Tag Archive for: Citizen Participation

In an effort to promote the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement at the local level, Fundeps held three meetings during the month of August, aimed at the Urban Planning Department of the Municipality of Córdoba. These training sessions focused on strengthening competencies in environmental law and the rights of access to information, participation and environmental justice, essential for sustainable urban planning.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The target audience of these meetings were members of the Secretariats of Urban Development, Regional Integration and Institutional Linkage, and Smart City of the Municipality of Córdoba. The main objective was to provide the necessary tools to understand and apply the Escazú Agreement in the urban planning policies and practices of the city.

The first two workshops focused on theoretical and specific aspects of minimum budget laws and the Escazú Agreement. For the last meeting, we placed special emphasis on citizen participation. During this session, we explored various models of successful citizen participation, both at the national and regional level, highlighting practical examples that have been implemented in different cities in our country, as well as in Latin American countries and localities in Europe.

We proposed discussions on cases where active citizen participation has resulted in significant improvements in urban planning and management, highlighting how these inclusive processes can be adapted to our city. In addition, we analyzed the tools and mechanisms available to facilitate citizen participation in decision-making, emphasizing the importance of transparency, effective communication, clear language and building trust between municipal authorities and citizens.

We continue to work for the full and effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement at the local level. The Agreement is a fundamental tool for the protection of the environment and of human rights defenders in environmental matters.

If you want to learn more about the Escazú Agreement, visit our website: https://acuerdodeescazu.org/

 

Authors

Lourdes Zanotti

Federico Marengo Ligoria

Contact

María Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

By compiling some of the experiences of struggles of the Cordoba communities, we aim to provide a collective response to the challenges that arise around the processes of environmental conflict.

The truth is that there is no single way to organize, no single way to ask the authorities for answers, and much less a single way to confront a socio-environmental conflict. However, we observe that there are common practices that have been strengthened and that serve as a guide for other struggles.

We launched the web platform “Escazú Agreement for communities”, which provides information about the Agreement and the rights it contemplates with data and practical models to make them effective. Additionally, within the site, a document is available to download that brings together the experiences and learnings of different communities in Córdoba that face environmental problems and have been fighting for years.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The Escazú Agreement is the first environmental treaty in the region on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is also the first treaty in the world to contain provisions related to the protection and promotion of the work carried out by human rights defenders in environmental matters.

At Fundeps, we have been accompanying the process of the Agreement since before its approval in 2018, due to the central role it plays in strengthening environmental democracy and climate justice. Within the framework of this process, when it came into force in Argentina we launched a Resource of the Escazú Agreement and a Guide on Access to Environmental Information. Then, we carried out a training cycle on access to public environmental information and an introduction to Escazú, and in 2023, as part of the project called “Escazú Agreement: What is happening in Córdoba?”, we held workshops in different locations in the province. crossed by socio-environmental conflicts.

This entire journey, added to the daily accompaniment to communities in Córdoba, allowed us to detect the need to create a tool that brings together all the inputs created, information related to the Escazú Agreement and that provides practical instruments to facilitate the exercise of the rights it regulates. For this reason, we launched “Escazú for communities” (agreementdescazu.org), a platform that provides information about what the Agreement is, what rights it contemplates and how they are exercised, what is the history of the Agreement, which countries in the region are part, the answers to frequent doubts that arise among those who defend the environment, among other contents. Our objective is to make available to communities the tools that Escazú offers to promote and monitor their effective implementation, and strengthen the struggles of people and groups that defend the environment, collective health and their territories.

Among the tools on the site, you can find: models for requesting public environmental information, explanations on how citizen participation should be guaranteed and made effective in decisions that impact the environment, types of judicial actions that can be filed to claim; the obligations of States to guarantee the safety of those who defend the environment, among other issues.

