Chilean President Gabriel Boric signed this Friday the adherence of his Government to the Escazú environmental agreement, a treaty that defends the Rights of Access to Environmental Information, and that must be ratified by Congress to make Chile the 25th country in the region to adopt it. Chile was the manager and participated in the preparation of this environmental treaty under the presidency of Michelle Bachelet, but former president Sebastián Piñera decided not to sign it.
The signing of the accession was one of the campaign promises of the new president and It is the first project that his administration sends to Congress within a week of taking office. “Historic moment! President Gabriel Boric signs a message for Congress to approve Chile’s accession to the Escazú Agreement, the main environmental democracy treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the Ministry of the Environment reported through its Twitter account. .
During the signing ceremony, Boric pointed out that this is a day to think about those environmental defenders who died in “strange circumstances”, referring to a series of never clarified crimes denounced by environmental activists, and assured that the activists will be protected during his administration. . It is “a milestone on the path towards a new relationship between the State and its inhabitants in environmental matters,” he added,
“With this signature, protecting human rights and the environment, we speak from Latin America and the Caribbean to the world, telling it that today we advance in Escazú and tomorrow we will do so for the reunion between the peoples that inhabit our territory and for the eradication of gender violence,” she said.
Boric addressed the senators and deputies of the Republic directly and urged them to support this initiative, which needs parliamentary ratification in order to enter into force in the country, assuring that “life cannot wait.”
At the same conference, the Minister of the Environment, Maisa Rojas, stated that this signature comes “in the midst of the worst ecological crisis in history” that requires facing it together. “The urgency is such that today is no time for more hesitation, it is time to take decisive and transformative actions, listening to science and also to the economy, because the window to face climate change is rapidly closing,” he added.
The Escazú Agreement
The Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, better known as the Escazú Agreement, It is the first regional environmental agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean and the first in the world to contain specific provisions on human rights defenders in environmental matters.
Piñera refused to adopt it and continue with its processing during his mandate, arguing that its terminology was ambiguous and could condition Chilean legislation.
Among the main points of the agreement -to which Argentina also signed, where it entered into force on April 22, 2021- is guaranteeing the full implementation of the Rights of Access to Environmental Information, promoting public participation in decision-making and favoring the access to justice in environmental matters.
It seeks to protect the most vulnerable populations from the effects of climate change and establishes special protection tools for activists, among other provisions.