South, Central American and Caribbean Leaders Discuss Ethical Role of Governments, Businesses and Society in Addressing the Climate Emergency

The city of Bogotá, Colombia, hosted the South, Central American, and Caribbean Dialogue of the Ethical Global Stocktake (GST) on Thursday, August 21. As one of the four pillars of social mobilization leading up to COP30, the 2025 UN Climate Conference to be held in Belém, the initiative aims to examine the ethical imperatives needed to confront the climate crisis, with particular focus on the world’s most vulnerable populations.

The event brought together around 30 participants, including religious, political, and business leaders; artists; representatives of Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant and local communities; youth leaders, scientists, policymakers, and activists from across the region.

Among the attending dignitaries were Brazil’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva; former President of Chile and co-leader of the GES for Latin America and the Caribbean, Michelle Bachelet; Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara; Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, Márcio Macêdo; and the President of COP30, Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago.

In her remarks, Marina Silva emphasized that the GST “seeks to assess the current state of the climate emergency through the lens of ethical values, as a way of counterbalancing the ethics of circumstance that have deepened the multiple crises we are facing.” She added: “Our legacy must be the establishment of a new ethical framework to guide the next decade of climate action.”

Michelle Bachelet noted that the world is at “a decisive moment to define and implement proposals capable of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C.”

“We can still reach this target, as difficult as it may be, because abandoning it would mean accepting the suffering of millions of people, especially those living in vulnerable conditions who contributed least to the crisis,” said the former Chilean president. “The GST dialogues are essential, as they incorporate not only the perspectives of governments but also of scientists, academics, Indigenous communities, and others who understand both the challenges and the solutions. Only through such inclusive dialogue can we achieve a just transition.”

“This is not just about climate, it’s about a set of ideas to build a better world, a new world that we’ve always aspired to,” added Ambassador Corrêa do Lago. “Science is clear: we must act faster and more decisively, and only through an ethical debate can we find the right paths forward.”

The Ethical Global Stocktake reflects on the progress made, the road ahead, and the behavioral and systemic transformations needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, specifically limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The GST is inspired by the Global Stocktake process of the Paris Agreement, whose first official review concluded at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.

The initiative is grounded in the belief that humanity already possesses the technical solutions needed to tackle climate change and achieve ecological transformation. What is lacking, however, is the ethical commitment to implement them. The GST focuses on how to fulfill this commitment, particularly in relation to the climate pledges made by nearly 200 countries since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

At the heart of the discussion is the UAE Consensus reached at COP28, in which countries agreed to triple renewable energy capacity, double energy efficiency, halt deforestation, and transition away from fossil fuels. The GST reinforces the call for climate action made by the COP30 Presidency.

Led by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the GST process will culminate in six regional reports and a global synthesis report, to be delivered at the Pre-COP in Brasília this October. The final document will be submitted to the COP30 Presidency to inform climate negotiations and decision-making.

Addressing the audience/In her speech, Minister Sonia Guajajara stressed/emphasized that “addressing climate change requires strengthening global democracies and multilateralism, as well as ensuring Indigenous participation in all discussions. That’s why we must advance, highlighting synergies, land protection, and the protection of Indigenous peoples to face climate events head-on.”

According to Márcio Macêdo, “a renewed ethical commitment is needed from every citizen, organization, business, and government to tackle the climate crisis. This process of ethical and planetary dialogue, bringing together social, cultural, spiritual, business, scientific, and political leaders, is perfectly aligned with those aspirations.”

Regional Dialogues

The Ethical Global  Stocktake is structured around Regional Dialogues scheduled through October across various continents. The first dialogue was held in London in June, representing Europe, and co-led by former Irish President Mary Robinson. The second session was in Bogotá.

Upcoming dialogues will take place in, Africa, co-led by Kenyan environmentalist and activist Wanjira Mathai; in Asia, with Indian activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi; Oceania, presided over former Kiribati President Anote Tong; and in North America, co-led by Karenna Gore, founder of the Center for Earth Ethics.

In addition to the Regional Dialogues, the GST also includes Self-Organized Dialogues, led by civil society organizations and national/subnational governments using the same methodology and principles as the central process.

The Bogotá meeting was organized with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, as part of the regional consultation for South, Central America, and the Caribbean on the road to COP30.

Complete List of Participants – GST South, Central American and Caribbean Dialogue:

• Ana Maria Gonçalves, writer and member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters;
  

• Angela Mendes, socio-environmental activist and daughter of environmentalist Chico Mendes;
  

• Babalawô Ivanir dos Santos, professor and strategic advisor at the Center for the Articulation of Marginalized Populations;
  

• Bárbara Saavedra, ecologist and director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Chile since 2005;
  

• Blanca Lucía Echeverry, human rights lawyer specializing in Indigenous and traditional communities;
  

• Brigitte Baptiste, biologist, professor, and trans activist;
  

• Daniel Buchbinder, founder and director of Alterna, a social innovation center in Central America;
  

• Diosmar Filho, geographer and lead researcher on “Land Use Planning, Inequalities, and Climate Change”;
  

• Fany Kuiru, Indigenous leader of the Murui-Muina people (Colombia) and general coordinator of COICA;
  

• Frida Muenala, Kichwa-Zapotec filmmaker from Otavalo, Ecuador, and executive producer at Mullu Collective;
  

• Gisela Hurtado Barboza, Quechua lawyer and advocate for Indigenous rights in the Amazon;
  

• Juan David Amaya, youth climate finance strategist and executive director of Life of Pachamama;
  

• Juan Esteban Belderrain, philosopher and professor at the National University of La Plata;
  

• Julieta Martínez, Latin American youth climate justice leader and founder of Tremendas;
  

• Laura Bermúdez, filmmaker, cultural activist, and co-founder of Tercer Cine and the Honduran Women Filmmakers Collective;
  

• Lola Cabnal, Maya leader and director of advocacy at Ak’ Tenamit Association;
  

• Luana Génot, founder and executive director of Instituto Identidades do Brasil;
  

• Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, global climate and energy lead at WWF and chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission;
  

• Maria Fernanda Lemos, professor at PUC-Rio, member of the IPCC and UCCRN-LA network;
  

• Patricia Gualinga, Kichwa leader from Sarayaku and global advocate for Indigenous territorial rights
  

• Ricardo Abramovay, senior professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies and Energy and Environment Institute, University of São Paulo (USP);
  

• Shannon Music, COO and Strategic Partnerships Director at VIVA Idea;
  

• Tasso Azevedo, forest engineer, social entrepreneur, and coordinator of MapBiomas;
  

• Viviana Krsticevic, lawyer and executive director of CEJIL;
  

• Xiomara Acevedo, climate activist and founder of Barranquilla+20.

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