Between April 13 and 14, at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, Chile, the Interreligious Forum of the Ninth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development was held, under the motto “Transforming the SDGs through a shared sacred flourishing”.

The event was co-organized by Religions for Peace—through its Latin American and Caribbean Council of Religious Leaders—, together with the Interreligious Alliance and the Association of Interreligious Dialogue for Human Development (ADIR Chile), bringing together religious leaders, representatives of international organizations, academics and civil society organizations. Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean actively participated in the space through its Advocacy coordinator, Damiana Lanusse.

Subsidiarity: from the idea to the territorial reality

During Session II, focused on the subsidiary role and location of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Damiana was one of the panelists, highlighting the identity of faith groups, with their distinctive features such as territorial capillarity and geographical reach.

Lanusse warned about the "exclusion of the sacred" in global agendas and how this can translate into meaningless development.

This omission, which we understand represents a betrayal of the founding principles, is reflected, for example, in measurements focused almost exclusively on economic growth, even when this does not translate into shared well-being. Likewise, we are witnesses of international aid conditioned by impositions that often attack the idiosyncrasy and spirit of the people who receive it.

"It is impossible to promote the dignity of the person if local territorial realities, families and associations are not taken care of," said Lanusse, citing the principle of subsidiarity of the Social Doctrine of the Church. "Decisions must be made at the closest possible level to the people; higher authorities must support and enhance, not replace or absorb, local communities."

Challenges for an agenda with a human face

In her contribution, the Caritas Advocacy Coordinator highlighted that our lines of action not only respond to immediate needs but are articulated to strengthen local capacities, and with this they facilitate the localization of the SDGs through areas. impact of the 2030 Agenda:

• Food Security and Productive Resilience: We promote family farming under management models that optimize access to water and the use of clean energy in the countryside, transforming food banks into nodes of community solidarity.
• Human Development and Decent Infrastructure: We promote comprehensive training linked to housing and social technologies that integrate services efficient basics (water and sanitation), encouraging active citizen participation in decision-making about their own resources.
• Risk Management and Adaptation: Our humanitarian response and resilient reconstruction prioritizes communities recovering their autonomy with safer and more durable infrastructures.

Advocacy and Alliances for Justice: We understand that the defense of fundamental human rights and the fight against inequality are only possible through through solid and multi-stakeholder alliances. Therefore, we coordinate efforts with faith-based organizations, civil society, academia, the public and private sectors so that the governance of the commons is equitable and transparent.

Damiana's intervention culminated in a call to the international community to strengthen the autonomy of local actors and reduce financing barriers that limit the impact of aid. At the close of the first day, the participants adopted the Declaration of the Interreligious Forum, which will be presented to the regional Forum to ensure that the voice of the faith communities is heard in the construction of global public policies.

The meeting concluded by reaffirming the relevance of interreligious cooperation as a key actor in the promotion of sustainable development, the strengthening of the social fabric and the construction of a common agenda based on human dignity, peace and the care of life in Latin America and the Caribbean.