Cabal Urges De la Espriella to Withdraw Colombia From the Escazu Agreement

The former senator Maria Fernanda Cabal asked Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, to withdraw from the Escazu Agreement once he takes office. The conservative political leader said the international treaty has become a “tool of the far left” and argued that its continued participation affects the country’s sovereignty and limits the development of strategic projects related to the exploitation of natural resources.

The statement has once again reopened the debate over one of the most controversial environmental agreements of recent years. While its supporters argue that it strengthens transparency, public participation, and the protection of environmental defenders, its critics contend that it grants excessive authority to organizations and international actors to intervene in the internal decisions of states.

Cabal urges De la Espriella to withdraw Colombia from the Escazu Agreement

Through a public message addressed to the president-elect, Maria Fernanda Cabal urged Abelardo de la Espriella to begin the process of withdrawing Colombia from the Escazu Agreement. The former senator claimed that the treaty has been used as a political instrument by left-wing sectors and asserted that it limits the State’s ability to make decisions regarding economic development and the exploitation of natural resources.

“President Abelardo de la Espriella, we must withdraw from the ESCAZU Agreement, a tool of the far left to hand over our sovereignty to third parties outside Colombia. We are going to develop this country, blessed by God with so much wealth,” the right-wing former senator wrote this morning on her X social media account.

This is not the first time Cabal has expressed her opposition to the agreement. Since discussions on the treaty began in Congress, she has become one of its leading opponents, arguing that it could facilitate international litigation and affect strategic projects related to mining, infrastructure, and hydrocarbon development.

On several occasions, she has insisted that Colombia already has sufficient mechanisms in place to guarantee environmental rights without taking on new international obligations.

The request takes on new significance because of Cabal’s political closeness to the president-elect, with her name even being mentioned as a potential minister in the future administration. The politician—who left the Democratic Center party amid controversy, disagreeing with the selection of Paloma Valencia as the presidential candidate—supported De la Espriella’s candidacy during the presidential campaign and is now seeking to have some of the conservative sector’s key priorities incorporated into the agenda of the new government.

Presidente @ABDELAESPRIELLA hay que denunciar el acuerdo ESCAZÚ, herramienta de la extrema izquierda para entregar nuestra soberanía a terceros fuera de Colombia.

Vamos a desarrollar este país, privilegiado por Dios con tanta riqueza.

— María Fernanda Cabal (@MariaFdaCabal) July 1, 2026

What is the Escazu Agreement?

The Escazu Agreement is the first environmental treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean and also the first in the world to include specific provisions for protecting environmental defenders.

Its name comes from the city of Escazu, Costa Rica, where negotiations concluded in March 2018. The treaty was promoted under the leadership of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) after several years of talks among countries in the region.

Its main objective is to guarantee three rights considered fundamental in environmental matters: access to public information, public participation in decisions that may affect the environment, and effective access to justice when those rights are violated. In addition, it establishes commitments to protect social leaders and communities that defend natural resources, an especially relevant issue in a region that records high levels of violence against environmental activists.

Colombia signed the Escazu Agreement in December 2019 during the administration of then-President Ivan Duque, who at the time belonged to the same party as former Senator Cabal. However, its legislative process was marked by intense political and legal controversy.

For several years, the proposal faced resistance from business sectors, trade associations, and right-wing parties that warned of possible impacts on legal certainty for investments and on the State’s autonomy to pursue economic projects, as well as concerns that it could hinder certain expanding business activities.

In contrast, environmental organizations, academics, and human rights advocates argued that the treaty simply strengthened guarantees already recognized in Colombia’s Constitution and improved protection for those facing threats because of their environmental advocacy.

The debate continued through several legislative sessions before the agreement was able to advance in Congress, making it one of the most polarizing environmental initiatives of recent years.