SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental information. The first session of the Committee to Support the Implementation and Compliance of the Escazú Agreement was held on August 10. At the event, held at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the 7 members of the committee, the president and vice-presidents were appointed and a line of work was established for 2024 so that more countries in the region ratify the international instrument. The Escazú Agreement is a regional treaty designed to guarantee access to environmental information, public participation in environmental matters and access to environmental justice in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Committee is expected to reconvene in late 2023.

The Committee will seek to assist in the implementation of the Escazú Agreement to both States and the general public. This treaty promotes, in particular, public participation in environmental matters. This means that environmental groups will have a voice to express concerns about business practices that may negatively affect the environment. The agreement also seeks to guarantee access to justice in legal matters, so that if a community or group believes that a company’s operations are causing significant environmental damage, they will be able to resort to legal proceedings more quickly to seek redress.

The delegates elected to this Committee (private environmental consultants involved in the drafting of the Agreement) come from Chile, Uruguay, Grenada, Grenada, Costa Rica, Argentina, Jamaica and Panama. Of these delegates, Patricia Madrigal was appointed chair of the Committee, while Andrés Napoli and Angela Stephens were elected as vice-chairs. Likewise, during the meeting, the creation of three subcommittees was proposed to divide the work of the entity. These subcommittees are aimed at supporting the States parties in applying the agreement to the countries, accepting the recommendations that reach the committee and creating special rapporteurships for topics to be established at the committee’s meetings. 

Next steps

The Escazú Agreement Implementation and Compliance Support Committee will meet three times a year, twice virtually and once in person. The virtual sessions will be held in November 2023 and March 2024, while the face-to-face meeting will be held on April 25-26, 2024, following the Conference of the Parties to be held in Santiago on April 22-24, 2024. At this face-to-face meeting, the committee will seek to present a work plan to carry out the tasks of supporting the countries of the region in the implementation of the agreement.

Engagement opportunity for McDonald’s

The implementation of the Escazu agreement in the region will depend on the national legislation of each member country, in which McDonald’s will be able to influence to present its position on the matter as long as the Congresses enable spaces such as committee meetings or public hearings for private parties to participate.