PBI-Canada webinar on the UN COP28 summit and environmental defenders, December 7

On Thursday December 7 at 12 pm ET, PBI-Canada will be hosting a webinar focused on the United Nations COP28 climate summit and the actions it should take to address violence against frontline environmental defenders.

To register for this webinar, click here.

At least 1,390 land and environmental defenders have been killed since the COP21 climate summit in Paris in December 2015.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has affirmed: “Human rights defenders, including environmental human rights defenders, must be ensured a safe and enabling environment to undertake their work free from hindrance and insecurity, in recognition of their important role in supporting States to fulfil their obligations under the Paris Agreement.”

And yet COP declarations have failed to reflect the crucial role of defenders, highlight the importance of their work, or take meaningful steps to enhance their protection.

At the midpoint in the COP28 talks, we ask why and what needs to be done.

Our featured speakers are:

Wet’suwet’en land defender Eve Saint was arrested at gunpoint by RCMP C-IRG officers on February 7, 2020, while peacefully resisting the construction of the Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline on her territory in northern British Columbia.

Colombian environmental defender Yuli Velasquez has experienced three armed attacks against her since January 20, 2021, related to her defence of the San Silvestre wetlands near Barrancabermeja that are threatened by an oil refinery, agribusiness and garbage dumps.

Javier Garate is the Washington-based US Policy Advisor on Land and Environmental Defenders at Global Witness. His organization has played a crucial role in documenting the harassment and killing of land and environmental defenders.

Emily Lowan, a Montreal-based climate justice movement activist on Turtle Island and the Fossil Fuel Supply Campaigns Lead at Climate Action Network Canada. She will be in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the COP28 climate summit.

To register for this webinar, please click here.