Escazu Agreement Calls for Access to Environmental Justice [Video]

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Belize ratified the Escazu Agreement last year, and since then, the government has been working on charting a strategic plan to implement the agreement. Named after the second sub-division in San Jose, Costa Rica, the agreement is a binding political treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean that seeks to improve access to information and justice in environmental matters, as well as participation in decision-making. It is the first of its kind of environmental agreement in the world. Now, Belize is working on implementing the agreement after consultations that looked at legislation and policies to guide the process. Today, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the World Bank held a stakeholder engagement assembly in San Ignacio to begin the process. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story in this report.