Read also in: World Forum of Favelas: What if your voice could be heard? - Balai

For countries like ours, which are highly vulnerable to climate change, the future could be deeply threatened - by severe droughts, drastic rises in sea levels and extreme phenomena that jeopardise our survival.

But it would be simpler if we were just talking about the climate. The growing political instability at global level demands our attention. Do we really want to watch helplessly as a new world war breaks out or a new era of global tension like the Cold War?

In our calm and democratic archipelago, these warnings come like distant echoes. For those who live without knowing what tomorrow will be like, the urgencies of everyday life speak louder: unpaid bills, basic needs, constant adversity. In these circumstances, thinking about the future seems like a luxury.

You need a minimum level of well-being to achieve freedom. Those who live in hunger or fear are not free - even when they live in countries that rank highly in international human development rankings. Poverty is not just a lack of resources: it is a structural block to long-term aspirations.

Yet this is precisely why we need to make ourselves heard. Because change only happens when we become an active part of the decisions that shape our present and future. We don't want to be just a small dot on the map, invisible to the eyes of the world. 

It has never been more urgent to unite our voices - not just to say "no" to war, but to boldly and clearly affirm the need for peace. It's time to commit to life, justice, human dignity and the planet.

What good is an isolated voice? The answer lies in the strength of community empowerment. Alone, we can do little. Together, we are transformation.

It was in this spirit that we decided to take part in this year's World Forum of Favelasorganised by CUFA Global. Our contribution stems from the Round Table held at the Kumunidadi FestA collective declaration emerged, reflecting the position of community leaders on the future of youth, the impacts of climate change and the need for leadership rooted in communities.

This declaration will be taken to the Forum, which will bring together representatives from the 68 countries where CUFA is present. It will result in a international communicationwhich will be delivered to COP 30 and G20through the official representation of CUFA - which gives a voice to more than 5,000 favelas in Brazil and 68 countries around the world.

Is it too little? Of course it is. Do we need more spaces? Of course we do. The important thing is to think from the perspective of reaching out to different places with the mechanisms we already have or can build, and above all our "weapons" are to participate, to be present at decisions and to persist. 

Social transformation is, in itself, a collective act that only reaches its true potential when everyone is involved.