061 - Regional agreement on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean
061 - Regional agreement on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean
RECALLING Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (1992);
WELCOMING the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement), adopted by 24 countries in the Escazú region, Costa Rica, on 4 March 2018;
HIGHLIGHTING the fact that the Escazú Agreement was the result of a preparatory phase, which was supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean as technical secretary, and brought together government delegates, representatives of the public and the academic sector, experts and other interested parties, who participated actively, collaboratively and on an equal footing;
HIGHLIGHTING the fact that the Escazú Agreement was opened for signing on 27 September 2018 at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, requiring 11 ratifications to enter into force;
CONCERNED ABOUT the harassment and murder attempts suffered by people who defend the environment and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean;
NOTING WITH SATISFACTION that the Escazú Agreement is the first binding agreement in the world that obliges the Member States to protect and promote the rights of people who defend human rights in environmental matters;
CONSIDERING the opportunities that arise from the Escazú Agreement to contribute to a fair world that values and conserves nature;
RECALLING that since it was established IUCN has recognised the importance of the rights to access to build democratic, fair, transparent, participatory, sustainable and pacific societies, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and
RECALLING Recommendation 1.43 Public participation and right to know (Montreal, 1996), Resolution 2.37 Support for environmental defenders (Amman, 2000) and Resolution 3.081 Implementation of Principle 10 by building comprehensive good governance systems (Bangkok, 2004);
1. URGES the states of Latin America and the Caribbean to sign and ratify the Escazú Agreement on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean;
2. URGES the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to do their utmost to ensure the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement in their countries, with the broad and effective participation of civil society; and
3. CALLS ON the Director General, through the corresponding programmes, the Commission on Environmental Law and the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, with the available resources, to:
a. provide technical support to all members in Latin America and the Caribbean, including states and government bodies, in the implementation of the Escazú Agreement;
b. support the development of the skills of IUCN Members in Latin America and the Caribbean in issues such as: access to information, access to justice, citizen participation, environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment processes, the rights of environmentalists and human rights; and
c. share with the members in Latin America and the Caribbean material created by IUCN on the rights to access environmental materials (manuals, guidelines, and publications), and promote events and activities in order to ensure wide dissemination and the building of capacities in the entire region.
