Saint Lucia is heeding international calls for the prompt ratification of the Escazú Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters. This treaty enacts binding provisions for States to equip their citizens with information, judicial corrections and spaces for public participation in environmental matters concerning them.
While St. Lucia remains a signatory to the agreement, it is yet to be ratified.
The Department of Sustainable Development is currently visiting a number of schools and hosting town hall meetings to inform the public about the agreement and its importance for environmental democracy.
The Escazú Agreement is the region’s first environmental agreement and the only one of its kind in the world, since it includes specific provisions regarding defenders of human rights in environmental matters. It is the first legal instrument to have emerged thus far from the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
The Agreement seeks to ensure that all persons have access to timely and reliable information, can participate in an effective way in the decisions that affect their lives and their environment, and can access justice in environmental matters, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sixteen countries have signed on to the agreement but it has only been ratified by Guyana on April 18th 2019.
Kate Wilson, the Department’s Legal Officer says St. Lucia, is not far behind.
UN Environment has been applying pressure on countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to sign and ratify the treaty, to contribute to sustainable development and the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in a healthy environment.

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