Joint Statement of Costa Rica and Chile on the opening for the signing of the Escazú Agreement at the United Nations General Assembly

Three months after 24 countries of the region adopted the Escazú Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile and Costa Rica reaffirm their commitment to the signing and early entry into force of this Agreement, which is the first binding instrument on environmental issues in our region.

The "Escazú Agreement" is a pioneer in several respects, including being the first treaty in the world to provide guarantees for the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters. It will be opened for signature by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on September 27, 2018, on the occasion of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

As co-chairs of the negotiation process of the Escazú Agreement, Costa Rica and Chile reiterate their firm commitment to continue to guide the work necessary for the holding of the first Conference of the Parties, with the support of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean as Technical Secretariat.

Both co-chairs invite all thirty-three governments in the region to sign this important treaty and contribute to a more comprehensive protection of the environment and the strengthening of human rights through its implementation. Likewise, they reiterate that the Escazú Agreement inaugurates, from the particularities of Latin America and the Caribbean, a new standard for the construction and consolidation of environmental democracy.

Costa Rica and Chile firmly believe that the early entry into force of the Escazú Agreement will be an unequivocal sign of our region's vocation to make progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Objectives of Agenda 2030 and represents an important contribution to multilateralism.