On 7 March 2023, Belize deposited its Instrument of Ratification to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as the Escazú Agreement.
PGA congratulates Belize for this historic achievement, recognizing the important contributions by parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders toward this milestone.
The Escazú Agreement recognizes, protects and promotes the rights of all human rights defenders of the environment by ensuring the three rights of access to information, participation, and justice in environmental matters. PGA’s Climate Action Campaign, with a regional focus in the Caribbean, seeks to raise awareness and assist in the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement as a tool for climate governance and protection of associated human rights.
PGA invites parliamentarians to learn more about the Escazú Agreement and the role of parliamentarians in PGA’s Factsheet for Parliamentarians: The Escazú Agreement, an Environmental and Human Rights Treaty, available in English and Spanish.
Belize’s ratification of the Escazú Agreement is an important step towards the recognition, protection, and promotion of the rights of all human rights defenders in environmental matters, in Belize and beyond. With the instrument of ratification deposited one day before International Women’s Day, let us not forget that it is most often women, indigenous, and afro-descendant peoples who are at the forefront. I am encouraged by this positive step, look forward to effective implementation, and call on fellow parliamentarians in the Caribbean and Latin America to take action towards robust implementation of this unique regional Agreement to ensure the full recognition of the universal human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.Hon. Valerie Woods, MP (Belize) Speaker of the House of Representatives, PGA Board Member and Convenor of the Climate Action Campaign
Hon. Valerie Woods
Belize
In 2021, United Black Association for Development Educational Foundation (UEF) organized, raised awareness, and advocated for the Government of Belize to ratify the Escazu Agreement. On Facebook the UEF hashtags #bzeescazuagreementuef and #belizeansdahdienvironment documents UEF knowledge building about this "Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean." UEF hosted 3 Community Conversations online about the Escazú Agreement. The 3rd Community Conversation was held in the Afrikan Heritage Community of Monkey River Village, Toledo District/Southern Belize, on Holy Saturday April 16, 2022. Belize signed the Escazu Agreement on 24 September 2020. On February 27, 2023 Belize Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration Eamon H. Courtenay signed the Instrument of Ratification for the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation, and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean.YaYa Marin Coleman, Chairperson of United Black Association for Development Educational Foundation (UEF)
Senator Janelle Chanona (Belize) on efforts leading to Belize’s ratification of the Escazú Agreement
Belize Network of NGOs Press Release
February 22, 2023
On February 10th, Belize’s Senate
authorized the Government of Belize to ratify the Escazú Agreement. Belizean
conservation non-governmental organizations therefore call on Belmopan to take
the necessary steps to bring the agreement into force.
To date, thirteen (13) other
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have ratified the Escazú
Agreement. The regional treaty was adopted under the auspices of the United
Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in
March 2018, and is open to all thirtythree (33) countries of Latin America and
the Caribbean. But it must be noted that Costa Rica was not one of the State
Parties who helped to bring the agreement into force on April 22nd, 2021.
Several States, civil society organisations and international organisations, as
well as the UN Secretary-General, have welcomed the legally binding agreement,
which aims to translate into legal terms Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration
on informed public participation in environmental matters.
Within this context, to delay
ratification based on decisions made by thе Gоvеrnmеnt оf Соѕtа Rіса would
undermine Belize’s repeatedly stated endorsement for the Escazú Agreement. On
January 12th, 2023, Minister of Sustainable Development, Disaster Risk and
Climate Change, Orlando Habet told the media, “I am happy that I could have
taken that document to cabinet. We already signed the agreement, but it needed
(to be) ratified. Cabinet gave its full support showing that our government is
certainly willing and truthfully engaging the public because it provides
information, accessibility and justice. So as you mentioned what we have to do
now is to see how the department can look at the areas that have to be
strengthened. I think during the past administration the Attorney General had
identified some areas that need to be strengthened. We already have some acts
like the Freedom of Information act that provides some of that accessibility to
information. But we have to strengthen all legislation that will guide the
effectiveness of the Escazú agreement.” (Transcript courtesy Love News)
The Belizean conservation community looks forward to collaborating with the Government of Belize to design the required mechanisms necessary to ensure the effective implementation of of the Escazú agreement as soon as possible.
ENDS.