At Fundeps we have also been working to strengthen the strategies and approaches to socio-environmental conflicts, putting human rights defenders in environmental matters at the center. For this reason, within the website you can also access “Resisting and re-existing in community. Stories and experiences of socio-environmental struggles in Córdoba. This document is the result of a series of interviews carried out during 2023 and 2024 with seven communities in struggle in the province of Córdoba (OMAS, VUDAS, Todxs por Nuestros Arreros, Vecinos Autoconvocados de Marcos Juárez, Preservando el Parque de la Vida, Madres de Barrio Ituzaingó and Friends of the San Martín Reserve), to whom we deeply appreciate their support and collaboration. The purpose is to share the experiences of the communities, their stories and their useful advice for those who are beginning a process of socio-environmental struggle.

We are committed to this website serving as reference material and strengthening environmental capacities. We also promote the dissemination of struggle strategies and the learning of those who carry them out in the province, so that socio-environmental challenges are navigated solidly knowledge, based on shared experiences and, above all, on the network.

We hope that it will be useful to interested people, and above all, to those who defend human rights in environmental matters.

Author

Ananda María Lavayen

Contact

Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

From April 21 to 24, we participated in the Third Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement (COP3) that took place in Santiago, Chile. Likewise, we were part of the event that was held previously (Pre-COP) and the parallel panels of civil society organizations.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

In April, the Third Conference of the Parties to the Escazú Agreement was held: a treaty on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Conference of the Parties is the highest deliberative and decision-making body of this regional Agreement, and is held once every two years, with the purpose of making decisions, reviewing and promoting the application and effectiveness of the Agreement.

Particularly, the main objective of this third COP was the treatment and approval of the Action Plan on human rights defenders in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, the result of extensive prior public participation. This Plan aims to advance the implementation of Article 9 of the Agreement, which establishes the obligation of the Parties to guarantee a safe and conducive environment for the actions of defenders without threats, restrictions and in safe conditions. The Plan is structured into four axes, each with strategic actions:

  1. knowledge generation;
  2. recognition;
  3. strengthening of capacities and cooperation for the national implementation of the Action Plan;
  4. evaluation, monitoring and review.

It is important to highlight that the Escazú Agreement is the first international treaty that contemplates the protection of defenders. This incorporation is very relevant for Latin America and the Caribbean since it is considered the most dangerous region in the world for those who defend the environment. This is why advancing its protection and defense is a priority need for the region and an example for the rest of the world.

In addition, the mainstreaming of the gender issue was approved, through which measures, actions and activities will be incorporated aimed at integrating and reinforcing the gender perspective in relation to Escazú. Parties were also encouraged to continue promoting the full and effective participation of women in all their diversity, especially indigenous women. This is relevant since it forces countries to adopt measures to guarantee equity and equality.

Likewise, within the framework of the meeting, both in parallel and before and after, more than 30 events were held in which defenders, civil society organizations, indigenous communities, elected representatives of the public, and activists from across the region participated. and authorities. These events were very important for creating and strengthening ties, disseminating socio-environmental conflicts and building capacities among participants.

Although we cannot fail to notice the path that still needs to be taken to achieve environmental and climate justice, we recognize the enormous step forward that the approval of the Action Plan for defenders and the incorporation of the gender perspective implies. For these reasons, at Fundeps we continue to participate and firmly support the effective implementation of the Escazú Agreement, its dissemination and capacity building.

 

Authors

Manuela Fernández Grassani

Ananda María Lavayen

Contact

Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

On Thursday, April 25, the plenary session of the Budget and Finance, General Legislation and Constitutional Affairs Committees of the Chamber of Deputies reached the opinion on the new law of Bases and starting points for the freedom of Argentines (former omnibus law) . Today, Monday, the law will be discussed in the chamber, together with the so-called “Fiscal Package”, the law on Palliative and Relevant Fiscal Measures, which introduces modifications to the tax regime. From Fundeps, we once again say #NoALaLeydeBases, because:

