In a recent capacity-building gathering held in Roseau on May 26, 2026, civil society groups across Dominica, in partnership with the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), have called on the Dominican government to accelerate full implementation of the Escazú Agreement, a landmark regional environmental governance treaty.
Hosted by CANARI with financial backing from the Open Society Foundations, the workshop brought together delegates from a wide range of local civil society organizations. Its core goal was to deepen collective understanding of the treaty, which is formally named the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, and outline how its provisions can strengthen environmental management and defend human rights tied to natural resources in Dominica.
Per an official CANARI statement, Dominica formally ratified the agreement and became a full participating party on July 21, 2024. As a signatory, the island nation is bound by enforceable commitments centered on four key pillars: expanding public access to transparent environmental data, creating structured opportunities for community input in environmental policy decisions, improving pathways to justice for environmental harms, and protecting environmental human rights defenders from retaliation.
Workshop attendees uniformly emphasized that the true value of the Escazú Agreement will not be measured by ratification alone, but by tangible, on-the-ground improvements to governance and conservation outcomes. Participants stressed that systemic changes are needed to how environmental information is disseminated, how regulatory decisions are made, and how justice is delivered to communities – changes that must deliver direct, measurable benefits to Dominican citizens and the country’s vulnerable ecosystems.
Leading the workshop was Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director of CANARI, who also serves as one of six elected public representatives to the Escazú Agreement’s governing body in her individual capacity. Reflecting on the outcomes of the session, Leotaud noted that the event successfully built critical awareness and literacy around the treaty among civil society stakeholders, adding that developing a national implementation roadmap is the most critical immediate step for Dominica to identify targeted priority actions to bring the treaty into force.
A central, consensus recommendation emerging from the workshop discussions was the formal development of a national implementation roadmap. This strategic framework would first conduct a comprehensive audit of Dominica’s existing environmental laws, policies, and regulatory frameworks to identify gaps. It would also bring together government agencies, local community groups, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to collaboratively map priority action areas, with a focus on upholding all three core pillars of the agreement: access to information, public participation, and environmental justice.
Notably, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has already confirmed its readiness to provide technical and operational support to the Dominican government as it develops the roadmap. CANARI and workshop participants have jointly called on Dominican authorities to launch the roadmap development process without delay, and have pledged ongoing civil society and technical support throughout every stage of drafting and execution.
One attendee, Yvonne Armour, representing the Ayahora Communities of Excellence (ACE) Foundation Inc., shared her perspective on the workshop’s outcomes. Armour noted that the treaty enshrines environmental human rights for all Dominican people, and building a clear understanding of its three core pillars was an essential first step toward implementation. She added that participants left the workshop inspired to share their new knowledge with local communities and national leaders, to advance stronger environmental governance across the country, and to formalize the request for ECLAC support for roadmap development.
Closing the event, CANARI reaffirmed its long-term commitment to collaborating with the Dominican government, local community organizations, and all relevant stakeholders to translate the Escazú Agreement’s core principles into actionable, real-world results. The organization emphasized that Dominica’s success with the treaty will ultimately be judged not by the act of ratification, but by the measurable, positive impacts it delivers for both Dominican citizens and the island’s unique natural environment.