Parliamentary Dialogue at COP28: Supporting Environmental Democracy through the Escazú Agreement and Action for Climate Empowerment

ParlAmericas Podcast

This episode was recorded during the ParlAmericas side event at the UNFCCC COP28 titled “The Escazú Agreement and Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE): Strengthening Environmental Democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which was held on December 4, 2023 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The session explored strategies for parliaments to examine the importance of supporting the implementation of both mechanisms in order to strengthen environmental democracy and ultimately meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Paris Agreement, Director General of ParlAmericas, moderated the panel dialogue, which featured the participation of the Honourable Carolyn Trench-Sandiford (Belize), President of the Senate and ParlAmericas Board Member; the Honourable Dessima Williams (Grenada), President of the Senate and ParlAmericas Board Member; Honourable Representative Juan Carlos Losada (Colombia); and Carlos de Miguel, Head of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of ECLAC.

As the secretariat to the Escazú Agreement, ECLAC provided an overview of the implementation efforts of the Escazú Agreement in the region. The parliamentarians shared initiatives their parliaments are taking on in order to support implementation efforts, recognizing the role environmental democracy mechanisms play in empowering non-governmental actors, including women and girls, Indigenous groups, and traditionally marginalized communities in enabling effective and inclusive climate action and contributing to related decision making.