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

  • Its treatment and approval in Commissions was in accelerated times. And the debate process was not open or participatory. In this way, a broad and specific discussion of each of the topics addressed was not allowed.
  • It allows institutions such as CONICET, the National Securities Commission, the Financial Information Unit, ANMAT, INTA, INCUCAI, INCAA, Enacom, CONEAU, among others, to be intervened, split, partially dissolved or lose functions and powers. other decentralized or centralized organizations.
  • Depending on these powers, and by not being explicitly excluded from the list, it could affect the operation of the National Genetic Data Bank (BNDG), which allows the identification of the grandsons and granddaughters that the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo have been looking for since the dictatorship. ; and the National Administration of National Parks (ANP), putting our protected areas at risk.
  • It introduces modifications to the pension regime, which in a context of extensive labor informality, means that 9 out of 10 women will not be able to retire at age 60 and will have to wait until age 65 to access a Universal Benefit for the Elderly (PUAM), and that 7 out of 10 men will also not be able to retire at age 65, having to opt for a non-contributory pension or a proportional retirement.
  • The fiscal package introduces the elimination of the Social Monotribute, which was a category designed to promote the formalization of lower-income sectors. This measure could affect more than 600,000 workers.
  • The labor reform, in line with the chapter of DNU 70/2023 that was judicialized, implies an enormous reduction in rights, since it encourages unregistered work by eliminating fines and compensation, extending the trial period, among other measures.We insist that this project, even with the modifications that were made from February to today, must have greater public debate and cannot be approved. It affects the rights of workers, deepens gender inequalities, attacks the protection of nature, puts the science and technology system at risk; and subjects several public companies to privatization processes, which are strategic for the development of our country and the defense of sovereignty. 

     

    Contact

    Mayca Balaguer, maycabalaguer@fundeps.org

Within the framework of the opening of the ordinary sessions of the National Congress, civil society organizations reiterate our request for treatment and rejection of the decree “Bases for the Reconstruction of the Argentine Economy.”

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

At the beginning of the ordinary sessions, we remember that Congress has the duty to reject this decree and all those that in the future exceed the constitutional limits, exercising its role within the system of checks and balances, as well as to guarantee a parliamentary debate of quality that ensures robust citizen participation.

The Executive Branch is prohibited from legislating. Although our National Constitution enables it to issue decrees of necessity and urgency (DNU), it only allows it to do so when there are exceptional circumstances that make it impossible to follow the ordinary procedures provided for the enactment of laws.

Decree 70/2023 does not meet the constitutional requirements for its validity. Sufficient arguments do not emerge from its foundations to account for the circumstances of force majeure that prevent the chambers of Congress from debating each of the reforms included in it, nor is the causal relationship between the identified problems and the measures adequately explained. that are available.

Far from understanding the exceptional nature of the DNU, Decree 70/2023 carries out a massive and systemic legislative reform. Given its magnitude and significance, the regulatory changes included in it can only be discussed by Congress, which is where all political forces are represented, including minority ones.

Additionally, it is the legislative debate that provides opportunities for citizen participation, essential for strengthening the democratic system.

It is precisely to avoid excesses in the use of the power to issue decrees of necessity and urgency that our Constitution designed a subsequent legislative control process through which its validity or invalidity must be determined taking into account their adequacy to the formal and substantial requirements. established by her.

It is essential to highlight that Decree 70/2023 is already in force, projecting itself on substantive aspects of our community life, addressing issues related to health, housing, labor relations, contracts, the economy and finances, among others. These modifications affect the individual and collective rights of millions of people, many of which are already before the courts demanding its suspension and inapplicability for themselves or for the groups they represent.

Today the Legislative Branch is lacking. Therefore, we once again ask you to defend the rule of law and honor the division of powers.

Organizations:

1. Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ)
2. Asociación Ecuménica de Cuyo (FEC)
3. ANDHES
4. Campaña Argentina por el Derecho a la Educación (CADE)
5. Coordinadora de Abogadxs de Interés Público (CAIP)
6. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
7. Consciente Colectivo
8. Comisión Argentina para Personas Migrantes y Refugiadas (CAREF)
9. Democracia en Red
10. Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género (ELA)
11. Fundación SES
12. Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar
13. Fundación Mujeres x Mujeres
14. Fundación Igualdad
15. Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
16. Fundeps
17.Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
18. Jóvenes por el Clima
19.Red argentina de abogacía comunitaria (RAAC)
20.Xumek

Civil society organizations write a letter to legislators asking them to focus on the immediate treatment and rejection of the decree “Bases for the Reconstruction of the Argentine Economy.”

