Santiago, 18 April 2022 (TDI): The First meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Escazu Agreement (COP1) will begin on 20 April.
The three-day conference will take place in Santiago, Chile. Santiago hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
It will be the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation, and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is commonly known as the Escazu Agreement.
Authorities and official representatives of the signatory countries will review the progress of the Agreement’s implementation. In addition, they will deliberate on making it operational. Meanwhile, officials from countries that are currently in the process of joining will also join them.
Furthermore, the participating countries will address the COP’s rules of procedure. The discussions will include the following issues:
- Modalities for significant participation by the public,
- The financial provisions that are necessary for the functioning and implementation of the treaty,
- The rules relating to the structure and functions of the Committee to Support Implementation and Compliance.
Moreover, they will discuss strategies for the effective implementation of the Agreement and increasing cooperation in the region.
Firstly, the COP1 will feature a session entitled “Towards the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement and greater cooperation.”
On 22nd April, a high-level event will celebrate the first anniversary of the agreement’s entry into force and International Earth Day.
In addition, numerous official side events will take place virtually in the conference framework.
The Escazu Agreement
Twenty-four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have signed the Escazú Agreement. Twelve countries have ratified the agreement.
These include Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay.
The Parties adopted the agreement in Escazú, Costa Rica, on March 4, 2018. It entered into force on April 22, 2021, when the minimum number of ratifications required was reached.
