This June 6, at 4:30 p.m. in Brussels (Belgium), in person and virtually, the round table was held with religious organizations, grassroots communities and political leaders of the European Union (EU), with a view to cooperation between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, which supports sustainable and comprehensive human development, answering the question: how can the EU-CELAC Summit, which will be held in the month of July, to contribute to cooperation among equals and promote global justice.

The President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), Mons. Jaime Spengler, participated in the session from Brazil, who in the introduction of the debate stated that “cooperation, motivated by attentive listening and the recognition of common riches and weaknesses, can lead us to find new paths for the development of our peoples,” by “evidencing the need to promote good

In search of common answers

Referring to the conditions of inequality that impact Latin American and Caribbean countries, the Brazilian prelate referred to some substantive contributions of the document provided for the next summit, by CELAM, the Commission of Episcopates of the European Community (COMECE) and the various Caritas organizations, highlighting that “the production and business models that are based on the exploitation of people and the planet; unfair trade rules; inequitable global debt and financial architecture; fragile democratic ownership of policy-making and decision-making processes; and unsustainable and unjust food systems. In this sense, "given that these global challenges and imbalances can only be addressed through recognition and international cooperation, it is essential that Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean commit to building common responses."

Working for a dignified life and the integral human development of people and peoples must, therefore, be a priority for government and political leaders, to give way to "the construction of a more just, equitable and inclusive society capable of respecting and valuing human rights." “Do no harm”

To achieve this, Bishop Spengler continued, “solid public regulatory frameworks that enforce the principle of ‘do no harm’ and redistributive policies that mitigate inequalities” are required. Likewise, "the growing role of the private sector should not occur before these solid mechanisms have been established and function in favor of the most disadvantaged. A paradigm shift is urgent."

Given this, the President of CELAM has maintained that "social justice and, in particular, a preferential option for the poor, are key to overcoming the structural causes of exclusion and oppression, aiming to transform our economies so that they can respond better and reduce the various fractures of our societies (economic, generational, cultural, digital, etc.), as well as the abandonment, exploitation and abusive destruction of the environment.”

Cancel international debt

In this sense, “trade must benefit people, not only markets and economies, and each economic activity must have integral human development as its objective,” said the archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil), also pointing out some paths of cooperation that must be addressed, such as “redoubling global efforts to cancel the international debt of Latin American countries and highly indebted Caribbean countries, so that their governments can invest these resources in education, health and social protection programs”

“We include in our recommendations several topics that deserve serious reflection and that respond to the cries of our people who share values, religions and culture, and that we invite them to reflect and open channels of dialogue and participation.” Among them, the President of Celam asked "to duly recognize the specific role of religious actors and confessional organizations, together with other civil society organizations, in supporting sustainable human development and peace. These actors should also participate in the consultation processes prior to the EU-CELAC Summit and, during it, relevant local or regional (inter)denominational initiatives could be supported."

At the conclusion of his intervention, Bishop Spengler stated that The EU-CELAC Summit is an opportunity for “fair and mutually beneficial cooperation, which goes beyond the outdated donor-recipient approach” and which “gives hope to the people of our regions, not only by offering short-term responses to emergencies, but by focusing on addressing the structural problems that increase the vulnerabilities of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and that cause disproportionate effects of global crises on their populations.”

The session also featured the participation of the President of COMECE, Mons. Mariano Crociata, as well as other participants from Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, Caritas Europe, Caritas Internationalis and other European cooperation organizations.

NDP: ADN Celam