President Gabriel Boric signed this Friday the project -which will enter Congress- that seeks Chile’s adherence to the Escazú Agreement, the first environmental treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean. The coordinator of the Escazú Now Chile campaign, Sebastian Benfeldvalued the President’s support.
The agreement -whose signature was rejected by the second government of former president Sebastian Pinera seeks to guarantee the implementation of the rights of access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making processes and access to justice in environmental matters.
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“We are pleased that the demand for greater protection of our environment has today been heard by President Gabriel Boric and that we as a country begin the official process to become part of the Escazú Agreement,” said Benfeld.
“Although this is a great milestone, it is also very important to bear in mind that for this agreement to become a reality for our country, it must be ratified by the National Congress, going through both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate,” he added.
“In this sense, as an organization we are confident that once the project reaches Congress, it will arouse a broad consensus and will advance very quickly. The protection of human rights and the environment is an issue that transcends political colors. and we hope that this is how the different political forces present in the congress understand it,” he concluded.
Escazú Now Chile is a citizen campaign that has been promoting this demand in the country for more than two years, mainly from the regions, and that today has the backing and support of more than 200 civil society organizations, in addition to more than a dozen of political youth from the left, center and right.
