Making good on promises: how Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement

The document highlights the critical situation of environmental defenders in Mexico, noting that the country led the world in environmental murders in 2021. Despite ratifying the Escazú Agreement, Mexico faces significant gaps in political will, judicial capacity, and transparency, particularly regarding megaproyects like the Tren Maya. The author calls for the effective implementation of the agreement to protect activists and ensure access to environmental information and justice.

• Mexico experienced a severe increase in violence against environmentalists, recording 54 disappearances or murders in 2021, which was the highest number of killings recorded since 2012.
• The Escazú Agreement, ratified by Mexico in 2021, is the only international instrument with specific provisions for environmental defenders, yet attacks in Mexico increased from 14 cases in 2018 to 30 in 2020.
• The Mexican government has obstructed environmental transparency and participation, specifically regarding the Tren Maya project, which has proceeded without ILO-standard consultations and under a November 2021 decree allowing operations without reporting impacts.
• Mexico lacks sufficient judicial infrastructure for environmental disputes, with only one specialized chamber of the Federal Administrative Justice Court in Mexico City to address over 560 recognized socio-environmental conflicts.
• The civic space in Mexico is described as repressed, with high-level officials, including President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, using public discourse to label environmentalists as "foreign agents" or part of conspiracies.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Making good on promises: how Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement. https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/making-good-on-promises-how-mexico-can-transform-the-lives-of-environmental-defenders-by-implementing-the-escazu-agreement/

Chicago

Global Witness. Making good on promises: how Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/making-good-on-promises-how-mexico-can-transform-the-lives-of-environmental-defenders-by-implementing-the-escazu-agreement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Global Witness |title=Making good on promises: how Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement |url=https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/making-good-on-promises-how-mexico-can-transform-the-lives-of-environmental-defenders-by-implementing-the-escazu-agreement/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{globalwitnessndmaking, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Making good on promises: how Mexico can transform the lives of environmental defenders by implementing the Escazú Agreement}}, publisher = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/making-good-on-promises-how-mexico-can-transform-the-lives-of-environmental-defenders-by-implementing-the-escazu-agreement/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }