The origin of the Escazú Agreement goes back to the imperative need for the application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Sustainable Development, which states:
El mejor modo de tratar las cuestiones ambientales es con la participación de todos los ciudadanos interesados, en el nivel que corresponda. En el plano nacional, toda persona deberá tener acceso adecuado a la información sobre el medio ambiente de que dispongan las autoridades públicas, incluida la información sobre los materiales y las actividades que encierran peligro en sus comunidades, así como la oportunidad de participar en los procesos de adopción de decisiones. Los Estados deberán facilitar y fomentar la sensibilización y la participación de la población poniendo la información a disposición de todos. Deberá proporcionarse acceso efectivo a los procedimientos judiciales y administrativos, entre éstos el resarcimiento de daños y los recursos pertinentes.
Therefore, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2012, ten (10) governments of Latin America and the Caribbean, promoted the Declaration on the Implementation of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. Therefore, in the period between 2012 and 2014, meetings of the focal points were held through which the signatory countries approved the Santiago Decision, through which they initiated the negotiation of the regional instrument and created the Negotiating Committee.
Finally, the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean - "Escazú Agreement", was adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica, on March 4, 2018 and opened for signature by the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on September 27, 2018 at the United Nations head office in New York.
Despite the fact that the former President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, presented the bill to ratify the Agreement with a message of urgency, its processing stalled in the Congress of the Republic and the initiative had to be shelved. It was presented again so that it would have more space for deliberation, in order to clarify doubts about it.
After exhausting the constitutional process in both the Senado de la Republica and the Cámara de Respresentantes, the initiative approving the Escazú Agreement was approved last October 10 with a vote of 119 votes in favor.
What is the next step?
The document will be submitted to the Congreso de la República for conciliation, meaning that, the participation of both cámaras legislativas, for subsequent presidential approval to become a Law of the Republic.
With the tools enshrined in the Agreement and the implementation of the commitments therein, the national government is taking the necessary steps to comply with them through the following actions:
- Environmental Information Management Policy.
- Strategy for accompanying environmental defenders.
- Expansion of citizen participation in environmental decisions.
- Support for the creation and strengthening of citizen oversight bodies.
- Information system on socio-environmental conflicts.
The Agreement involves three (3) interrelated and independent access rights: access to information, public participation and access to justice..
Additionally, it is the only binding agreement derived from the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the first regional environmental agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the first agreement that contains specific provisions on environmental human rights defenders.
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Redacción por: María Fernanda Ortiz Castillo | Abogada