{"id":168626,"date":"2024-04-19T12:06:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T11:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=168626"},"modified":"2024-12-02T15:58:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:58:41","slug":"the-escazu-agreement-from-a-gender-lens-the-case-of-madre-de-dios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/story\/the-escazu-agreement-from-a-gender-lens-the-case-of-madre-de-dios\/","title":{"rendered":"The Escaz\u00fa Agreement from a gender lens: the case of Madre de Dios"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Due to the challenging sociopolitical context, women and Indigenous people in Amazon region often have less possibilities to exercise their rights. The Escaz\u00fa Agreement is a regional treaty on access to information, public participation and justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. An important step forward, yet it falls short in adequately addressing structural gender issues. With COP3 of the Escaz\u00fa Agreement approaching, we explore how Indigenous women environmental defenders experience their access to information, participation and justice, based on a study conducted in the Peruvian Amazon region of Madre de Dios.<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Header photo: Giancarlo Shibayama\/SPDA<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The Escaz\u00fa Agreement has been signed by 25 governments, of which 15 countries have now ratified the text, making it applicable at a national level. Peru has signed, but not yet ratified the treaty. Ratifying the Escaz\u00fa Agreement is an opportunity for the Peruvian government to curve the alarming trend of accelerated destruction of the largest remaining rainforest in the world, and violence against its inhabitants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Women environmental defenders in Madre de Dios<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In the framework of our PIDDA project<\/a>, Eliana Rojas Torres conducted a gender baseline study in Madre de Dios. The study applied an intercultural approach to study the situation of women in this Amazonian region, analysing their roles, needs and the risks they encounter, with the objective to contribute to improving women\u2019s (access to) rights and national protection of environmental defenders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Women environmental defenders in Madre de Dios find themselves in a context where gold mining is the main economic activity. It is linked to deforestation, pollution, insecurity, gender violence, organised crime and corruption, which affect women differently than men. In a previously published article<\/a>, we delved into the systemic obstacles and different types of violence women are dealing with in the biodiverse region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Side event COP3 of the Escaz\u00fa Agreement<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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During the third Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Escaz\u00fa agreement, FARN<\/a>, Eco Maxei<\/a> and IUCN NL organise a side event on generating safe and enabling environments for women environmental defenders in Latin America.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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During this webinar, we will discuss experiences and good practices of gender action plans. While focusing on the right of access to justice, we will apply a gender, intercultural and intergenerational perspective. The panelists, coming from a variety of initiatives and backgrounds, will also identify entry points for collaboration between the Rio Conventions and the Escaz\u00fa Agreement on gender and environmental defenders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Register here<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u2018Communities in Madre de Dios often distrust local authorities and feel companies operate with impunity. As a result, they turn to national and international bodies instead.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>Mariel Cabero, Expert Environmental Justice<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Distrust in local authorities<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The study conducted in Madre de Dios shows that the obstacles start with a lack of resources for women environmental defenders to do proper investigations on and procedures related socio-environmental conflicts. If they are able to start investigative and legal processes, progress is being limited by a lack of coordination between different institutions and corruption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u2018The other side of the coin,\u2019 says Mariel Cabero, Expert Environmental Justice at IUCN NL, \u2018is that communities in Madre de Dios often distrust local authorities and feel companies operate with impunity. As a result, they turn to national and international bodies instead. This lack of confidence in local authorities contributes to under-reporting of socio-environmental conflicts, especially among Indigenous women.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Access to information<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Access to information is a fundamental tool for justice. It is a foundation for people to advocate for and protect their rights, and is essential during legal procedures. For example, members of Amazon communities involved in legal procedures because of a conflict with a mining company, need proper access to all relevant information to effectively engage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In general, access to justice in socio-environmental conflicts and other environmental matters in Peru presents challenges, despite constitutional and statutory provisions. Nevertheless, Indigenous women and others encounter systematic obstacles when they try to access information about environmental issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In the Escaz\u00fa Agreement<\/a>, the right to access information for all, without having to explain their interest, is set out in Article 5 of the Peruvian constitution, while Article 6 concerns the government\u2019s obligation to make its information publically available and accessible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Access to participation<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Another element of the Escaz\u00fa Agreement is access to participation. Article 7 of the treaty highlights the importance of public participation in environmental decision-making processes, and describes the means by which this is ensured.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Barriers to participate in decision-making processes include physical distances, bureaucracy and the use of technical language, and in the case of women also gender barriers. In Madre de Dios, less than 30 percent of the leadership positions is filled by Indigenous women. The study results show that women in these positions face gender stereotyping and that their leadership capacities are questioned. The limited representation of women is also visible in other positions, for example in forest management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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It was found that different measures can increase women leadership in the region:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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