Chaclacayo, Lima, Peru, July 6 to 9, 2002

International Seminar on Sustainable Development, on the Road to Rio+ 10

We, fourty eight members of the lnternational Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA-Pax Romana), coming from nine Latin American and Caribbean countries and from other continents of the world, meeting in Chaclacayo, Lima, Peru, from July 6 to 9, 2002, for the International Seminar On Sustainable Development, On The Road To Rio + 10, want to contribute to the process of the World Summit for Sustainable Development with the reflections that follow.

I) Vision, Problems and Signs of Hope

Our concern is centered on the situation of current and future generations, particularly the underprivileged and the excluded; among them, children, youth, women, indigenous peoples, peasants, the disabled and the elderly.

Poverty means unequal access to natural resources, and to a clean and healthy environment. Environmental degradation is another difficulty that the poor have to face in order to overcome poverty and advance toward a fuller human development, and enjoy the wonders of nature.

It is in our interest to address the issue of Human Sustainable Development as it derives from the confluence of two main problems:

a) a persistent state of poverty in which hundreds of millions of poor live in Latin America and the Caribbean; and

b) an accelerating environmental degradation, irrational use and depletion of natural resources in Latin America and the Caribbean.

There is a consensus that current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable. The current lifestyle of rich societies is not a viable proposal for us all, because its success will imply environmental destruction to the point of making survival impossible to most living creatures on Earth.

In addition, the deepening of the gaps between the rich and the poor worsens environmental degradation. In fact, the poor might aim to achieve a lifestyle similar to that of the rich. In their attempts to achieve this lifestyle the poor reproduce many of the patterns that deepen the ecological problem.

Frequently, a vicious circle operates: productive processes destroy natural resources and marginalize millions of poor people from the benefits that they produce, and, at the same time, the poor themselves in order to survive, are unable to contribute to the preservation of the environment and to an adequate use of natural resources. Even traditional practices, when submitted to growing demands of markets and dominant lifestyles, do not end up achieving the necessary equilibrium for a life in harmony with nature.

It is still common to say that to fight poverty and to protect the environment are contradictory goals. This contradiction is based on a vision of development as opulence without limits and nature as a mere instrument. Thence it is necessary to question both these visions. Human development is multidimensional and nature is not to be understood exclusively according to its harmony with human projects.

If we do not foster the existence of models of human development that, in a sustainable manner, eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and allow for the sound use of natural resources, life will become impossible in the planet.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is a paradox and a deeply immoral fact that at the local as well as at the regional level an abundance of natural resources exists in a continent where poverty is also abundant. More than a third of the population lives in poverty coexisting with great biodiversity, and in a region that possesses 40% of the world’s reserves of drinking water. An adequate eradication of poverty shall include, among others issues, policies for conserving the natural resources of the poor and for fostering their sustainable use.

Very often, States, in their anxiety for solving short term problems, such as debt service or the flight of capital, contribute to these perverse processes, through policies that encourage irrational exploitation of natural resources.

Ten years after the last World Summit on Human Development and the Environment, we notice the lack of political will among States to implement more concrete proposals aimed at a real human sustainable development.

An example of this is the absence of a Plan of Action with specific indicators of progress that compels our governments to fulfill their commitments in order to reduce setbacks and deficiencies in policies necessary in order to attain social equity and sustainability.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, due to the impact of global pollution, extractive and productive industries, urban transport, drug trade and some practices of peasants, as well as the existence of inefficient government management and control systems, we live in a particular manner the following environmental problems:

1. The greenhouse effect and the global climate change, the reduction of the Ozone layer and acid rain.
2. The loss of biodiversity, the destruction of natural ecosystems, the loss of flora and fauna species andof genetic resources from tropical, subtropical and temperate forests, savannas and prairies, wetlands and marine and aquatic ecosystems, and deserts.
3. Degradation, pollution and irrational use of natural resources in soils, underground, water and air.
4. Inequality in the access to social and natural resources, loss of the quality of human life, the deterioration of urban areas, and forced and sudden migrations.
5. The destruction of cultural diversity as a result of the current pattern of development which excludes children, youth, women, peasants, indigenous peoples, the disabled and the elderly.
6. Impacts on health as a result of productive activities, such as mining, petrochemical, agricultural, shrimp farming and others.

Faced with these problems, in Latin America and the Caribbean there are signs of hope such as:

1. The multiple and diverse experiences of local models of sustainable development;
2. Cultural identities which continue to maintain practices that care for the Earth;
3. The traditional food and medicine, which are increasingly being appreciated and recognized in the World;
4. The networks of intercontinental solidarity amidst the populations of our countries and their local problems;
5. The growing environmental consciousness in our populations to demand the recognition of rights such as: information, participation, civil society monitoring and to live in a healthy environment;
6. The growing sensitivity of citizens of rich countries, of some multilateral organizations and of some governments to environmental problems.

