The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and civil society in Dominica stand ready to engage with the Government of Dominica to advance implementation of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Escazú Agreement), following a civil society sensitisation workshop held on 26 May 2026 in Roseau.
Dominica formally became a Party to the Escazú Agreement on 21 July 2024, which comes with binding obligations to implement the Agreement’s provisions — establishing and strengthening the rights of access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters, as well as the recognition, protection and support of environmental defenders.
The workshop, hosted by CANARI and supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations, brought together civil society stakeholders to build capacity to promote the Escazú Agreement as a tool for environmental governance and human rights in Dominica.
Civil society participants emerged from the workshop with a clear message: the promise of the Escazú Agreement must be translated into concrete, measurable improvements in how environmental information is shared, how decisions are made, and how justice is accessed — improvements that will make a real difference in people’s daily lives and in the protection of Dominica’s natural environment.
The workshop was facilitated by Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director of CANARI, who also serves in her personal capacity as one of the six Elected Representatives of the Public to the Escazú Agreement. According to Ms. Leotaud, “The workshop was successful in building awareness and understanding of civil society about the Escazú Agreement and how development of a national roadmap is a key next step for Dominica to identify priority actions for implementation of this regional treaty.”
Development of a national roadmap would be based on an assessment of Dominica’s laws, policies, and regulations. The process would engage government agencies, civil society, communities and other stakeholders in identifying priorities and the actions needed to strengthen access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters in Dominica. The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has offered support to the Government of Dominica with development of this national roadmap.
CANARI and participants at the workshops urge the Government of Dominica to initiate this process without delay and affirm their readiness and commitment to engage as active partners in its development and implementation.
According to Ms. Yvonne Armour of the Ayahora Communities of Excellence (ACE) Foundation Inc, who participated in the workshop, “The Escazú Agreement secures environmental human rights for every Dominican, and understanding the three pillars was an important first step. Inspired by the workshop, participants committed to sharing this knowledge with their communities and leaders in an effort to strengthen Dominica’s environmental governance, and to request that support be sought from ECLAC for developing Dominica’s roadmap to implement the Escazú Agreement.”
CANARI stands ready to support the Government of Dominica and to continue working alongside civil society organisations, community groups and other stakeholders to translate the principles and commitments of the Escazú Agreement into meaningful action on the ground. The measure of Dominica’s success under the Agreement will not rest on ratification alone, but on the demonstrable outcomes it delivers for people and the environment.