Panama's Faith Communities Issue Urgent Call For Climate Justice Ahead Of COP30 -

2025-06-07 02:06:50

(MENAFN- Newsroom Panama) The gathering, held 19-23 May in Panama City, brought together representatives from across Latin America and the Caribbean alongside local Panamanian leaders in a strategic effort to strengthen capacities and generate momentum ahead of COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, this November. “We don't want more words; we want concrete actions. Faith communities are called to act,” emphasized Archbishop Julio Murray from the Anglican Church in Panama and moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, during a pivotal ceremony on 21 May at San Lucas Cathedral.

The event featured the presentation of the“Call to Action towards COP30,” a declaration originally developed in March this year during an ecumenical pre-COP30 meeting in Brasilia. The call positions Latin America and the Caribbean as key regions in building just and inclusive climate solutions. An ecumenical liturgy was also celebrated as part of Climate Week activities, demonstrating the spiritual dimension of climate advocacy. Jocabed Solano, from the Gunadule nation, an Indigenous community in Panama and member of WCC Ecumenical Indigenous Peoples Reference Group and the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development Working Group on Climate Justice, joined Lucas Dávilas from Caritas in reading the call, which urges governments to fulfil financing promises, guarantee full implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund, accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuels, support community adaptation, and prioritize voices of the most vulnerable groups facing climate change.

“Churches must commit to dialogue with owners of large companies that emit high levels of greenhouse gases and demand real changes,” the gathering concluded, emphasizing the moral imperative for concrete action over rhetoric. The event drew delegations from across Latin America and the Caribbean, along with youth representatives, Indigenous peoples, religious communities and social organizations, highlighting the urgent need for a multi-sectoral, values-based response to one of our time's most pressing challenges.

“What will we leave to those coming after us?” – Ecumenical pre-COP30 meeting kicks off in Brazil (News Release, 19 March 2025)

A Call to Action towards COP30

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