Held during the 2020 municipal elections, the fifth and final meeting of the debate series on the Federal Pact provided an opportunity to shed light on discussions about democracy and sustainability in such a significant context, aggravated by the pandemic, disinformation in the digital communication age, scientific and climate denialism, and democratic retreat, encouraged by some governments with authoritarian traits in Brazil and around the world.

The debaters demonstrated how the decentralization of power among federative entities is important for strengthening democracy at this critical moment, since municipalities not only constitute the locus for closer political participation, but are also the territory where actions aimed at sustainability directly affect citizens. Therefore, one of the main conclusions of the meeting is that the sustainability agenda requires a large-scale deepening of democracy.