The Second World Citizenship Congress (POP Venezuela: II Congreso Mundial de Ciudadanía Verde 2020) was organized by Fundación Ambiental Internacional Vida Verde (Funvive) in partnership with the POP Movement on June 4, 2020, to mark World Environment Day. Engaging with rural, indigenous, and tribal communities from Latin America and the Caribbean regions including Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Venezuela, Perú, Paraguay, and Guatemala, the workshop went on for about 180 minutes. It allowed for a creative format to encourage communities to voice out their concerns and explore solutions by using the medium of art and their local culture as a form of expression.

The 65 participants from various countries were split into groups and they voiced their concerns and problems while identifying important solutions to these problems. The group from El Salvador discussed the droughts and rains due to the impact of climate change and proposed solutions such as native plant cultivation, natural reforestation, and returning to older practices to combat the problems. Paraguay, Mexico and Ecuador expressed concern about immoderate logging, plastic pollution, water pollution, and lack of water. Ways of managing these problems would be to practice reforestation, restore forest-free territories, preserve forests as well as work with young people. Mexico, Venezuela, Guatemala and Peru discussed the adverse consequences of mining and how climate change affects agriculture. Ways of combating these concerns would be to create a work plan for sustainable agriculture, implementing rainwater harvesting systems and soil restoration. Ecuador expressed concern about the oil industry, mining, globalization, illegal hunting of different species, destruction of areas and indigenous communities among other issues. Restructuring of the different environmental programs, prohibiting monoculture, regulation of livestock and enforcing laws to protect rivers and natural areas would help battle these problems.

The participants were able to creatively voice their concerns and present their solutions to the larger group. This allowed for them to draft action plans and cross-learn.

"It is unfortunate to know that all our indigenous peoples live the same realities, but we have also realized that we are not alone. By dialoguing, listening and demanding, we can make our problems know to be heard, and our worldview (Cosmovisión), culture, territory and cultural identity.” - Johan Ramos, Venezuela

"To combat deforestation, one solution is to work with children and young people to plant native species, also to conserve the forest and plant bamboo on the sides of the rivers to purify the water." - Natalia Rosa Tanguila, Ecuador

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