Ten years sowing awareness: Caleño festival that brings environmental cinema to Pacific communities now inspires Latin America

The Colombian government has announced the creation of a new commission and a detailed implementation roadmap to execute the Escazú Agreement, marking a key step toward fulfilling its commitments under the international environmental treaty. The Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) released a statement confirming the establishment of the Intersectoral Commission for the Implementation of the Escazú Agreement (CiEscazú) and the publication of a comprehensive roadmap outlining how the country will carry out the agreement’s provisions nationwide. According to the ministry, these measures transform the state's commitment to environmental democracy, human rights protection, and citizen participation into actionable policies. The Escazú Agreement, signed in 2019 during the administration of President Iván Duque, was reached amid the backdrop of the national strike movement, which demanded greater transparency and accountability in environmental governance. The treaty outlines critical principles aimed at strengthening public participation in environmental decisions, ensuring access to environmental information, and protecting environmental defenders. These goals are designed to address pressing challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution across Latin America and the Caribbean. The newly formed Intersectoral Commission was established through a presidential decree and is tasked with coordinating, guiding, and monitoring the implementation of the agreement throughout the country. The commission does not alter existing responsibilities of environmental authorities nor create new functions, but rather strengthens collaboration among institutions to develop public policies aligned with environmental democracy. It includes a consultative council composed of representatives from 13 social sectors, along with technical committees focused on fostering ongoing dialogue between the state and citizens. The implementation roadmap, published by the Ministry of Environment, sets forth 18 priority actions, each with assigned institutional responsibility, timelines, performance indicators, and mechanisms for tracking progress. These actions are grouped into six thematic areas, including the integration of human rights standards into environmental licensing processes, enhancing public access to environmental information, promoting civic participation in environmental decision-making, advancing environmental justice, protecting environmental defenders, and building capacity and regional cooperation. The roadmap was developed through a participatory process involving public entities, environmental authorities, indigenous communities, Afro-Colombian groups, peasant organizations, academia, private sector representatives, environmental advocates, and other civil society actors. This inclusive approach reflects the government’s intent to ensure that the implementation of the Escazú Agreement is both effective and representative of diverse societal interests. Civil society organizations have welcomed the announcement, viewing it as a significant milestone in the realization of the agreement. Vanessa Torres, deputy director of the organization Ambiente y Sociedad, expressed satisfaction with the decree, stating that it marks the end of an important phase in establishing a governance system that supports environmental democracy. She emphasized that the decree demonstrates the state’s commitment to translating the agreement into tangible outcomes, particularly in improving access to environmental information and safeguarding environmental defenders. Torres also highlighted the involvement of civil society in the formation of the Intersectoral Commission, noting that this inclusion represents a shared achievement. She called for the review of existing legal frameworks related to public access to environmental information and underscored the importance of implementing court rulings that protect environmental defenders, especially regarding constitutional protections against unjust conditions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior, led by Minister Rodrigo Lara, has suspended all procurement activities until August 20, as part of broader efforts to conduct an anti-corruption audit. This measure follows the government’s initiative to review financial practices inherited from the previous administration, which it claims was marked by corruption. Lara’s directive requires all expenditures to receive his approval, effectively halting budget allocations and contract additions pending further evaluation. The suspension affects one of the largest ministries in the state apparatus, which operates across multiple locations and employs thousands of personnel.