II) From a theological point of view

The wonders of God are revealed to us in the Bible, beginning with the creation of the universe and of the human being (Gen. 1 and 2). These human beings were given the co-creation mission of caring and enjoying nature, which they received to use accordingly to God’s will (Gen.2, 15 and 16). The original blessing and the alliance with God involves humanity and all living beings, and all that there is on the face of the Earth (Gen 9, 16). No life is in excess. Everything was created to exist; the creatures of the world are healthy; there is no deadly venom on them and no abyss rules on the Earth. Because justice is immortal. (Wis. 1,14-15).

‘The Lord Friend of Life’ is well known by everyone that claims saying: ‘You love all beings and you reject none. If you have hated anything, you would have not created it. How could things survived if you did not want them? How could they conserve there existence if they have not being called? (Wis. 11, 24-25)

Nature, which according to our faith is creation, is not exclusively for the use of human beings, even less to be dominated against its own regeneration. ‘The unreasonable destruction of Nature’ is one of the ‘sins that claim to Heaven’. Ecclesia in America (n. 56).

The redemption of humanity and of the whole world, tends to recapitulate all things created in Christ and to the liberation of the whole creation, which will participate of the glory of the children of God, and from now on will await its full realization, the ‘new heaven and Earth’ (Rom. 8, 21; Apoc. 21, 1). This implies a horizon of harmony between women and men of the current and future generations and between our humanity and all other things created, both as a gift of God which is given freely and, at the same time, as a historic task for humanity. The relation with God is the most adequate image to symbolize this space of liberty and gratuity.

In the fulfillment of our mission in history, we Christians find ourselves walking along the same road with many people of different persuasions who are fighting for the same goals and share similar values. With them we agree and work together for a vision of human development that presupposes no environmental deterioration, no depletion of natural resources that might be useful for future generations. But, more deeply, this development includes in its definition a mutually enriching relationship with nature. This development is possible only respecting the diversity of cultures and religions and establishing a fruitful dialogue among them. The different spiritualities express the richness and plurality of human relation with God.

Theological work must continue contributing to the clarity, depth, and full meaning to that dialogue in the benefit of humanity and promoting community and gratuity which are conditions of a human sustainable development. Nature is not a mere instrument of human beings and shall not be seen solely in terms of their objectives.

III) We demand To:

Multilateral Organizations

1. To assign funds to facilitate compliance with the commitments and agreements assumed in the Millennium Summit and those to be assumed in the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

2. That the United Nation Environment Program, the international financial system and other organizations influence governments for their policies to comply with the commitments assumed in treaties and conventions on environment and sustainable development.

3. That the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter American Development Bank and other regional banks contribute to the greater coherence between economic and environmental policies assumed in Rio 92.

4. That the WTO and other similar institutions orient global investment and trade considering sustainable human development goals.

5. That the G-8 stop demanding the debt service as it affects human sustainable development.

Governments of developed countries:

6. To comply with the ethical commitment to transform unsustainable production and consumption patterns, which deteriorate the possibilities of life and survival for millions of the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean.

7. To transfer to developing countries economic resources and clean technologies as part of new cooperation relations.

8. To negotiate bilaterally the debt through debt swaps for nature or environmental quality.

Governments of developing countries

9. To foster the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean countries considering the ecosystems in the region.

10. To respect the rule of law and representative democracy and the promotion of civil society participation, fostering new deals between the state, civil society and nature.

11. To create or consolidate the National Councils for Sustainable Development as space to achieve agreement around economic approaches to social development and environmental protection.

12. To revalue and institutionalize appropriate planning systems for sustainable development at different levels, setting up environmental policies and creating environmental funds.

13. Transparency in environmental management, in urban and rural spaces, elaborating and socializing information and incorporating citizen monitoring.

14. To implement Agenda 21 through local governments for an efficient local sustainable development.

Civil Society NGOs:

15. To monitor and evaluate social and environmental policies together with a responsible exercise of citizen duties.

16. To develop the capacity to propose solutions to social and environmental problems.

17. The commitment to promote local experiences of human sustainable development.

18. To link the participation of local movements to the global civil society, to increase the impact of their proposals and protests.

19. To promote better lobbying strategies for civil society proposals to be taken as legally binding by governments, transnational corporations and international organizations.

20. To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of civil society to contribute to democratic governance, assuming the coresponsibility principle.

21. To request the media to report in an objective manner and to contribute to encourage the support of public opinion toward a better relationship between humans and nature.

22. As members of the international civil society, we, as ICMICA Latin America assume the responsibility of participating in these activities according to our own possibilities.

Christian communities:

23. To promote the emergence and strengthening of new values that incorporate the harmony that shall exist between human beings and the rest of creation.

24. To help in the incorporation of the environmental problem in the teachings and pastoral work of the Catholic church in our continent.

25. To have a more notable and pro-positive stance in regard to the environmental problem. As a Christian lay movement, ICMICA Latin America will do its best to the advancement of these tasks.

Transnational corporations:

26. To incorporate a vision of sustainability in the productive process.

27. To develop new technologies that prevent and remediate negative impacts on the environment.

28. To subscribe to codes of ethics that assume the principles of corporate social and environmental responsibility, carrying out permanent evaluations and sharing information with local communities, integrating them as actors of the development process in decision making spaces.