The governments in the Asia-Pacific should prioritise structural justice and youth empowerment so the region could progress to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, Catholic leaders said at a regional gathering.
Achieving UN SDGs require commitment to ensure advancing human dignity amid growing inequality, ecological degradation, and geopolitical instability as promoted by the Catholic Church, says a press release from the Catholic Social Forum Asia-Pacific.
Their concerns are aligned with the Catholic Social Teachings spelled in Dilexi Te (I have loved you), Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV on Love for the Poor.
The forum brought together 40 Catholic leaders, youth representatives, and development advocates from across the Asia-Pacific region in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, on Feb. 27.
The event was organised by regional networks of the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana, International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) Pax Romana, International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) and International Youth Training Center (IYTC).
The participants described the region as standing at a critical juncture, with progress in some development indicators overshadowed by persistent structural injustice and environmental decline, the release said.
Keynote speakers at the gathering called for effective efforts convergence between faith and global action.
“We must read the signs of the times and design what we are called to do as Christians,” Anslemo Lee, Vice President of ICMICA Asia Pacific, said in his speech, underscoring the urgent responsibility to engage both the Church and the United Nations amid geopolitical tensions and global uncertainty.
Jesuit priest Jojo Fung, a professor of Loyola School of Theology at Ateneo de Manila University said the SDGs should be anchored in “a spirituality of love and justice” which is at the heart of Dilexi Te: “To be holy today is to be near to the poor.”
Rochelle Furtado of the IMCS Skills and Training Commission (India) said it is important to address the regional climate for true progress.
Without structural reforms promoting gender equality and equitable access to opportunities, progress risks remaining superficial and unsustainable, she said.
Marcelino Manareh, from the Union of Catholic University Students of the Republic of Indonesia, highlighted the importance of digital literacy and responsible narrative-building to ensure that faith-based perspectives contribute constructively to public discourse.
“In an era of polarisation and misinformation,” he stated, “our commitment to justice must be communicated clearly, strategically, and with integrity.”
Roshan Lobo, Secretary General of the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS), called for the institutionalisation of meaningful youth participation within the Church’s synodal journey and broader development platforms.
He emphasised that credible institutions must embrace intergenerational collaboration, particularly in areas of climate justice, employment, and peacebuilding. Youth, he affirmed, are not merely beneficiaries of development policies; they are indispensable partners in shaping them.
Adrian Pereira, a member of the ICMICA Asia Pacific Steering Committee, highlighted the continued vulnerability of migrant workers across Southeast Asia.
“Sustainable development cannot ignore labor exploitation and unsafe migration systems,” he stressed, calling for stronger regional cooperation and comprehensive social protection frameworks.
The Catholic Social Forum was launched in 2004 alongside the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India, as a platform for coordinated Catholic engagement in global social justice discourse.
ACI is a corresponding member of Pax Romana ICMICA.
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Asian Catholic leaders stress justice for sustainable development (UCANEWS)