The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Third Sector in Brazil

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is a phenomenon that has already claimed millions of lives and has generated an enormous health, social and economic impact across the globe. The world has been confronted with two simultaneous crises: a humanitarian crisis and a crisis of the rule of law, both of which have severely undermined human security, particularly in countries that, even without the disruption caused by the pandemic, have been far from perfect in providing their citizens with a sense of security on many levels. In such circumstances, the role of civil society and third sector organizations is increasingly important. They try to supplement the insufficient means provided by state institutions and reach out to the most vulnerable sectors of society. However, NGOs, due to the specific nature of their functioning and sources of funding, are also particularly vulnerable. An illustration of the multifaceted problems the third sector faces because of the pandemic is presented with Brazil as the example. The article analyzes that country by taking into consideration two factors – a difficult situation caused by the pandemic as far as human security is concerned in its various dimensions, as well as the political aspect related to the role of the Brazil’s president in view of this extraordinary challenge. The hypothesis is that the reluctant attitude of the president towards civil society rooted in his political authoritarian views hinders the functioning of the third sector. The question is to what extent Bolsonaro’s decisions impact the activity of Brazilian NGOs in times when the country needs them most. The theoretical component of the article refers to the notions of human security and the third sector.