PBI-Canada calls for language in the COP30 text this November that would help protect land and environmental defenders
The United Nations COP30 climate change conference will take place on November 10 to 21, 2025, in Belém, Brazil.
An estimated 2,106 land and environmental defenders have been killed around the world between 2012 and 2023.
Once the 2024 and 2025 numbers are known, given the average of 175 defenders killed each year, the total could reach 2,457 by COP30.
Peace Brigades International-Canada supports the call that all State Parties at COP30 should “recognize the link between the climate crisis and growing violence and repression against land and environmental defenders and take meaningful steps to protect defenders and civic space (online and in person) to promote ambition and climate action.”
We further support the call “urging all Parties to commit to the enhanced protection of environmental human rights defenders, including reporting, investigating and seeking accountability and redress for reprisals against environmental human rights defenders, and public information about the actions taken to do so as well as public recognition of the importance of their work.”
And we support the call on world leaders to “stop the violence and criminalization against indigenous peoples, small farmers, small fisherfolk, and other environmental and land defenders. Support the work they do. Respect and listen to our defenders.”
We believe these calls are fully consistent with the United Nations Human Rights Council statement from March 21, 2019, that affirms: “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” to limit global average temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
They are also consistent with Target 22 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted by the Conference of Parities (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022.
Target 22 urges Parties and other Governments to “ensure the full, equitable, inclusive, effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making, and access to justice and information related to biodiversity by indigenous peoples and local communities, respecting their cultures and their rights over lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge, as well as by women and girls, children and youth, and persons with disabilities and ensure the full protection of environmental human rights defenders.”
Despite this, the final text emerging from UN COP climate conferences have never acknowledged land and environmental rights defenders.
At a PBI-Canada convened webinar held in October 2024, Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, commented: “There are people who are willing to push for good results and at the same time we know that we also have people who are not our allies who are pushing also for counter-results and trying to delete paragraphs and good wording that some of us, some of them, would like to introduce.”
PBI-Canada is following the Peoples’ Summit, the Mesoamerican Caravan for the Climate and Life, AntiCOP organizing, and other popular and official initiatives that support protection measures for climate defenders.
We will also be amplifying messages like this one from UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor on the need for defenders to have safe spaces at COP30.
UN Special Rapporteur Lawlor has highlighted: “There is a huge opportunity for #Brazil with #COP30 in Belém this year. The climate COP has historically been a hostile & risky place for HRDs. I am asking the Brazilian authorities to change that tide & make it a safe space where they can participate meaningfully.”
This coming Tuesday November 18, during COP30, we also plan to bring together a United Nations Special Rapporteur and PBI accompanied defenders to talk about the risks and protection needs of those on the frontlines challenging the extractive industries that are accelerating the climate crisis.
You can pre-register for this webinar by clicking here.
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