Colombia: Escazú Agreement Ratification

Global Witness calls for the Colombian government to ratify the Escazú Agreement, noting that 322 land and environmental defenders were killed in Colombia over the last 10 years. The statement highlights the Agreement's role in requiring governments to prevent and investigate attacks on defenders and notes that while Colombia signed the treaty in December 2019, ratification remains pending. It identifies the government of Gustavo Petro and the work of civil society organisations like Somos Defensores as key drivers for potential progress in protecting human rights defenders.

• Colombia has seen significant violence against land and environmental defenders, with 322 people killed over the last 10 years, alongside non-lethal attacks including threats, harassment, surveillance, and criminalisation.
• The Escazú Agreement is the first regional environmental and human rights treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean and the first legally binding global instrument to include provisions for environmental defenders, specifically requiring governments to prevent and investigate attacks against them.
• Although Colombia signed the Escazú Agreement in December 2019, ratification has been pending for almost three years, while other regional nations including Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina have already ratified it.
• There is optimism for improved protections due to the programme of Gustavo Petro's government and the efforts of civil society organisations such as Somos Defensores, which has worked for nearly two decades to secure protection for human rights defenders.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Colombia: Escazú Agreement Ratification. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/colombia-escazuagreement-ratification/

Chicago

Global Witness. Colombia: Escazú Agreement Ratification. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/colombia-escazuagreement-ratification/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Colombia: Escazú Agreement Ratification |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/colombia-escazuagreement-ratification/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndcolombia, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Colombia: Escazú Agreement Ratification}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/colombia-escazuagreement-ratification/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }