Cecilia Maurente: “Faith-based organizations play an important role today, as part of civil society organizations”

Cecilia Maurente (UNFPA)

Cecilia Maurente (UNFPA)

ARGENTINA-

In an interview with Dr. Cecilia Maurente Beherns, in charge of the program at the regional office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Latin America and the Caribbean, and invited by the Latin American Council of  Churches (CLAI for its acronym in Spanish) to explain the phenomenon of poverty and inequality in the region, she said.

ALC: which are now the specific ways to empower those who are voiceless in Latin America?

Faith-based organizations play currently a very important role as part of organized civil society because they work directly with the communities, with people and their needs, and know better than anyone else their needs. Besides they are natural facilitators between different bodies, whether local or national governments in order bring the voice of these people to relevant authorities.

Another important issue is that these organizations provide overall health and education in many countries where there is really no other possibilities

ALC: talking about development, what is the role that plays the collective construction of a “transcendent hope” that Christian churches on the continent stress, in everyday life?

I think it’s a very important role. As UN official and endorsing our global agreements, we recognize the role that allows this encounter between the faith world and the secular “development” world. Many years ago we conclude that both the faith world, so as our secular world are not mutually exclusive, but rather are complementary to work for development within a framework of law, justice, equality and equity.

ALC. According to your understanding of this topic, would you say that now exists a search for spirituality within this frameworks of global agreement? Is there a perception of “spirituality” in its broadest sense, or is it simply an attempt to improve conditions of economic welfare for people suffering the ravages of the current global economic system?

I could not use a particular adjective to tell if this is so, but what I can is that  all people, all agencies at the global and regional level, are looking for the exercise of human rights, recognizing the dignity of all human beings, and that  we must have access to justice. That men and women are equal; to know that  there will not be more pregnant girls, that no woman will suffer gender violence in our continent. In this sense I can say that we do have found a common development agenda and work.

Leonardo Felix

Translation: David Waszuk

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