{"id":14425,"date":"2018-10-02T15:20:24","date_gmt":"2018-10-02T15:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/?post_type=noticia&p=14425"},"modified":"2021-04-06T13:03:36","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T13:03:36","slug":"unprecedented-agreement-signed-by-15-countries-includes-protection-of-the-environment-and-defenders","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/unprecedented-agreement-signed-by-15-countries-includes-protection-of-the-environment-and-defenders\/","title":"Unprecedented agreement signed includes protection of the environment and defenders","content":"

Transparency, openness and participation are the three basic principles of the Escaz\u00fa Agreement<\/a><\/u>, which has been signed by\u00a015 countries<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Brazil<\/a><\/u>, at a fringe meeting of the 73rd<\/sup> General Assembly of the United Nations. The document is a landmark and establishes a regional commitment to the protection of the environment and the defence of human rights.<\/p>\n

The \u201cRegional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice on environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean,\u201d known as the Escaz\u00fa Agreement, is a judicial tool in the area of environmental protection, but is also a human rights treaty. The aim is to guarantee the participation of people and access to information on decisions that affect the environment and access to justice, in the case of violations of rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the positive points about the Escaz\u00fa Agreement is the provision for the obligation to protect people who are defending human rights involving environmental issues.\u201d Said Jefferson Nascimento, Advisor on the Conectas Development and Socio-environmental Rights Programme. \u201cThis means that countries are committed to both the security and well-being of these defenders, as well as to prevention, investigation and punishment in cases of attacks and threats against these people.\u201d Added Nascimento.<\/p>\n

The agreement was adopted in March of this year, in Escaz\u00fa, in Costa Rica, and was inspired by Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development that addresses access to participation, justice and information on environmental themes. The treaty will come into effect after it has been ratified by at least 11 countries. The agreement will be analysed by the Brazilian National Congress. This is a preliminary requirement for the conclusion of the ratification of international treaties.<\/p>\n