In a context of increasing violence against defenders of the environmentand greater pressure on natural resources, various organizations of Peru have come together to demand Congress of the republic to ratify the Escazu Agreementa binding international treaty that will strengthen the protection of environmental defenders, citizen participation, access to information and environmental justice.
After being ratified by 12 countries, on April 22, 2021, the Escazú Agreement entered into force in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, although Peru played a key role in promoting this treaty during the negotiation process, it has not yet ratified it.
Through the Escazú Now Peru platform, which contains informative resources on the relevance of this agreement for national and global environmental governance, civil society together seeks to make visible the importance, but also the urgency for the country to ratify this treaty.
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“Our country faces important challenges to guarantee environmental standards. We cannot be one of the countries that lag behind in the protection of environmental rights in our region. The Peruvian Congress must ratify this agreement and give a concrete signal of interest in strengthening environmental institutions,” said Fátima Contreras, SPDA legal specialist.
Escazú Now Peru is the platform that seeks to make visible the importance and urgency of the ratification of said treaty in our country to generate a current of opinion in the citizenry, as well as in the main powers of the State such as the Congress of the Republic and the Executive power. .
Among the organizations that have joined the Escazú Now Peru platform are Oxfam Peru, Hivos, Proethics, Amnesty International, EarthRights International, Peruvian Society of Environmental Law (SPDA), among others.
FACT:
The Escazú Agreement is a key tool to strengthen environmental institutions in the country and guarantee a human rights approach in environmental management.