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

In accordance with what is established by the National Constitution, the Executive Branch is prohibited from issuing legislative provisions. However, our fundamental rule allows that exceptionally, and in accordance with certain requirements, the tool of decrees of necessity and urgency (DNU) be used.

These types of decrees are admissible only when there are exceptional circumstances that make it impossible to follow the ordinary procedures provided for the sanction of the laws. That is, the DNUs proceed when the situation is of such urgency that it must be resolved immediately, within a period incompatible with that required by the normal parliamentary procedure.

It is evident that the foundations of Decree 70/2023 do not meet the requirements for the issuance of a standard of this nature. There are no sufficient arguments to explain the circumstances of force majeure that prevent the chambers of Congress from meeting, nor is it proven that the solution required is incompatible with the legislative debate. In fact, before the decree came into force, the Executive Branch called extraordinary sessions, and today Congress is in session. Furthermore, the causal relationship between the identified problems and the measures available is not explained.

Far from understanding the nature of the tool, DNU 70/2023 carries out a massive and systemic legislative reform. Given its magnitude and significance, the regulatory changes included in it can only be discussed by Congress, which is where all political forces are represented, including minority ones. Additionally, it is the legislative debate that provides opportunities for citizen participation, essential for strengthening the democratic system. In this sense, it must be remembered that, as our Supreme Court of Justice pointed out, “the National Constitution does not allow a discretionary choice between the sanction of a law or the more rapid imposition of certain material contents by means of a decree”.

On the other hand, it is essential to highlight that Decree 70/2023 is already in force, projecting itself on substantive aspects of our community life, addressing issues related to health, housing, labor relations, contracts, economy and finance, among others. These modifications affect the individual and collective rights of millions of people, many of whom are already before the courts demanding their suspension and inapplicability for themselves or for the groups they represent.

It is precisely to avoid excesses in the use of the power to issue decrees of necessity and urgency that our Constitution designed a subsequent legislative control process through which its validity or invalidity is determined taking into account the adequacy of these to the established formal and substantial requirements. constitutionally for its dictation.

Having expired the deadlines established in Law 26,122 for the opinion of the Permanent Bicameral Commission, Congress has the duty to rule on the decree. For this reason, we ask the legislators of both chambers of the National Congress to dedicate themselves to its express and immediate treatment, and reject it for not satisfying the constitutional requirements.

The silence, the wait, the calculations associated with political gain imply an implicit endorsement of a conduct that ostensibly goes beyond the contours of our fundamental norm. In defense of the Constitution, the system of checks and balances, justice and legal security, Congress is called to ensure that the Executive Branch operates within the limits of the rule of law. The duty to our National Constitution and to citizens must prevail over any other consideration.

 

Organizations:

  • Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ)
  • Amnistía Internacional Argentina
  • Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género
  • Fundeps
  • Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
  • Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
  • Jóvenes por el Clima
  • Hora de Obrar
  • Instituto Latinoamericano de Seguridad y Democracia
  • Asociación Civil para la promoción y Protección de los Derechos Humanos (Xumek)
  • Abogados y Abogadas del NOA en Derechos Humanos y Estudios Sociales (ANDHES)
  • Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
  • Centro para la Implementación de los Derechos Constitucionales (CIDC)
  • Democracia en Red
  • Centro de Políticas Públicas para el Socialismo (CEPPAS)

The forms of deliberation, public demonstration, journalistic work, the restriction of state violence, are all necessary conditions for social and political coexistence within the framework of democracy.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The police operation deployed in front of Congress, while it was in session, was violent and excessive, outside the current regulations for action in response to demonstrations. It was organized by the Ministry of National Security, with an excessive deployment of different forces that caused injuries from rubber bullets, irritating gases with an unprecedented capacity for damage, and blows from tonfas. In a historical regression, there were police with firearms, something that had been avoided in all governments more than 20 years ago. The police intimidated older people, left around thirty journalists with injuries of varying severity, and attacked human rights defenders and protesters from different political sectors. Threatening freedom of expression and demonstration, it advanced in the streets, on the sidewalks and in the plaza.

