CIPÓ joined forces with 142 other civil society organizations to ask Brazil to ratify the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as the Escazú Agreement.
In a letter sent this thursday (23) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and nine other ministries, the group of organisations reinforce the importance of mobilizing all the necessary efforts by the relevant public authorities to facilitate a rapid ratification of the agreement.
Signed in 2018 in Costa Rica, the treaty strengthens the links between human rights and environmental protection, imposing responsibilities on Member States regarding the rights of environmental defenders. The agreement include provisions to investigate and punish attacks, threats or intimidation against defenders.
President Lula needs to send the agreement’s text to Congress for approval and subsequent ratification. This gesture would signal Brazil’s willingness to cooperate regionally to combat deforestation, defend the rights of forest peoples and assume a leading role in responding to the climate crisis.
In addition, it will strengthen the capacity of male and female defenders to participate in environmental decision-making processes and continue fighting for the protection of the environment.
The agreement was developed, from the beginning, with civil society participation at its core. People can and should follow the negotiations around its ratification and implementation closely.
CIPÓ has already produced articles on the subject, published by Le Monde Diplomatique and Folha de S.Paulo.
