The Regional People’s Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was held online on 14 October 2025, bringing together 36 representatives from civil society organizations, social movements, and Indigenous groups from across the region and beyond. The assembly aimed to align demands emerging from local and national processes on economic, social and climate justice, while strengthening GCAP LAC’s contribution to GCAP’s global advocacy.

Opening the assembly, Georgina Muñoz, Co-Chair of GCAP, emphasized that poverty and inequality cannot be eradicated as long as military spending is prioritized over people’s well-being. She warned that despite strong mobilisation by social organisations and Indigenous peoples, rights continue to be violated and civic spaces restricted, with industrialisation and profit-driven models often placed above the right to a dignified and sustainable life.

Ingo Ritz, Director of GCAP, highlighted the significance of 2025 as a critical year for global decision-making, pointing to major international processes such as the Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville, COP30, the Doha Summit in Qatar and the G20 in Johannesburg. While acknowledging frustrations around limited outcomes from financing discussions, he stressed the importance of sustained follow-up, particularly on reforms to the international financial architecture. Ritz also noted that People’s Assemblies have now been organised in 35 countries, underlining their role in amplifying people’s voices and strengthening regional and global coordination through online participation.

A video was screened on the launch of the Economic and Climate Justice Campaign in the LAC region, which calls for the immediate and total cancellation of illegitimate debts, the establishment of fair, accessible, and non-debt-creating climate finance, and a transformation of the global financial system to serve people and the planet rather than narrow corporate interests.

Watch the video here:

Thematic discussions highlighted critical regional challenges. Laura Becerra of DECA Equipo Pueblo (Mexico) presented an assessment of progress on the 2030 Agenda, noting that only 23% of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets in Latin America and the Caribbean are likely to be achieved. While 41% of targets are moving in the right direction, progress remains too slow, and 36% have stagnated or regressed since 2015, reflecting deep structural inequalities across subregions.

Indigenous voices were central to the assembly. From the Peruvian Amazon, Carlos Lozano of Centro del Buen Vivir shared community-led efforts to support local artisans through fairs, access to funding, and women’s associations. He emphasized that different generations hold distinct aspirations — from youth seeking quality education, to women demanding participation, elders seeking recognition and communities striving for comprehensive development and basic services.

Attention also focused on COP30, to be held in Belém, Brazil. Mauro Pereira of Defensores do Planeta and the GCAP LAC Global Council outlined key priorities, including emission reductions, adaptation, climate finance for developing countries, renewable energy, forest and biodiversity protection, and climate justice. He announced that the World People’s Summit will take place alongside COP30, creating a major platform for global civil society to influence climate decisions, particularly those affecting the Amazon.

Further reflections from German Niño of Latindadd described the current moment as a civilizational crisis, driven by a development model that exploits nature and deepens inequality. He stressed that protecting the Amazon is a global responsibility and a historical debt to Indigenous peoples.

Closing the assembly, Daniela Torres of CIASE, Colombia, presented the draft Regional Declaration ahead of COP30, calling for debt-free, direct, and transparent climate finance, a just energy transition away from fossil fuels, full implementation of the Escazú Agreement, and ambitious, verifiable commitments rooted in equity and peace. The assembly reaffirmed that there can be no climate justice without social justice.

–