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A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law urging Latin American and Caribbean countries to ratify the Escazú Agreement to guarantee environmental democracy and protect environmental and human rights defenders.

The Center for International Environmental Law argues that the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters is at a critical existential moment. The organization calls on 47 European and Central Asian states meeting in Montenegro to reaffirm their commitment to environmental democracy against rising trends of judicial attacks on NGOs, the influence of industry lobbyists, and the emergence of illiberal democracies.

This amicus curiae brief, submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) on behalf of members of the Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica de El Salvador, argues that El Salvador's regulatory measures regarding the 'El Dorado' mining project are consistent with international human rights and environmental obligations. The document contends that the state must protect citizens from the risks of extractive industries, particularly in water-scarce and densely populated areas, and that public interest is defined through environmental democracy and the rights of access to information and participation.

This guide by the Center for International Environmental Law provides a framework of guiding questions for organizers of international meetings to ensure that the shift toward virtual formats during the COVID-19 pandemic does not undermine the meaningful participation of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities.