This panel will feature civil society, environmental defenders, the Guatemalan government and donors sharing the Escazu Agreement implementation, its progress, relevance, challenges and opportunities in Guatemala and Central America. It is important to understand the context of human rights in environmental matters via examples such as the Central American Escazu Network and the Escazú Alliance for Guatemala, which bring relevant actors creating spaces for dialogue and advocacy to promote favorable environments for environmental justice, environment public participation and the protection for environment and human rights defenders.

Additionally, this session will be an opportunity to learn about the importance of the environment in ensuring human rights. Unique perspectives from the current government of Guatemala will demonstrate a commitment to the defense of nature and human rights. This proactive conversation will discuss how to advance democracy and environmental governance in the region within a binding international framework that will strengthen national and local capacities, as well as create better mechanisms for environmental democracy.