Another year over, and a new one just begun

As 2021 begins, the physical and political accompaniment provided by Peace Brigades International remains crucial.

In less than 48 hours over the holiday period, two Indigenous land defenders were killed in Honduras. We also saw eight defenders who have been unjustly imprisoned for their peaceful defence of the Guapinol River in Honduras denied bail pending their trial.

This year, PBI-Canada will continue to draw attention to the struggles of the defenders who risk their lives by speaking against destructive megaprojects, extractivism, land grabs, state and paramilitary violence, and persecution.

Key priorities for us in 2021 include:

1- strengthening our outreach to find the vitally needed volunteers able to spend a year or more on the frontlines accompanying threatened defenders

2- scaling-up our advocacy by organizing webinars (look for our next webinar on the impact of Canadian mining in Mexico in early February)

3- arranging meetings for defenders with Canadian officials (we expect to be scheduling meetings with Global Affairs soon for Colombian defenders so that they can speak on the impacts of Canadian oil and gas operations in their communities)

4- circulating new urgent action petitions that address systemic human rights issues and amplify calls for protection measures for defenders

5- increasing those we reach with our articles and daily social media posts that build broader public awareness and provide a further measure of safety for those we accompany.

We appreciate the support you have provided to this work throughout 2020 and in particular this past month. Thank you!

If you didn’t have a chance to make a donation in 2020, please consider helping us start 2021 with the financial support needed for our work via our online platform.