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From 24 to 29 April, the governments of Colombia and the Netherlands will host the first Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels (TAFF) in Santa Marta, Colombia. 45 governments confirmed their participation so far. Agreed at COP30 in Belém last November, the conference will bring together governments, civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, workers, academia, and the private sector for one shared purpose: turning the commitment to leave fossil fuels behind into concrete, actionable pathways.
“Through ethical leadership and genuine bridge-building, governments must transform voluntary commitments into durable progress.”
Catholic Actors’ Statement for Santa Marta
Read: “A Moral Moment to Deliver Action for Our Common Home”,
Catholic Actors’ Statement for Santa Marta. (ES)
CIDSE is working closely Catholic allies in Colombia: CELAM, Cáritas Colombia and the Diocese of Santa Marta, and will join Catholic actors from across the world to affirm a clear message: this transition is not only urgent, it is a moral imperative.
OUR DELEGATION
CIDSE will be represented in Santa Marta by staff from the Secretariat, its member organisations: Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (USA) and Misereor (Germany) and allied organisation: CRS (USA).
OUR OBJECTIVES
Through various spaces, CIDSE aims to:
- Strengthen coordination among Catholic actors
- Amplify the voices of communities directly affected by fossil fuel extraction
- Influence official delegations in collaboration with faith actors and partners to amplify CIDSE’s moral voice
- Connect faith actors and broader civil society networks around the momentum on the phase out of fossil fuels towards the June UNFCCC climate negotiations (SB64, Bonn) and COP31 in November in Antalya, Türkiye
PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES (all events are indicated in local time: GMT-6 / CEST-7)
| 24 APRIL |
08:00-18:00: Meeting of Spiritualities for a transition beyond fossil fuels / Encuentro de Espiritualidades por una transición más allá de los combustibles fósiles. Language: Spanish. Participation upon invitation.
Venue: Colegio Diocesano San José.
| 24-26 APRIL |
People’s summit for a fossil free future / Cumbre de los pueblos por un future libre de combustibles fosiles. Venue: Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia & Universidad del Magdalena
| 26 APRIL |
12:00-13:00: Mass celebrated by Msgr. Juan Carlos Barreto, President of Cáritas Colombia and Msgr. José Mario Bacci, Bishop of Santa Marta.
Venue: Catedral Basílica de Santa Marta
| 27 APRIL |
10:00-11:00: Press conference organised by the Episcopal Conference of Latin America (CELAM), Cáritas Colombia and CIDSE. Language: Spanish. Participation upon invitation. Venue: Colegio Diocesano San José.
| 28-29 APRIL |
Official conference high level segment meeting. Venue: Centro de Convenciones Estelar
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
A Catholic Theological Reflection on the Proposal for a Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative
Supported by Laudato Si’ Movement, REMAM, CAFOD, CIDSE, Jesuit Institute South Africa, CLAR, JPIC Commission USG-UISG, IMDOSOC, Caritas Internationalis, Iglesias y Minería, Instituto Mexicano de Doctrina Social Cristiana, Trócaire, Jesuits Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat, March 2026
Manifesto of the Churches of the Global South for our Common Home: Towards peace with creation: an urgent call for’ a just transition beyond fossil fuels’. (EN – ES – FR – IT – PT).
The manifesto was officially launched at a webinar on 16 March co-organised by Laudato Si’ Movement.
Watch the recording.
CIDSE ONSITE CONTACT (22-30 April)
Pedro Guzmán Pérez
Energy and Extractivism Officer
guzman(at)cidse.org
Cover photo : Global climate march during COP30 conference, Brazil, November 2025. Credit: Hellen Loures/CIMI. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0