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Second Meeting of the Signatory Countries to the Escazú Agreement Will Take Place on December 9-10

4 December 2020|Announcement

The gathering will be held virtually under the auspices of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. Representatives from the 24 Latin American and Caribbean nations that have signed the regional treaty thus far will attend.

The States that have signed and/or ratified the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean – known as the Escazú Agreement – will hold their second work meeting next December 9-10 by virtual means, due to the restrictions on movement imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

At the Second Meeting of the Signatory Countries to the Escazú Agreement, which is being held under the auspices of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, representatives of the 24 Latin American and Caribbean nations that have signed the treaty to date will continue analyzing the topics that were addressed at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties, along with strategies and partnerships for the Agreement’s prompt entry into force and implementation.

The countries that have signed this legal instrument – the region’s first environmental treaty – thus far are: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay. The Agreement will enter into force once it has been ratified by 11 States. To date, ten ratifications have been achieved, and several countries are close to concluding the process.

The meeting will be opened on Wednesday, December 9 at 9:30 a.m. local time in Antigua and Barbuda (GMT -4) by the Hon. E.P. Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda; Rodolfo Solano, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica; Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations regional commission servicing the Agreement as Secretariat; Danielle Andrade, attorney-at-law and the elected representative of the public (from Jamaica); and Andrés Napoli, Executive Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN) and alternate representative of the public (from Argentina).

At this second meeting of the signatories, delegates will continue discussing the topics to be addressed at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties, possibilities for cooperation and strategies for the Escazú Agreement’s prompt entry into force and implementation, along with partnerships and synergies.

The two-day gathering will include a special session on the occasion of the international day for human rights defenders (Wednesday, December 9) and a High-Level Event on the occasion of International Human Rights Day (Thursday, December 10), which will feature the special participation of Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Epsy Campbell, Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica; Mary Robinson, the first woman President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Chair of The Elders; Martha Delgado, Vice-Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico; and Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, among other prominent figures.

In addition, the meeting will be preceded on Tuesday, December 8 by a National Activity in Antigua and Barbuda entitled “The Escazú Agreement: empowering societies for sustainable development” (in person) as well as a virtual event called “Youth for Escazú.”

Journalists are invited to follow the live transmission of the meeting at https://live.cepal.org/escazu.

The Second Meeting of the Signatory Countries to the Escazú Agreement will also be transmitted live via ECLAC’s website www.cepal.org, and its social media accounts on Twitter (@cepal_onu) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu).

More information, including the event’s programme, is available at this link.

 

What: Second Meeting of the Signatory Countries to the Escazú Agreement.

Who:

  • Representatives of the countries that have signed and/or ratified the treaty.

Opening ceremony (Wednesday, December 9, 9:30 a.m. local time in Antigua and Barbuda, GMT -4):

  • Hon. E.P. Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda.
  • Rodolfo Solano, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica.
  • Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary.
  • Danielle Andrade, attorney-at-law and elected representative of the public (from Jamaica).
  • Andrés Napoli, Executive Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN) and alternate representative of the public (from Argentina).

When: Wednesday, December 9 to Thursday, December 10, 2020.

Where: Live transmission at https://live.cepal.org/escazu.

Also via ECLAC’s website and on Twitter and Facebook.

 

For queries, contact ECLAC’s Public Information Unit in Santiago, Chile.

Email: prensa@cepal.org; Telephone: (56) 22210 2040.