BRICS meeting next year, there is a unique window of opportunity to promote the practices of socio-environmental justice and community philanthropy.
Finally, we are starting a new cycle of strategic planning. Bringing the 18 members of the Network together in this process will be crucial to prepare us to think about the coming years and where we want to go as a network.
What do you, Jonathas, personally bring to this new phase of the Network?
A question that moves me is ‘how can I be a good ancestor?’ And it will continue to move me during this new phase. I will soon take on this new position with the utmost humility and respect, honoring what was built and accomplished by Graciela’s work, who has dedicated so much of herself to the Network and from whom I was able to learn so much over the past two and a half years, and by the tireless efforts of the member organizations, to ensure that the resources reach the communities and territories. I remain steadfast in my commitment to strengthen community philanthropy and socio-environmental justice, confident in its role in defense of our democracy and against inequity and injustice. The journey will not be easy, but I know that I do not walk alone.
