Governance & Policy
Escazú Agreement
Definition
The Escazú Agreement, adopted in 2018 and in force since 2021, is a regional treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean guaranteeing access to environmental information, public participation and justice in environmental matters. Uniquely, it also requires states to protect environmental human rights defenders, in the world's deadliest region for land and environmental activism.
References
Overview
What it means
The Aarhus model of environmental democracy arrived in Latin America with an explicit human-rights protection layer.
How it is used
Defenders and NGOs invoke its protections; governments build access-to-information systems; investors watch implementation in extractive-sector permitting.
Why it matters
It links environmental governance directly to the safety of the people defending it — a gap other treaties left open.