Speech prepared for delivery at the high-level dialogue organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to mark the entry into force of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (“Escazú Agreement”).
Thank you to Ms. Alicia Bárcena, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, for inviting UNEP to this event and for her leadership in making possible the entry into force of the historic Escazú Agreement. I also congratulate first, the twelve countries that have ratified this agreement.
The entry into force comes on International Mother Earth Day, which draws attention to the urgent need to restore the Earth. To do this, we need to deal with the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. By recognizing the right to a healthy environment, the Escazú Agreement is a powerful instrument to make peace with nature and build more just, peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies.
Crucially, this agreement is also the first to require regional states to protect environmental defenders. According to Global Witness, over 212 environmental defenders were killed in 2019, with over two thirds of these killings taking place in Latin America.
Unscrupulous companies in the agribusiness, oil and gas, and mining sectors have regularly and consistently driven attacks against environmental defenders. These are also the industries contributing the most to climate change and nature loss through deforestation and increasing carbon emissions. So we therefore urge all governments to also live up to their pledges under the Paris Agreement as well as under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Adding to these Agreements, the Escazú Agreement presents a powerful signal to those that murder, pillage and pollute their way to profit that their time is up.
Protecting defenders and enabling them to manage their lands will help to address the three planetary crises. This is because areas managed by indigenous peoples and local communities – who make up a large percentage of defenders – have been consistently shown to suffer less degradation.
But this agreement can only serve as a catalyst in our efforts to make peace with nature if it is fully implemented and ratified by those nations who have yet to do so. This agreement should also be seen as a step towards recognizing the right to a healthy environment at the global level. Although this right is legally reflected in over 150 countries, there is no formal international and universal recognition. Such recognition that all people, everywhere, have a legal right to a healthy environment would help implementation on the ground by courts, citizens, and governments.
I once again congratulate you on the entry into force of the agreement. UNEP – through its policies and collaboration with ECLAC, nations and defenders themselves – is committed to supporting you as you implement this historic and significant agreement.
Thank you.
Executive Director
