Escazú Agreement COP4: Why Implementation Matters for Protecting Land and Environmental Defenders

Countries that have yet to ratify the Escazú Agreement remain among the most dangerous places in the world for land and environmental defenders. As COP4 shifts focus from framework building to implementation, States need to turn commitments into action

To date, 24 countries have signed and 19 have ratified the Escazú Agreement. Several of the countries that have not yet ratified it are some of the most dangerous in the world for land and environmental defenders.

According to Global Witness data, Brazil, Guatemala and Peru – all which have not ratified the Escazú Agreement – rank among the countries with the highest number of documented killings and forced disappearances of land and environmental defenders since the Agreement entered into force in April 2021.

Between April 2021 and the end of 2024, Global Witness documented 93 killings and forced disappearances in Brazil, 29 in Guatemala and 15 in Peru.