The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 1) to the Escazú Agreement was held at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

20 April, Santiago, Chile - The 12 State Parties to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Affairs in Latin America and the Caribbean - known as the Escazú Agreement- as well as the observer countries that participated in the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 1) to the Agreement, held in the ECLAC headquarters on 20, 21 and 22 April in Santiago, Chile, approved a Political Declaration in which they reaffirmed the treaty as an instrument to promote sustainable development and an essential tool for governance for the implementation of the Agreement, The participants in the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 1) to the Agreement, held at ECLAC headquarters on 20, 21 and 22 April in Santiago, Chile, approved a Political Declaration in which they reaffirmed the treaty as a driving force for sustainable development and a fundamental governance tool for the preparation of better public policies in the region, with a view toward ensuring a healthy environment for present and future generations.

During the first working day of COP1, Andrew Scyner, European Commission official and manager of the Euroclima+ Programme, participated on the first day in the " Special Session: Towards effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement and enhanced cooperation", presenting the Euroclima+ programme as the EU's flagship programme on environmental sustainability and climate change with Latin America, which promotes climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience and investment.

The EU and its member states, parties to the Aarhus Convention, he said, have warmly welcomed with great satisfaction the important milestone of the entry into force of the Escazú Agreement, and the holding of its first Conference of the Parties. During different side events of the Parties of the Aarhus Convention and the RETC Protocol, the importance of establishing a more strategic and systematic cooperation was raised, which would be beneficial for both international agreements.

He also added that there are many points in common between the two treaties: minimum standards for access to information, participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, as well as general principles. Similarly, there are differences as the Escazú Agreement has stricter provisions on guaranteeing the rights of environmental defenders.

Furthermore, he highlighted that the European Parliament adopted the "Resolution on the effects of climate change on human rights" in which it "calls on the European Commission" to "launch a programme to support the Escazu Agreement in order, inter alia, to assist States Parties in the ratification and implementation of the Agreement, to help civil society to participate and collaborate in its implementation, and to support the voluntary contributions fund established under the Agreement".

"In our programme EL PAcCTO we are working and will continue to work in the future on issues linked to environmental crimes that undermine the EU Green Agreement with countries that have signed the Escazu Agreement," Scyner said. 

To date, he indicated, the Euroclima+ Programme has been developing and implementing some activities related to the key issues pursued by the Escazú Agreement; 

• The creation of an Amazonian Regional Platform of Indigenous Peoples, which will improve understanding of the role of indigenous knowledge, technologies and practices in climate management in order to strengthen their inclusion in the design of public policies. 

• The Regional Meeting on Climate Change and Gender Equality, during Chile's Presidency (COP25), which succeeded in exchanging best practices, challenges and opportunities of Latin American and Caribbean countries and Europe in terms of integrating a gender perspective in national strategies, plans and policies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change. It also contributed to strengthening the capacities of decision-makers to implement the UNFCCC's enhanced Lima Work Programme and Gender Plan of Action and to facilitate the creation and strengthening of a network of focal points on climate change and gender equality under the UNFCCC. 

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• In the EC+ Pavilion at COP26, the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change was launched, which started an inter-parliamentary dialogue between Latin America and Europe on environmental and climate change issues. Through a joint declaration, parliamentarians from the two regions committed to continue working to strengthen environmental legislation standards and contribute to global climate action from an inclusive and sustainable perspective. 

 

 

 

 

 

The European Union's senior official pointed out that the Euroclima+ programme hopes to be able to continue contributing in the future from the European Commission together with ECLAC, as a key regional agency for climate action, together with the rest of the agencies implementing the European programmes, within the framework of this key treaty on environmental matters for the region. 

 

  

About EUROCLIMA+ 

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. 

The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

For more information: 

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