Belize

According to an Amandala article in April of last year, “our region has one of the highest incidences of crimes against environmental activists and defenders, ...

“At its core, Escazú is about protecting the people who protect nature. I am encouraged by this positive step, look forward to effective implementation, and call on fellow parliamentarians in the Caribbean and Latin America to take action toward robust implementation of this unique regional agreement to ensure the full recognition of the universal human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment,” stated Woods. With the instrument of ratification deposited one day before International Women’s Day, let us not forget that it is most often women, indigenous, and Afro-descendant peoples who are at the forefront. “We were advocating for two things, for the government to ratify the agreement and to raise continuous support. Similarly, African descendant communities have witnessed the grave effect of recent climate events on their population despite being established in areas rich in natural resources. We have learned from organizing around Afrikan Emancipation Day: the government has primary responsibility to do these things, but when the government fails and it’s our business we can’t complain and say they aren’t doing it, we have to do it.