In order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ground-breaking publication The Limits to Growth, the Club of Rome decided to host its annual conference under the theme: Shifting from The Limits to Growth to Global Equity for a Healthy Planet: How do we ensure transformational governance?
After careful consideration, the Club of Rome chose to host this year’s hybrid conference in Costa Rica, which they describe as a “powerhouse in the protection of nature and environment;” therefore, a natural partnership with Earth Charter International (ECI) emerged and the ECI Secretariat, which is located in San José, Costa Rica, on the University for Peace campus, offered its headquarters as a venue to host this exchange of questions, experiences and ideas from 4-5 December 2022.
Around 100 participants from all over the world came together for the in-person events and many also joined the discussions online via Zoom. It was a great opportunity to interact and build bridges between the Club of Rome and Latin America and for members of the Club of Rome, members of the Earth Charter Movement, including some ECI Council Members and Earth Charter Young Leaders, and members of The 50 Percent, a global youth-led organization. The event also involved indigenous youth, members of civil society organizations, and decision-makers from across the globe.
The conference was a unique opportunity to hear from thought leaders, young leaders and indigenous people’s representatives from Latin America and to exchange with The Club of Rome Co-presidents, Sandrine Dixson-Declève and Mamphela Ramphele, Vice-president Carlos Alvarez Pereira, and many other voices such as:
- Salvador Moncada, Professor at University College London, Honduras and UK
- Josette Altmann Borbón, Secretary General of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, (FLASCO), Costa Rica
- Isabel Cavelier Adarve, Co-founder, Transforma, Colombia
- Ricardo Young, ECI Council member and Managing Partner of Cultura, Transiçao e Integridade, Brazil
- Susana Chacón, Secretary General of the Mexican Association of The Club of Rome, Mexico
- Marianela Curi Chacón, Executive Director of Fundación Futuro Latino Americano, Bolivia
- Vanda Witoto, Amazonian indigenous leader and politician, Brazil
Plenary sessions counted with valuable presentations from a diverse group of people with session topics such as:
- Shifting from The Limits to Growth to Global Equity for a Healthy Planet: How do we ensure transformational governance?
- Learning what we already know: Lessons from ancient wisdom still alive
- Learnings from Latin America to the world
- What is emerging: Seeds of good governance at multiple levels