Some reflections on the Latin American and Caribbean context Alternation or political continuity: from the social implications ("Spring" to "fall" or another form of "spring") Learn to look where you've already looked at and try to see what you have not seen yet. Saturnino de la Torre1
Since the beginning of the millennium in Latin America and the Caribbean, hopes defeated the fears, and the presidents had "the faces of the people" and the policy could be re-‐politicize in to new national and regional partnerships, not only between different parties but also with social movements. The victory of the "NO ALCA"2 (Argentina, 2005) was preceded by the creation of the ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of our America, 2004), and this victory meant a paradigm that synthesized the re-‐ politicization of the unit and carried out the creation of UNASUR3 (Brazil, 2008), the Bank of the South (Venezuela, 2009) and CELAC4 (Mexico, 2010), the latter body included Cuba, which is still excluded from the Organization of American States (OAS). In this scenario, the participatory practices promoted and sustained the access and expansion of rights in the region, providing leadership and participation to new citizenship in the countries. This period of sustained economic growth of the region favoured different mechanisms of distribution of wealth by way of increased jobs, wage improvements and expansion rights, as a result of rising prices of raw materials. However, the dispute of development paradigm was extended to the field of political and economic and financial resources, and in several countries, companies media played an important and strategic role in this dispute in the interests of conglomerates economic and financial sectors, and their allied political expressions. The complexity of the reality we live in the region also finds its contradictions and critical points with the processes of corruption in sectors linked to economic interests of large corporations or criminal networks of drug policy and trafficking, as well as the weakness on the relationship between public and private which affects the capacity of governance and credibility of certain political practices. After several years of political "spring" and economic growth in the region, and considering that the democratic processes can produce actually political changes in governments and parliaments, it is questionable is whether the call political "Spring" that we started to live since the beginning of this millennium is followed by alternating that maintains public state policies that are essential for democratic and civic life, or this will be a longer period where another climate emerges with different emphasis and shades. While still not immediately fall to spring, the metaphor tries noted that situations could be turning from budding conquest of rights to other contexts where they begin to wither those achievements and the "fall" could invade the lives and dignity of peoples.
1 Professor of Education and Educational Innovation at the University of Barcelona 2
FTAA. Free Trade Area of America UNASUR. South American Nations Union 4 CELAC. Latin American and Caribbean States Community 3
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What bodes are different scenarios, and possible different actors in the political arena in the short term; then it is also worth asking: how prepared are civil society organizations and social movements and citizens, to continue the dispute for the paradigm shift development that allows more extensive rights and justice for the vulnerable and poorest people, considering the news other places and the other processes, practices and methodologies. This dispute also predicted that social leadership, stigmatization and criminalization, will increase, as is the case in several countries in the region. This involves the challenge of a reconfiguration of the "spring" from a social policy with other key mobilize the commitment, resources and actors in an articulated manner which integrates levels in local, national and regional. Neither can nor should be "more of the same", and for this, the strategic vision should include new actors and invisible and "non-‐traditional" subjects to increase citizen empowerment in relation to the dispute for changing the development paradigm.
The implications in the Church, ecumenical and interreligious field It is not easy to know how to count the pleasurable experience of profound joy at every step even if it is very little what we got to perform, and the feeling of solidarity to perceive pain absurd suffering, solvable in good measure, so much socially excluded people. Hugo Assmann5 Each of us is just a part of a complex and diverse whole interacting over time; peoples fighting for significance, for destiny, to live with dignity, to live well, with dignity, in that sense. Pope Francisco (Bolivia, 2015)6 In early April 2015, more than 30 world leaders representing different religion organizations, christian, islamic, jewish, buddhist, indigenous and ancestral spirituality, from sikhism and the bahai faith, among others, and with the religious organizations Group World Bank, formally expressed their commitment, through a joint statement ("Ending Extreme Poverty, a moral and spiritual imperative")7, targeting 2030, a goal also supported by the 188 member countries of the World Bank Group. In its common understanding, expressed: "As leaders of different religious traditions, we share a compelling vision to end extreme poverty by 2030. The achievement of this objective will lead to two games: acting out the best evidence of what works and what does not; and use our voices to demand and challenge others to join us in this urgent cause inspired by our deepest spiritual values. " In turn, at its 70th. Session of United Nations General Assembly held in New York in September 2015, member countries approved the new development agenda (2016-‐2030) that includes seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs).8 The ecumenical and interfaith dialogue gets a strategic significance when you have the possibility of becoming in to a common action based on the dignity of persons, and translates into active solidarity with other actors and non-‐religious sectors, including not only social but also public and private. Then the questions that arise in front of the field of dispute by the paradigm shift of development in the region spin around our own attitudes of openness to articulate different in other common causes of political,
5 Brazilian theologian (1933-‐2008) 6
Pope's lecture at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, July 2015 https://www.rebelmouse.com/faith2endpoverty/ 8 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld 7
