PBI-Honduras accompanies ARCAH at media conference that calls on Honduras to sign and ratify the Escazú agreement

On May 9, PBI-Honduras tweeted:

“PBI accompanies @Arcah_hn [Alternative for Community and Environmental Reclamation of Honduras] at a press conference on the Escazú agreement in front of the National Congress. At PBI we highlight the importance of a legislative framework that watches over the environment and protects the life and integrity of human rights defenders.”

On Facebook, PBI-Honduras adds:

“ARCAH, who is part of the Honduran Network for Escazú, asks for the signing and ratification of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Affairs in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Government of Honduras.”

Two years ago, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) explained: “The Honduran government has not expressed their interest in ratifying the agreement, triggering the formation of the Red Hondureña por Escazú (Honduran Network for Escazú) formed by several key civil society actors, including UUSC’s partner Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación (ERIC SJ), that are advocating for Honduras’ participation in the agreement.”

As of January 2022, a new government has taken office in Honduras.

And just two weeks ago, PBI-Honduras observed the ‘Escazú: Now more than ever!’ forum organized by the Honduras Network for Escazú.

The Escazú Agreement entered into force on Earth Day, April 22, 2021.

Significantly, the Escazú Agreement is the first legally binding treaty to include specific provisions to protect environmental defenders.

Article 9 includes the obligation for States to: “guarantee a safe and enabling environment for persons, groups and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters, so that they are able to act free from threat, restriction and insecurity.”

While it’s not known if Canada has called on Honduras to sign and ratify the agreement, Canada did ask Paraguay to: “Ratify the Escazú Agreement and ensure appropriate resources are in place to enforce it domestically in order to better protect environmental defenders, including Indigenous peoples, rural leaders and journalists.”

We continue to follow the situation in Honduras.