Within Congress, the regulations are violated: days of debate pass on an opinion that is not known, which is being written outside the committees as the sessions progress. These irregularities, in the face of society, deteriorate the institutions. Furthermore, as expressed in the bill, the delegated powers requested by the Executive Branch could impact legislative paralysis and expanded margins of arbitrariness given the vague, general and elusive way in which they are expressed.

The democratic conditions of debate and coexistence are today deeply tense and rarefied. While legislators debate the destiny of the country and its economic and natural resources in record time, the highest officials publish messages that celebrate and encourage police violence and violence by particular groups.

We call on political parties, all authorities with public responsibilities and the different sectors of the community to make an urgent call for respect for the rights that are being violated, for democratic coexistence, in appropriate institutional terms and without repression.

Signing:

Andhes (Abogados y Abogadas del Noroeste Argentino en Derechos Humanos y Estudios Sociales)

Asociación Ecuménica de Cuyo (FEC)

ELA (Equipo argentino de justicia y género)

Fundeps (Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables) 

CELS (Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales)

Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar

Asociación para la promoción y protección de los Derechos Humanos Xumek

Fundación SES

Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)

CAREF – Comisión Argentina para personas Refugiadas y Migrantes

Consciente Colectivo

Red Argentina de Abogacía Comunitaria (RAAC) 

Campaña Argentina por el Derecho a la Educación (CADE)

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, request that the treatment of the “Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines” bill continues in ordinary sessions so that our representatives can discuss it in a timeframe commensurate with its complexity, and that the instances of participation are extended so that citizens can express their views on the proposed reforms.

On December 22, 2023, the Executive Power of the Nation summoned the Congress to extraordinary sessions in order to submit for its consideration the bill entitled “Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of the Argentines”.

The initiative contains more than 600 articles covering a wide range of topics: health, education, employment, social security, children and family, culture, environment, tourism, justice, security and defense, electoral system, fiscal policy, debt, economic deregulation and administrative reorganization, among others. This project proposes amendments to Codes and laws that were debated for years, that were enacted after having listened to a wide range of actors and that recognized historical struggles of various groups, and includes changes that will have direct and far-reaching consequences on people’s lives.

It is evident that understanding, studying and establishing a position regarding such a number and type of reforms requires a deliberative process of analysis, substantiation, argumentation and discussion. It is not possible to ensure an informed and robust parliamentary debate or to analyze in depth the impacts that each of the regulatory modifications would have in the timeframe proposed by the Executive Branch. The quality of public debate makes the quality of our democracy.

It is also impossible to guarantee, in a few weeks, a process of real citizen participation, allowing to listen to all the actors with expertise and experience in the matters included in the project and to those sectors that could be most affected by it. Although during the last week some entities were able to present their views to the deputies, each one had only 5 minutes to do so, and -as the call was limited to 3 days- many were left out of the debate. In addition, there were no opportunities for members of the legislative body to ask questions or request additional information, nor were there reasonable time limits for them to fully analyze the contributions received.

On the other hand, it should not be overlooked that some of the reforms included in the bill violate human rights recognized in treaties with constitutional hierarchy in our country and do not comply with the standards of specialized Committees. If these normative changes are approved, an even more critical social situation could arise, the judicial conflict in different jurisdictions would increase and the responsibility of the State before international organizations would be compromised, which reinforces the need to approach the discussion seriously.

In view of the above, the undersigned civil society organizations request the Congress of the Nation to continue in ordinary sessions the treatment of the bill “Bases and Points of Departure for the Freedom of the Argentines” so that our representatives can discuss it in time according to its complexity, and to expand the instances of participation, ensuring that public hearings are convened to allow citizens in general and the sectors affected by the reforms in particular, to express their views on them. Although the extraordinary sessions have been extended until February 15, such term is still ostensibly insufficient to discuss such a large number of regulatory changes.

