When it comes to the Escazú Accord, the government of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez has signaled that, at least for now, it is not aboard. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Presidency)
For a time, it looked as if Paraguay was set to ratify the Escazú Accord, a treaty negotiated in March 2018 to ease public access to environmental information and decision-making in Latin America and the Caribbean. The accord, signed by 22 nations and ratified by eight of the minimum 11 needed for it to take force, appeared poised for ratification by the Paraguayan Senate last December. But the treaty came under attack from political, legal and religious quarters, and the government of President Mario Abdo Benítez withdrew it from Congress, ostensibly to allow further review. An early salvo was fired by Paraguay’s consul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Rosanna Berino. In a letter to Abdo Benítez and the Paraguayan Congress last October, she suggested the treaty would help foreign environmental norms take root in the country, arguing this would weaken Paraguay’s control over its own resources. She and other right... [Log in to read more]
