(São Paulo, March 23, 2023) – The Brazilian government should submit the Escazú Agreement to the National Congress and rally parliamentarians to approve it, more than 140 Brazilian and international organizations said today in a open letter to Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. This regional agreement guarantees public participation in environmental decision-making processes, and is the first to contain specific provisions on environmental rights defenders.
In March 2018, 24 Latin American and Caribbean States adopted the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean , also known asAccord d’Escazu. Brazil signed the treaty that year but did not send it to Congress for approval and subsequent ratification by the president, which is necessary to make its provisions binding. The Lula administration is expected to present this submission before the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement (COP2), which will take place from April 19 to 21, 2023 in Buenos Aires.
« Ratification of the Escazú Agreement would be a well-deserved recognition of the invaluable efforts of environmental defenders to protect our planet said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. ” After years of being hostile towards the environment and its defenders in the country under the Bolsonaro administration, President Lula should show them – and the international community – that Brazil stands by them. »
Full press release in English: online here.
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