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social and economic transformation, involving building new paradigms of collaboration and cooperation. In fact, there are actors and sectors leading the way, especially from the private business world through its commitment to social responsibility. But the second question to be clarified is whom actors should you linked with, because is not about a resource development action, but mobilization strategies to find it, which also implies a sharing especially with the most disadvantaged and vulnerable players. The success of social transformations is to have good projects but only achieve lasting and sustainable change through participatory processes where the dignity of individuals and their communities are at stake. Religions and spiritualties through their social organizations and communities play a crucial achieving a capital that empowers citizen purposes under more social cohesion, coexistence and inclusion. Faced with a scenario of lower economic growth, which involves slowing and in some cases economic recession in the countries of the region, the challenges to keep in the centre the redistributive public policies require the participation articulated of all actors and sectors in a sustainable solidarity that challenges even creative to corporate sectors that concentrate wealth and political hegemony way. Address shortages: not adjust, but share and redistribute with economic justice. The dispute of resources under the new development 2030 agenda established through the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is, as stated, a political dispute over the new development paradigm at the country level, in the region and globally. In this sense, even if incipient is the implementation of that agenda, it would be necessary to know what church, ecumenical and interreligious actors are involved with this process of the 2030 Agenda at regional level and with what other actors are related. At the regional level, there are some incipient processes of cooperation that could potentially have positive and significant impact on local social processes, as long as they engage communities of faith and religious organizations processes. Among the most important processes initiated during 2015, it highlights the II Regional Forum of Civil Society Organizations for Development Effectiveness -‐ CPDE-‐ where the challenge we faced is how can activate and promote participation mechanisms generated in a national and sub regional level. On the other hand the World Bank talks with religious organizations and civil society developed in 2015 in Washington and Lima, achieved a process of dialogue and cooperation in the region between the FBOs, the GBM and UN agencies, with specific purposes: a) help guide new perspectives of where they want to go; and b) assist in identifying countries where it can be more collaboration between FBOs in the perspective of SDGs. This process includes the possibility of implementing joint projects in regions or countries in the region where extreme poverty is evidence of concrete and categorically. Both processes, as well as the binding agreements of the World Summit on Climate Change (COP 21) held in Paris in December 2015, encouraging expectations that turns in a key open for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and would lead to more strategic cooperation processes and ecumenical and inter-‐religious mobilization that would involve the development of new dynamic socio religious as well as mutual learning. In particular, the possibility of new forms of "partnership" with more strategic perspectives on the participation of implementation mechanisms as well as accountability.
Revitalize the ecumenical movement. The distinctive and unique
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Finally, some comments on the situation of the actors of the ecumenical movement in relation to the political, economic and cultural changes taking place in the region: 1) The level of polarization into religious communities is a reflection of what happens in civil society and in several countries was already immersed, but now face the political changes occurring in the countries, these polarizations They breed and feed and run the risk of cracking the unity of the communities. Faith communities are challenged to develop as paradigmatic communities in the reconciled unity and diversity. 2) It is likely that the ecumenical diakonia has to be rethought, as the public presence and voice of the churches, promoting new paradigms and more resilience and strategic management. One of the key proposals is how diakonia is the embodiment of social and economic justice; diakonia and programs become strategic actors in the field of the dispute by changing development paradigm. 3) The ecumenical training should be a key for the renewal of leadership not only into the ecumenical movement, but also over other areas of society, with the ability to generate viable and sustainable proposals integrally bet. Training should be a true school of passionate leaders and equipped to promote social changes that achieve the fullness of the rich and dignified life. Address these possibilities and challenges, it becomes relevant the previous question: how prepared are the religious and spiritual communities, FBOs, ecumenical agencies and organizations of interfaith dialogue and cooperation, to continue the dispute for changing development paradigm that allows for more extensive rights and justice for the vulnerable and poorest people. In the case of religious, ecumenical and interreligious field this question must also be deepened with respect to their actual ability to be accountable, also legitimate to demand accountability mechanisms of implementation of SDGs by the states. They require organizations and ecumenical networks revitalized from their own parties and other stakeholders to address these challenges, this only way you can build another "spring" to open new paths with other Christian bodies, regional networks and other ecumenical organizations of cooperation established in the region. "The ecumenical movement proved a faithful response to the gospel imperative that all may be one so that the world may believe" Federico Pagura9 "A society is cheerful and happy when all its inhabitants feel good about themselves and their work, when everyone feel fulfilled and taken into account as worthy people ... When we dream, we were glad to advance the realization of the dream. But the joy is short-‐lived if we do not intend, with political will, to take concrete steps to approach the dream. " Elsa Tamez10 Humberto Martin Shikiya Buenos Aires, January 20, 2016 General Director of CREAS, Ecumenical Regional Canter for Consultancy and Service. Member of the Membership and Nomination Committee of ACT Alliance. Advisory member of the Latin American and Caribbean Council of Religious Leaders of Religions for Peace. Consultant on ecumenical and interreligious cooperation.
9 Emeritus bishop of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina and former President of CLAI and former member of the
Presidium of the World Council of Churches 10 Mexican theologian and biblical scholar.
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