The agreement originated at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and is the only binding treaty to be adopted as a result of the conference. It was drafted between 2015 and 2018 and adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica on 4 March 2018. The agreement was signed on 27 September 2018 and remained open for signature until 26 September 2020.[1] Eleven ratifications were required for the agreement to enter into force, which was achieved on 22 January 2021 with the accession of Mexico and Argentina.[3] The agreement will enter into force on 22 April 2021.[1]