Colombina Schaeffer, Josefina Correa, and Sebastián Benfeld
Environmental Democracy team at Ciudadanía Inteligente (Smart Citizen) – a Latin American organization that works to strengthen and renew democracies promoting citizen participation.
By: Colombina Schaeffer, Josefina Correa, and Sebastián Benfeld — Ciudadanía Inteligente (Smart Citizen)
In Latin America and the Caribbean, environmental protection and the consolidation of healthy democracies are two aspects that are as urgent as they are intrinsically linked.
Indeed, according to WWF’s “Living Planet Report 2022,” this region leads the world in biodiversity loss. At the same time, its inhabitants express high levels of “dissatisfaction” with democracy, reaching an average of 64% in 2024, according to the latest Latinobarómetro report.
“A democracy cannot exist without a protected environment, nor can environmental protection exist without a healthy democracy,” wrote Ezio Costa, director of NGO FIMA, and our director, Colombina Schaeffer, in 2023.
In this context, the Escazú Agreement emerges as a valuable tool to address both issues: strengthening environmental democracy while protecting those who defend nature.
A Path Toward Strengthening Environmental Democracy
The Escazú Agreement, the first of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the only one in the world to include specific provisions to protect environmental defenders, offers a unique opportunity for the region to move towards a more inclusive, participatory, and environmentally respectful democracy.
Adopted in 2018 in Escazu, Costa Rica, the Agreement continues the path initiated by the Aarhus Convention 20 years ago, guaranteeing the exercise of three fundamental rights for all people: the right to access environmental information, the right to participate in environmental decision-making, and the right to access justice in these matters.
Additionally, and unlike its European counterpart, this Latin American treaty also includes specific measures to protect environmental defenders, a particularly vulnerable group in the region, which loses over 150 defenders every year, according to Global Witness.
Despite the progress this agreement represents, its effective implementation has faced significant challenges in recent years, with few advances in the creation of norms and measures to effectively strengthen environmental democracy in the region. For example, two years after the Chilean government signed the Agreement, it has only advanced 13.6% in implementing measures to protect environmental defenders (Escazu Ahora Chile, 2024).
This situation reveals the urgent need for greater commitment from governments and more oversight by civil society.
Civil Society’s Role in Supporting Environmental Justice
In this regard, Ciudadanía Inteligente has not only promoted the Escazu Agreement as a way to strengthen citizen participation and improve policies in the region but has also empowered civil society to demand greater accountability from authorities. From our experience, we know that a healthy democracy requires not only an adequate legal framework but also an active and empowered citizenry that demands the protection of its rights, especially on issues that affect us all, such as environmental matters.
From our experience, we know that a healthy democracy requires not only an adequate legal framework but also an active and empowered citizenry that demands the protection of its rights, especially on issues that affect us all, such as environmental matters.
In 2024, we worked in partnership with organizations defending the Escazu Agreement in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and El Salvador to co-design the first environmental democracy newsletter in the region (see picture below).
With two editions already published, the newsletter has become a key tool to highlight both the progress and threats to the implementation of the Agreement in the region and to strengthen civil society’s capacity for oversight and advocacy on the matter.
The challenge, however, does not end here. We know that local governments play a crucial role in consolidating standards and mechanisms to bring the principles of environmental democracy to ordinary citizens.
In this regard, we are currently working hard on creating a guide with recommendations for local governments to incorporate the Agreement into their policies and climate change plans. This guide, which will be available digitally, will provide concrete tools for local governments and organizations to advance environmental protection and the guarantee of rights.
Escazú: A Legal Framework and a Call to Action
In this sense, it is essential to understand the Escazú Agreement not only as a legal tool but as a call to action. Its effective implementation will depend on the capacity of civil society to demand that governments be accountable and protect both human rights and the environment.
Progress in environmental protection and the strengthening of democracy are deeply intertwined. Therefore, only through the consolidation of an empowered and engaged citizenry can we achieve true environmental justice that benefits everyone.