Once again, we need a Legislative Branch that defends the system of checks and balances designed by our Constitution and chooses a pluralistic, deliberative and participatory democracy.

Signing organizations:

  • Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia (ACIJ)
  • Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género (ELA)
  • Consciente Colectivo
  • Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
  • Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (Fundeps)
  • Fundación SES
  • Asociación Ecuménica de Cuyo (FEC)
  • Asociación para la Promoción y Protección de los Derechos Humanos Xumek
  • Comisión Argentina para Personas Refugiadas y Migrantes (CAREF)
  • Fundación Igualdad
  • Abogados y Abogadas del Noroeste en derechos humanos y estudios sociales (Andhes)
  • Jóvenes por el Clima
  • Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
  • Democracia en Red
  • Amnistía Internacional Argentina
  • Coordinadora de Abogadxs de Interés Público (CAIP)
  • Escuela de Fiscales
  • Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar
  • Salta Transparente
  • Instituto de Estudios Comparados en Ciencias Penales y Sociales (INECIP)
  • Centro de Políticas Públicas para el Socialismo (CEPPAS)
  • Red Argentina de Abogacía Comunitaria (RAAC)
  • Observatorio de Justicia Sanitaria y Climática

The Executive Branch of the province of Córdoba presented the 2024 budget bill. On November 9, we presented ourselves at the Public Hearing held in the Legislature.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

Like every year, the following year’s budget bill is presented. This 2023, due to the elections, the times were brought forward and the project was presented on October 24, something that usually happens on November 15. After being presented, the project is discussed in several Commissions and approved in two legislative sessions, called 1st and 2nd reading. And in between, a Public Hearing is held.

From Fundeps we presented ourselves to the Public Hearing last Thursday, November 9. In this sense, it is noteworthy that starting this year, all the information related to the debate on the 2024 public budget law, with the project and its complementary documents, as well as with the calendar of sessions, dates of the Commission sessions and the Hearing. In addition, the way to register through a web form was improved compared to other years. Yes, we must note that it would be very useful for future occasions to publish the Commissions that meet on each date and to allow external participation, even if it is from listeners. Currently, committee sessions are uploaded to the Legislature’s YouTube channel after they happen.

At the hearing, we made some general observations that we understand make it possible to better analyze the budget and comments on a program related to Water and Sanitation. First of all, we explained that the descriptions of the Budget Programs are very generic and it is necessary that they be accompanied by physical goals and both quantitative and qualitative indicators, for the purposes of their monitoring. In the case of Program 572 analyzed, its content remains the same since its creation in 2018. In the case of the Works, contained in the Public Investment Plans, they are not directly described, at least in the budget documents. Then, we move on to explain Program 572 on Water and Sanitation, which is made up of two subprograms, one related to Drinking Water and the other to Sewage Liquids and Sanitary Services. In both cases we observe their evolution and behavior in the years 2022, 2023 and how they are projected in 2024. In that sense, in the two subprograms the same trend of sub-executions is observed in the year 2022 (32% and 53% respectively). , greater execution in the current year (87% and 75%) and a decrease in the budget allocation for 2024. More notable in the first subprogram than for the second. In that sense, we appeal that these programs be observed by the Legislators present, in view of budget approval in the second session on Wednesday, November 15.

A budget that guarantees rights, such as in this case drinking water and sanitary services that directly impact the rights to health and a healthy environment, is governed by the principles of progressivity and non-regression, in which care must be taken that In the allocation of resources there are no setbacks, avoiding cutting or reducing the levels reached.

Participation in the audience was very varied. There were Professional Associations (such as Lawyers or Notaries), civil housing associations, social sports, companions of children in vulnerable situations, among other actors. This shows that, although this instance is extremely valuable and allows a direct approach by the authorities to problems that bring together different social actors, it also reveals the lack of more spaces for participation. So that people and citizens who often face and solve public problems can channel their demands more effectively. This could be resolved with periodic hearings or greater social participation in the thematic commissions of the Legislature.

