JET hails Jamaica’s ratification of Escazú Agreement
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Environment Trust is congratulating the Government on its signing and ratification of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters (the Escazú Agreement).
The agreement was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith on Thursday, September 26 at the 74th United Nations General Assembly held in New York. Leaders from Guyana, Bolivia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Uruguay also signed the document.
The Escazú Agreement, which contains specific obligations to protect environmental defenders from harm, is the first treaty for the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region that requires countries to ensure that the public has the right to obtain access to environmental information, participate in decisions that affect the environment and obtain justice for environmental wrongs.
“This is a huge milestone for Jamaica which we believe will greatly improve the way that environmental matters are dealt with,” said Suzanne Stanley, CEO of JET.
“We look forward to Jamaica’s full implementation of the Escazú Agreement which will result in greater transparency, participation and accountability in environmental decision making.”
The First Meeting of the Signatory Countries to the Escazú Agreement will be held in Costa Rica in October 2019.
JET noted that its former Legal Director, and current Board Member, Danielle Andrade Goffe played a pivotal role in negotiating the agreement on behalf of civil society in the region.
“We hope that the policies associated with this agreement will ultimate reduce the socio-environmental conflicts around the use of natural resources and projects that have a significant impact on the environment in Jamaica”, said Andrade Goffe.
Jamaica’s signing of the Escazú Agreement concluded a series high profile meeting on climate change and the environment attended by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Senator Johnson Smith and other Jamaican political leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York City last week.
