Eight years after its adoption, the fourth Conference of the Parties (COP4) of the Escazú Agreement is part of a progressive process in which, despite being a relatively young agreement, significant progress has been made. This includes the adoption of the Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters, the development of tools for its implementation, and the elaboration of the Gender Mainstreaming Guide. These advances have been driven by the active participation of civil society, confirming its role as a key stakeholder in the implementation and monitoring of the Agreement.
The main expectation for COP4 is to move from commitments to effective implementation. A central focus will be the ability of States to report real progress, particularly in implementing the Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Matters. In a region that continues to be the most dangerous for environmental defenders, its implementation is not a secondary issue but a prerequisite for any environmental governance and climate action agenda. This is further reinforced by the recent accession of new States Parties, such as Colombia, Dominica, the Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago, for whom this COP will represent their first reporting cycle, thereby expanding the scope of the Agreement. With 2030 increasingly close, this cycle will be key to assessing concrete progress and lessons learned in this area.
COP4 also reflects an increasingly clear relationship between the Escazú Agreement and climate action. The mandate to advance recommendations on emissions registries, together with recent developments in international law that reinforce States’ obligation to guarantee a healthy environment in the face of the climate crisis, show that access rights are enabling conditions for effective climate action.
At the political level, the renewal of the Board of Directors opens an opportunity for countries such as Colombia to take on a leadership role in advancing the Agreement’s implementation agenda. Likewise, the definition of methodologies for national roadmaps will be key to ensuring meaningful and impactful participatory processes.
However, the challenge of financing persists. Without sufficient resources, there is a risk that Escazú will continue to advance in its institutional design without achieving real impact. COP4 will therefore be a key opportunity to further consolidate the Agreement as an effective tool to guarantee rights and strengthen environmental governance in the region.
By Karol Sanabria Rodríguez, Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad- Colombia