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This Protection International (PI) publication defines what a safe and enabling environment for Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs) should look like and how to achieve it.
PI advocates for a situated, intersectional approach centered on EHRDs’ needs, recognizing the link between human and environmental rights, especially for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). This approach addresses the social, economic, and political power structures fueling aggression against EHRDs.
Ultimately, we argue that EHRDs, as they challenge corporate harm and human rights violations, are essential to resolving the triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
Solutions to the triple planetary crisis must be just, fair, and centered on the most affected group. Therefore, the protection of EHRDs must be framed through an environmental justice lens.
The first section examines EHRD protection’s legal and normative frameworks. The second section discusses disabling barriers and strategies for fostering a safe and enabling environment beyond immediate protection. The third section presents evidence that the most effective protection strategies are collective, involving networks, positive narratives, psychosocial support, and collective care.
Amidst targeted attacks on the institutions and laws that uphold human rights, peace, and climate justice, this paper highlights that as States fail to protect people and the planet, Environmental Human Rights Defenders lead the fight. We conclude that protecting EHRDs is crucial for defending the planet and our collective future, necessitating robust collaboration between governments, businesses, civil society, and financial institutions.
We should never forget that Environmental Human Rights Defenders are at the forefront of the climate and environmental justice struggle. This is one of the main struggles of our time, for which many EHRDs have sacrificed their lives.
Read the full publication by clicking on the image below