The launch demonstrated that the diversity of experiences and territories in the Global South is not an obstacle, but its greatest strength. Each speech offered a unique perspective, and together they revealed a collective vision interconnected by common commitments to justice, autonomy, and care for life in the context of climate finance.

From Alto Rio Negro, in Amazonas (Brazil), Josimara Baré, an indigenous woman representing Fundo Indígena Rutî and the Community Funds of the Brazilian Amazon Network, reminded everyone that forest peoples are part of the solution to the climate crisis. “Even with limited resources, we continue resisting, creating solutions every day,” she said.

This everyday practice of resistance and invention echoed in the words of Larissa Amorim, from Casa Fluminense (Brazil), representative of Rede Comuá’s Aliança Territorial, who defended territorial justice as a structuring principle for climate finance mechanisms. For her, real transformations begin with communities, which is why the approach prioritizes “philanthropy with people, with presence, with listening, and with joint construction.”

This trust in local capacities was also reflected in Joshua Amponsem’s remarks, from the Youth Climate Justice Fund (Global), who emphasized the urgency of breaking the logic of under-representation. Only 0.76% of global climate financing reaches youth, and even less reaches youth from the Global South. Yet he reminded everyone that youth is not absence of experience, but presence of the future. “There is real value in intergenerational partnerships to build and pursue a shared vision – not only for the future, but also for the present, because we want a present that is healthy and viable.”

In the voices of Artemisa Castro Félix, from Fondo Acción Solidaria (FASOL – Mexico), and Lisa Chamberlain, from Environmental Justice Fund (South Africa), a common vision emerged: socio-environmental justice is only possible when diversity is recognized and valued. Artemisa highlighted especially the protagonism of women in community struggles and the importance of acknowledging the different realities experienced by youth, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and afro-descendants, who, according to her, “represent ways of seeing and living life.”

Lisa reinforced that “each context has different needs” and that diversity is essential for Cliamte finance to function where it is most needed. She also stated that strong networks, like those composing The Global South House, operate as ecosystems in nature, and argued that “the trust present in a well-structured network can be a key asset in conversations about climate financing.”

Maria Amália Souza, from Casa Socio-Environmental Fund (Brazil), was direct: “The community has demand, knowledge, and solutions. Our joint effort is to elevate this reality, so that more people in national and international philanthropy understand that there is already a highly sophisticated fund infrastructure within Global South countries. Our proposal is for philanthropy to transform.” Cristi Nozawa, from Samdhana Institute in Southeast Asia, closed this segment with a video statement, reminding that local funds do not disappear in times of crisis. “We are part of the socio-environmental justice movement through the resources we provide.”

These speeches, coming from different territories and trajectories, together created a vibrant panorama of possibilities, not only of resistance, but of active construction of new worlds. As Josimara Baré emphasized, The Global South House was born as “a space to join forces with other networks, where our voices can truly be heard.”