Pax Christi International is among the more than 30 organisations, NGOs and civil society actors that have signed a declaration calling for a bi-regional partnership between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean on just transition and sustainable development.

The document took shape during the EU–LAC Civil Society Forum, held in the run-up to the CELAC–EU Summit in Santa Marta.

Despite new prospects for closer cooperation on climate, human rights and democracy, historic inequalities and existing practices between the two regions still pose serious risks to local communities, the environment and sustainable development.

There is therefore a need to redefine partnership agreements on fairer and more sustainable grounds, based above all on three key actions:

🔹 Linking trade, human development and environmental protection through fair, binding and rights-respecting agreements;
🔹 Promoting genuinely shared technology transfer and the development of local value chains;
🔹 Ensuring inclusive participation, protection of human rights defenders, and full respect for the free, prior and informed consent of communities.

Read the full statement in English and Spanish here