Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean actively participated in the Bonn Climate Summit (SB62), held from June 16 to 26, as part of the path towards COP30 that will take place in November in Belém do Pará, Brazil. In alliance with Cáritas Internationalis, with the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Cáritas Colombia Social Pastoral and Cáritas Brazil, the regional ecclesiastical delegation reaffirmed its commitment to socio-environmental justice and integral ecology.

The delegation was made up of Monsignor Juan Carlos Barreto, bishop of Soacha (Colombia) and president of the Cáritas Colombia Social Pastoral - appointed by CELAM to represent the region -, Damiana Lanusse, Advocacy Coordinator of Cáritas LAC, and Lucas D’Avila, of Cáritas Brazil; who participated as observers in interstate dialogues, workshops, parallel events and press conferences together with various allies.

This participation is part of a preparatory process that includes recent milestones such as presence at the COP16 on Biodiversity in Cali (October 2024) and at the COP29 on Climate Change in Baku (November 2024). Based on these experiences, Cáritas LAC and CELAM promoted a training process for national directors, technical teams and members of ecclesial networks, which included virtual sessions and an in-person workshop held in April in Bogotá. At the same time, alliances have been consolidated with faith organizations, within the framework of an ecumenical collaboration that began in November 2024, and with civil society actors in spaces such as Climate Week in Panama, convened by the organization Transforma.

The agenda of the ecclesiastical delegation in Bonn

The activities in Bonn began on June 14 with a meeting between Cáritas Internationalis, SELACC and Cáritas Brazil, followed by active participation in sessions of the Climate Action Network (CAN) and in the daily morning political analyzes organized by CANLA.

Among the highlights are the weekly meetings with the delegation of the Holy See, and participation in a parallel event organized by Cáritas Internationalis on Agriculture and Food Security. In this space, Cáritas Brazil and Cáritas Zambia shared experiences on agroecology, conservation of ecosystems and protection of the traditional cultural values ​​of local communities.

On June 23, the regional ecclesiastical delegation held a meeting with representatives of the Government of Colombia, including authorities from the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of the Environment. Monsignor Barreto presented the Church's position on the climate negotiation process, inspired by the encyclical Laudato Si', highlighting the priorities of Cáritas LAC: Loss and Damage, with emphasis on non-material impacts and displaced people; Adaptation, focused on livelihoods and food security; and Climate Financing, in relation to ecological debt and fair and localized access mechanisms.

In that same meeting, Damiana Lanusse mentioned the parallel event that Cáritas will organize at COP30, in which a study on loss and damage in Afro-descendant and indigenous communities in Colombia's Chocó will be presented, in collaboration with SCIAF (Cáritas Scotland) and territorial organizations. The Colombian delegation valued these contributions, recognizing coincidences and reiterating its commitment to the inclusion of civil society. The dialogue concluded with the desire to maintain fluid communication and strengthen cooperation towards COP30, considered strategic for the Amazon and for the entire region.

Dialogue with Governments and Civil Society

During their stay in Bonn, the delegations of Cáritas LAC and CELAM also spoke with representatives of the governments of the Dominican Republic, Chile and the AILAC bloc. In addition, they held meetings with partners from the Cáritas confederation, from the NCCEA global network that brings together ecclesiastical institutions, as well as with the Claretians and Jesuits, ecumenical allies and various civil society organizations such as CANLA, Transforma, Greenpeace, La Ruta del Clima, among others. These meetings demonstrate Cáritas' vocation to build bridges beyond the official sphere.

Important moment for articulation and advocacy, an agenda by Monsignor Barreto, Damiana Lanusse and Lucas D'Avila with representatives of the People's Summit. There, the vision of this space was shared as an autonomous and sovereign process of civil society, which is being built collectively with a view to COP30, and which hopes to bring together some 10,000 people from November 12 to 16 in Belém do Pará. And when participating in an unofficial space in a public demonstration on climate justice linked to ecological debt, they met Greta Thunberg who positively valued the ecclesiastical presence.
Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean thus renews its commitment to the defense of life, human dignity and the care of the Common Home, building paths of hope with the horizon of integral ecology.