It is extremely important that these spaces become increasingly accessible, open and widespread. This is key so that the greatest number of social actors can approach and present their points of view and observations in the development of public policies that directly affect them.

More information

You can consult the entire Public Hearing here, and our participation in the minutes: 2:55.50 – 3:06.20.

Related notes Public budget:

Contact

Victoria Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org

Ícono de validado por la comunidad

On October 3, the national government presented the National Plan for the Implementation of the Escazú Agreement. This regional treaty was approved by Argentina in 2020 and seeks to implement the rights of access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making, access to Justice and the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.

The Secretary of Climate Change and Sustainable Development and Innovation of the Nation was appointed to advance towards the implementation of the Escazú Agreement in Argentina. This tour was designed in two stages: the first, aimed at carrying out a diagnosis to determine the status of compliance with the Agreement in our country, from which recommendations emerged: and the second was focused on designing the Plan. For this, a public consultation, collaborative virtual and in-person meetings, regional dialogue tables and a proposal box were carried out. In total, 533 contributions were received from citizens in the design of the Plan and the majority (65%) of the people who participated were women. At Fundeps we accompany this entire process by providing contributions in the different participatory instances.

The Plan is structured into 6 axes: access to public environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making, access to justice in environmental matters, human rights defenders in environmental issues, capacity building, governance system for the execution and monitoring of the implementation of the Agreement. Objectives and indicators are also established, which are very important for evaluating progress in implementation. The execution of the Plan will be over a period of 3 years and will be in charge of the National Executive Branch.

The process of creating the Plan was an open, participatory and transparent process, focused on ensuring citizen participation and building the necessary consensus to address the needs of the communities and make the Agreement effective. We celebrate the presentation of this Plan, which represents a milestone towards the consolidation of the application of the Escazú Agreement in Argentina and provides concrete tools to facilitate its implementation. Now we urge the national state and the provinces to implement its implementation and citizens to demand its effective application to achieve the ultimate goal of the Escazú Agreement: compliance with the right to a healthy environment.

 

More Information

 

Author

Manuela Fernández Grassani 

Contact

María Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org

During September 26, 27, 28 and 29 we were participating in different activities linked to the Second Annual Forum on Human Rights Defenders in Environmental Issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. This Forum is organized by ECLAC in its role as Secretariat of the Escazú Agreement.

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Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be the most dangerous area in the world to carry out environmental defense. Last year, 177 environmental defenders were murdered and 88% of the homicides occurred in Latin America. That is why States must make more and better efforts to guarantee security and provide a safe environment for the development of this task.

Let us remember that the Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice – known as the Escazú Agreement is the first regional environmental treaty in the world to contain specific provisions for the protection of defenders. Specifically, Article 9 provides that States must guarantee a safe and enabling environment in which individuals, groups and organizations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters can act without threats, restrictions and insecurity.

In this context, together with indigenous communities and defenders from across the region, we met in Panama to provide input on the proposed draft of the Regional Action Plan on Defenders that will be presented next year at the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 3). This is a true opportunity to impact environmental issues that affect our region.

The Escazú Agreement is the first treaty in the world that has open and horizontal dialogue spaces. These participatory processes are a true tool for the collective construction of public policies.

The main demand from the communities is the urgent ratification of the Agreement by all the states in the region. On the other hand, the violence that groups and people who protect the environment continually experience were exposed, even more so in the context of climate change. In this sense, it is essential to pay special attention to situations of human rights violations in the context of extractive processes linked to the energy transition.

On the other hand, the main request was for the transversal incorporation of a gender and intercultural perspective into the Plan, giving specific recognition to indigenous communities, who have historically been guardians of our common goods.

We hope that more states in the region will ratify the Agreement in the short term and that the claims that were reiterated by the communities will be considered and included in the Plan.

 

More Information

Resource on Escazú Agreement | Fundeps

 

Contact

María Laura Carrizo, lauracarrizo@fundeps.org