To think about and increase awareness of the issues and the risks human rights activists are facing in relation to environmental issues within Latin America and the Caribbean.
This Second Forum, which will be held at Panama City from September 26-28, will focus on the current situation for human rights advocates on environmental issues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Share experiences and best practices regarding the promotion and safeguarding of defenders and will continue discussions and consults regarding the Plan of Action.
Organisers: ECLAC, in its role as the Secretariat for the Escazu Agreement, working in partnership in partnership with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as The Government of Panama, and the assistance from the World Bank.
Forum Format
On September 26, there will be time for preparation sessions before the Forum. On September 27th, the Forum will commence and be a plenary session, with experts panel discussions as well as round table discussions and selected testimonials of defenders will attempt to explore the subject and increase awareness of the state that human rights advocates face throughout the region, and identify new issues and the existing initiatives and mechanisms to protect them in this field.
A simultaneous interpretation of Spanish and English will be available.
Participation will be available virtually to the general public in the breakout groups on two days of the Forum (September 28).
Airborne contaminants pose the greatest risk to health from the environment that we face today, and 99 percent of the population of the world is breathing dangerous air. Exposure to air pollution dramatically increases the likelihood of having strokes, heart, and lung diseases, as well as cancer and other illnesses, which result in over 6.7 million premature deaths every year.
On the 4th annual Clean Air Day, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) met to talk with Martina Otto, the secretary-general of the UNEP-organized Climate and Clean Air Coalition to learn how the world can mitigate the negative effects of air pollution.
