Santiago, April 25 (EFE).- The Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Escazú Agreement, the first environmental treaty in Latin America and unique globally for its provisions to protect the lives of environmental defenders, has approved a plan to promote and secure the safety of these activists.

"For our country, it is essential to ensure a safe and favorable environment for those who promote and defend the environment, to guarantee their rights, and to have responsive measures... This is undoubtedly the main milestone of this COP,” Chilean Undersecretary for the Environment, Maximiliano Proaño, said Wednesday upon the plan’s approval in the Chilean capital.

The plan marks a significant step forward in implementing measures based on Article No. 9 of the Escazú Agreement, which specifically addresses the protection of individuals, groups, and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters in the deadliest region for this type of activism.

SIX-MONTH DEADLINE 

As explained by experts and participants at the COP3 to EFE following the meeting at the headquarters in Santiago of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the leadership was given a six-month deadline to draft an implementation plan, assigning responsibilities and urging each state to adapt the agreement's provisions to their specific territorial realities.

“This is an important step... In Argentina, unfortunately, there are many environmental conflicts generally related to extractivism, occurring with fossil fuels in our Patagonia as well as with critical minerals needed for the transition, like lithium borate,” said Cristian Fernández, a lawyer for the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN) and professor at the University of Buenos Aires.

He noted that projects are systematically advanced without analyzing cumulative impacts and without consulting communities, hence the critical need for the implementation of Article 9 in these territories, and the approval of the Action Plan provides a safeguard for this.

INDIGENOUS ACCESS ISSUES 

While overall outcomes are positive, some issues remain. For Elaine Sabían Shawit, a member of the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) and Awajún representative, access to information is still a hurdle in Peru, where the treaty has not been ratified.

“It's not about counting how many are dead, but about implementing the agreement and how we, as indigenous peoples, protect ourselves in our territory, because paper tolerates everything, but we are killed with bullets. We call on all countries that have ratified it to also implement and protect territorial defenders,” she said.

Recognized globally as an unprecedented treaty that strengthens environmental democracy, the Escazú Agreement was adopted in March 2018 in Costa Rica and has been effective since April 2021. However, only 15 of the 24 Latin American and Caribbean countries that initially signed have ratified it, out of a total of 33 in the region.

Although Latin America contributes just 9% to global emissions, it is among the regions most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. It is also the world's most dangerous area for environmental defenders, with the highest impunity levels. The year 2020 was the deadliest on record for environmentalists, with three-quarters of the attacks occurring in the region, according to the latest report by NGO Global Witness, with Colombia and Mexico leading in the statistics. EFE

This report on forestry and land use is partly supported by the Climate and Land Use Alliance. EFE maintains full editorial independence and is solely responsible for the content.

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(photo) (video)

People of various nationalities participate in the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Escazú Agreement on April 24 in Santiago, Chile. EFE/ Elvis González

People of various nationalities participate in the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Escazú Agreement on April 24 in Santiago, Chile. EFE/ Elvis González

People of various nationalities participate in the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Escazú Agreement on April 24 in Santiago, Chile. EFE/ Elvis González

The president of the Conference of the Parties, Marcelo Cousillas, participates in the Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Escazú Agreement, on April 24 in Santiago, Chile. EFE/ Elvis González

Santiago, April 25 (EFE).- The Third Conference of the Parties (COP3) of the Escazú Agreement, the first environmental treaty in Latin America and unique globally for its provisions to protect the lives of environmental defenders, has approved a plan to promote and secure the safety of these activists.

"For our country, it is essential to ensure a safe and favorable environment for those who promote and defend the environment, to guarantee their rights, and to have responsive measures... This is undoubtedly the main milestone of this COP,” Chilean Undersecretary for the Environment, Maximiliano Proaño, said Wednesday upon the plan’s approval in the Chilean capital.

The plan marks a significant step forward in implementing measures based on Article No. 9 of the Escazú Agreement, which specifically addresses the protection of individuals, groups, and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters in the deadliest region for this type of activism.

SHOTLIST: FOOTAGE OF THE THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES (COP3) ON THE ESCAZU AGREEMENT IN SANTIAGO DE CHILE.

SOUND BITES OF A LAWYER OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES FOUNDATION AND TEACHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BUENOS AIRES, CRISTIAN FERNANDEZ, AND THE MEMBER OF THE COORDINATING BODY OF INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS OF THE AMAZON BASIN AND AWAJUN REPRESENTATIVE, ELAINE SABAN SHAWIT