Representatives from more than 30 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social groups took part this week in the second Rio 2016 Dialogue Workshop, staged in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Over two days of meetings at the organising committee headquarters, participants discussed various issues related to the organisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, such as sustainability, accessibility and education.

“This workshop is an important part of us continuing to have open dialogue with civil society – it is an open space for receiving suggestions and criticisms about everything,” said Tânia Braga, Rio 2016's Sustainability, Accessibility and Legacy Manager. “It’s very important that we have this exchange with society and know when we’re going in the right direction and where we can be better.”

Braga added that Rio 2016 was hoping to have more participants for the third workshop, which is scheduled for the second half of 2015. “Our doors are open to welcome more organisations each time. The more participants we have, the higher will be the standard of our discussions.”

Themes debated included venues, waste management, accessibility, procurement, food, education, volunteers and training. The training process for the 70,000 Games volunteers, demands for accessibility improvements in the city’s hotels and an initiative for workforce and spectators to use public transport for 100 per cent of their journeys were some of the positives highlighted by participants. Child protection, the social impact of the Games and the need to increase education about sustainability were some of the areas that received suggestions for improvement.

Ana Luiza Silva of the Instituto Ethos, which aims to promote socially responsible behaviour by corporations and institutions, said she was satisfied with the outcome. “It’s a very important space for dialogue and the format of the discussions allows for a real exchange of information,” she said. “It’s very good to see that the committee wants to hear society. We hope to see more participants in the future.”

Silva took part in the first workshop in December 2013, which discussed improvements to the Rio 2016 Sustainability Management Plan. “It was fantastic to see that a lot of the suggestions made last year have been adopted, mainly in the area of transparency, which is a demand of the population,” she said.

One of the participants was Tião Santos, a litter picker at a huge landfill site who was the lead character in acclaimed Brazilian documentary Lixo Extraordinário (released as 'Wasteland' in English). Now a community leader, Santos was also positive about the workshop.

“Brazil is going to host the Games, a grand event that will involve millions of people, and it’s commendable that they want to discuss with society how it will be organised. In one way or another, we’re all linked to these events. It’s very good to see people from diverse areas contributing.”

In between the workshops, Rio 2016 holds meetings with the organisations to discuss specific themes related the organisation of the Games.