The Chilean Senate ratifies Chile's adherence to the Escazú environmental agreement

MADRID, 1 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The plenary session of the Chilean Senate has ratified on Tuesday Chile's adherence to the Escazú environmental agreement project, the first of its kind in the Latin American and Caribbean region, by 31 votes in favor, three against and eleven abstentions.

"Today the Escazú agreement has completed its processing in the Senate. I congratulate everyone who, from different fronts, has fought for the defense of our environment and the incorporation of Chile into the agreement. We continue to advance in environmental democracy", the president celebrated from Chile, Gabriel Boric on his Twitter account.

Likewise, the ministers of Environment, Maisa Rojas, and Foreign Affairs, Antonia Urrejola -- who have been present in the Senate -- have also applauded the ratification of the agreement.

"This is a time to celebrate (...) that we return to multilateralism because very particularly, due to the crises we are facing, solutions have to be taken in a common way. No one can solve the climate crisis or the biodiversity crisis, independently. Here, either we resolve crises together or we simply do not leave our sons and daughters a planet that is habitable," Rojas stressed, as reported by the newspaper 'La Tercera'.

Thus, he stressed that "with this treaty environmental democracy is strengthened and with that strengthening, it provides tools to make it content, to crystallize the commitment of the president, Gabriel Boric, that this be the first environmentalist government in the country."

The draft agreement sent by President Boric must be promulgated by the president, to then report the country's accession to the General Secretariat of the United Nations and after being official, in 90 days, the Latin American country will be part of the agreement. Chile will be the 25th country to sign it and the 13th to ratify it.

Boric already committed to this project in mid-March, adding that it was a milestone on the path to a new relationship "between the state and its inhabitants in environmental matters."

Although the country was one of its promoters along with Costa Rica, on September 22, 2020 --four days before the countries of the region ratified the pact-- the Administration of former President Sebastián Piñera announced that they would not sign the document, according to the Chilean press.