Urgent Action: Canada should back the Escazú Agreement

The next meeting of the signatory countries to the Escazú Agreement on environmental rights will take place on December 9-10.

This agreement has been described as the first treaty in history to include specific provisions to protect environmental defenders.

It needs to be ratified by 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to come into effect.

Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico have signed the deal but not ratified it. Honduras has not signed.

More than two-thirds of the 212 land and environmental defenders killed last year were in Latin America. The country with the single largest number of reported killings was Colombia (64 defenders) while Honduras was the most dangerous country per capita (where 14 were killed). An additional 18 defenders were killed in Mexico and 12 more in Guatemala.

We ask that you sign this message to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs that asks them to publicly and through diplomatic channels express their support for the ratification of this agreement.