From March 18 to 20, around 50 religious leaders, representatives of different faiths, ecumenical organizations, members of indigenous communities and climate experts met in Brasilia to develop common demands and strengthen interreligious trust for political advocacy, offering political and technical analysis. Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean was present at this important event by its Advocacy Coordinator, Damiana Lanusse. From Cáritas Internationalis, the process is accompanied by the Senior Advocacy Officer in food security and climate change, Musamba Mubanga.

As a result of the meeting, "A Call to Action towards COP30" was launched to issue a strong call for climate action before COP30, which will be held in Belém do Pará in the month of November. The document is addressed to the governments part of the COP and was delivered to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, Marina Silva, who visited the group on the last day of the meeting.

Destruction of sacred territories

The document denounces the destruction of the Amazon and other ecosystems, as well as the impacts on the people that inhabit them, caused by large-scale agriculture, mining and the extraction of fossil fuels, activities that prioritize the accumulation of capital. Furthermore, it highlights the growing persecution of human rights and environmental defenders.

In this context, "COP30 in Belém is a crucial moment to reaffirm our commitment in our fight for climate justice. It marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a historic commitment to limit the rise in global temperature. In addition, it coincides with the need for each country to present updated and ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), demonstrating their commitments to accelerate climate action," the document mentions.

Call to action

The message urges governments and the international community to demonstrate leadership in five priority areas:

1. Deliver on financing promises: Demand that the necessary climate financing be guaranteed, prioritizing subsidies and new sources of public financing, under the "polluter pays" principle.
2. Guarantee the integrity of the Loss and Damage Fund: They request that it be operationalized immediately, including economic and non-economic impacts, and ensuring the delivery of subsidies this year.
3. Accelerate a just transition away from dependence on fossil fuels: They demand commitments at COP30 that include the transition to 100% renewable energy, the progressive elimination of subsidies for fossil fuels and the reorientation of these funds towards social well-being.
4. Support communities to adapt to climate change: Call on governments to increase financing for adaptation, including comprehensive health, and to present community-led National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), with protection of key ecosystems, territorial integrity and human rights.
5. Prioritize the voices of those most affected: Insist on the equitable and meaningful participation of affected communities, including Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, children, youth, women and human rights defenders, in climate decision-making.

Finally, the document reaffirms the commitment to accompany this process, joining efforts to achieve climate justice.

Download the document in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Ecumenical articulation and the role of Cáritas

Damiana Lanusse highlighted that this path of ecumenical collaboration began after COP29 in Bonn, and that since then, different members of different faith groups and Christian confessions met spontaneously. "This meeting was essential to coordinate efforts, prepare our leaders on the themes and functioning of the COP, and to prepare a common document: the call to action," explained Lanusse.

Cáritas International and the Regional Secretariat of Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean played a central role in the preparatory meetings, identifying and convening key leaders such as Monsignor Henry Ruiz, from Honduras, and Monsignor Vicente Ferreira, from Brazil. In addition, the participation of other Catholic representations such as REPAM, Laudato Si' Movement, Franciscans and Churches and Mining was facilitated. "This effort responds to Pope Francis' call to brotherhood and walk together, strengthening ecumenical and interreligious dialogue," said Lanusse.

Cáritas is committed to continuing to promote advocacy at the regional level, mobilizing national Caritas and episcopal conferences to actively participate in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention, which already has its well-defined objectives. "We must ensure that theoretical ambitions are translated into concrete actions that respond to the expectations of civil society," concluded Lanusse.

(Photos: Eugenio Albrecht/LWF and Bruno Dias Guedes)