Dear friends,
 

Today, 22 April, we celebrate International Mother Earth Day as well as a crucial milestone environmental democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean: the entry into force four years ago of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement), following the deposit of the eleventh instrument of ratification. This landmark moment in regional multilateral cooperation solidified a shared commitment to environmental rights as essential pillars of sustainable development, democratic governance and the protection of environmental defenders.

The Escazú Agreement is more than a treaty, it is a collective achievement by the States of the region and the public, reflecting the spirit of democracy. It is the first environmental instrument in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the first of its kind in the world that is an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). It is also groundbreaking in that it includes specific provisions to promote, protect and safeguard human rights defenders in environmental matters. With its focus on environmental justice, transparency and inclusive participation, the Agreement seeks to ensure the right of present and future generations to live in a healthy environment and their right to sustainable development, through capacity-building and regional cooperation, leaving no one behind.

The Escazú Agreement enjoys significant support: 24 countries have signed it and 17 have ratified or acceded to it, becoming States Parties. Today, we congratulate these 17 countries, which account for about 44% of the region’s population, because they have taken a major step towards building more informed, participatory and just societies. Their commitment has provided them with a solid legal framework to ensure access to environmental information, meaningful citizen participation and access to justice in environmental matters, essential elements for protecting our planet and advancing sustainable development.

We therefore invite those countries that have yet to do so, to take decisive steps towards ratification of the Agreement, for the good of our societies, institutions, democracy and, of course, for the good of Mother Earth.

This is also a significant year for climate action. Brazil will host the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Caring for those who protect the planet is caring for our common future.

We firmly believe that in order to break out of the traps of low capacity for growth, high inequality and low social cohesion that affect our region, and to shift to an environmentally sustainable and inclusive development model, we must strengthen democratic governance and institutional capacities. The Escazú Agreement —developed by and for the region— is a powerful tool in that regard and lays the necessary foundation for promoting social dialogue, planning for the future and formulating transformative policies to meet the challenges of our time.

While our region is the most dangerous in the world for those who defend the environment, the Agreement sets forth specific provisions for their protection. Three Annual Forums on Human Rights Defenders on Environmental Matters of Latin America and the Caribbean have already been held. At the most recent Forum, held in Saint Kitts and Nevis, representatives of civil society, communities, environmental defenders, international organizations and national authorities shared assessments, experiences and proposals to advance the implementation of the Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, adopted at the third meeting of the Conference of the Parties, held in 2024.

This deeply symbolic and momentous day is also an occasion for us to renew our commitment to the Escazú Agreement and its full implementation. We are called to redouble our efforts to ensure environmental rights and to protect those who protect Mother Earth against present and future challenges.

In a rapidly changing global context, Latin America and the Caribbean —one of the world’s most diverse and naturally rich regions— has the opportunity to shape transformations with a vision of development that brings together economic growth, equality, socioenvironmental justice and intergenerational solidarity.

This is the course that the Escazú Agreement has charted for us and which we must follow resolutely.

Sincerely,

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs                                                                        Edgardo Ortuño Silva
Executive Secretary                                                                                 Minister for the Environment of Uruguay
Economic Commission for                                                           Chair of the Presiding Officers of the Escazú Agreement
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)