The 2016 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders highlights the escalating violence against environmental human rights defenders worldwide. It raises an alarm about the shocking rate of attacks, killings, harassment, and intimidation of environmental and human rights defenders, whose work is crucial in protecting the rights of their communities to a safe and healthy environment. Safeguarding defenders is indispensable for achieving global sustainability goals and safeguarding the environment.
The State must respect those rights and protect the communities that suffer from these threats and risks. In this sense, this Report details the root causes underlying human rights violations, including corruption, impunity, and power imbalances between states, corporations, and defenders, and highlights the necessity of empowering defenders through legal frameworks, capacity-building, and international cooperation to address the root causes of their vulnerability.
To learn more, download the Report using the button above.
