The Escazú Agreement (formally known as the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean) is a historic, legally binding treaty. Adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica, in 2018 and entering into force on April 22, 2021, it is the first environmental treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the world’s first international treaty to include specific legal protections for environmental human rights defenders.
The agreement is designed to strengthen environmental democracy by giving citizens the tools to protect their local ecosystems through four main pillars:
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Access to Environmental Information: Governments must guarantee the public’s right to request and receive clear, timely, and accurate information regarding environmental risks, local pollution, and land use without needing to provide a legal justification.
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Public Participation: Local communities and civil society must be actively included in decision-making processes for major industrial, mining, or infrastructure projects before they are approved.
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Access to Justice: Citizens have the legal framework to challenge government decisions or corporate actions in court if they believe environmental laws have been broken or public safety is compromised.
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Protection of Environmental Defenders: Member states are legally obligated to prevent, investigate, and punish attacks, threats, or harassment directed at land and environmental activists. This is a critical addition for Latin America, which statistically remains the most dangerous region in the world for land defenders.
The implementation of the treaty has transitioned from establishing governance frameworks to enforcing concrete national roadmaps:
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Expanding Signatories: The treaty continues to gain momentum across the region. For instance, Trinidad and Tobago officially acceded to the agreement in April 2026, boosting public participation and transparency standards across Caribbean island states.
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The COP4 Summit Outcomes: In April 2026, member states gathered at the COP4 summit in Nassau, Bahamas. The summit approved key regional decisions to accelerate implementation, including creating working groups on pollutant registers and environmental justice, establishing clear guidelines for national enforcement roadmaps, and integrating a robust regional gender agenda to protect indigenous and rural women fighting environmental degradation.
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Ongoing Civil Consultations: To maintain transparency, the Secretariat of the Escazú Agreement launched a comprehensive 2026 regional survey to assess the real-time security situation of human rights defenders on the ground, allowing grassroots organizations to directly report corporate or state harassment.