In view of a renewed people-centred and hope-giving EU-CELAC partnership, Caritas Europa, Cáritas de América Latina y Caribe, COMECE and CELAM, in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis, wish to contribute to the upcoming Summit and beyond with reflections, best practices and recommendations based on their daily experience of accompaniment and engagement at the side of people experiencing poverty and in conditions of vulnerability.
At a time marked by deep global political, economic, social and humanitarian crises, our organizations welcome the EU-CELAC Summit, planned to take place in Brussels, on 17 and 18 July 2023, bringing together heads of State and government from the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, as an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the two regions and their peoples, and engage in unity for a world based on the principles of justice, solidarity, fraternity and sustainability that leaves no one behind.
Offering a ‘prophetic vision’ rooted in today’s reality, we propose to orient the future EU-CELAC partnership around three pillars: 1) Integral human development and social justice; 2) Integral ecology and care for our common home; and 3) Peace and a culture of encounter. Under each pillar, we suggest several areas and concrete initiatives to put this vision into action.