Land and Environmental Defenders (Global Witness)

Our key takeaway: The latest figures are in - and they are not good. Last year, 177 defenders (at least) lost their lives for protecting our planet. Just like in 2021, a defender was killed every other day in 2022 (on average). Agribusiness, mining and logging emerge as key sectors connected to the deaths - although there are others too. More than a third (36%) of the defenders murdered were Indigenous peoples and 7% were Afro-descendant. The figures include five children. Global Witness makes clear that this is just one part of the picture. There are a number of deaths that go unreported. And there are other ways of harming people beyond killing them: criminalisation, harassment and digital attacks are also being used to silence defenders. Global Witness finds that Latin America is particularly concerning - with 88% of the killings (in particular in Colombia, Brazil and Mexico). And these killings will increase - since the worsening climate crisis and the ever-increasing demand for agricultural commodities, fuel and minerals will only intensify the pressure on the environment – and those who risk their lives to defend it. What are companies to do? Identify, prevent, mitigate and remedy any harms in their operations against defenders. Ensure legal compliance and corporate responsibility at all levels. And implement a rights-based approach for addressing climate change.

Global Witness published ‘Standing Firm: The Land and Environmental Defenders on the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis’ (September 2023):

• Some figures: In 2022, at least 177 defenders lost their lives for protecting our planet. Global Witness highlights that the number is likely greater - since a number of deaths go unreported. This  leads to a total number of 1,910 killings since 2012. Just like in 2021, a defender was killed every other day in 2022 (on average). Global Witness notes that “[i]t remains difficult to identify the exact drivers behind the killings, or to connect killings to specific sectors.” Nevertheless, agribusiness, mining and logging emerge as key sectors connected to the deaths. More than a third (36%) of the defenders murdered were Indigenous peoples and 7% were Afro-descendants. More than a fifth (22%) were small-scale farmers. And female defenders were subjected to 11% of the total number of lethal attacks - which is in addition to the “[m]any forms of gender-specific violence – ranging from sexual violence to rejection by their families and communities” inflicted on women. “At least five children were murdered last year – three in Brazil, one in Colombia and one in Mexico. Three of them were Indigenous, such as the case of nine-year-old Jonatas Oliveira, the son of a rural leader in Brazil.” Global Witness further highlights that “[t]he worsening climate crisis and the ever-increasing demand for agricultural commodities, fuel and minerals will only intensify the pressure on the environment – and those who risk their lives to defend it.” Further, “[i]ncreasingly, non-lethal strategies such as criminalisation, harassment and digital attacks are also being used to silence defenders.”
  

• Spotlight on Latin America: Global Witness finds that “t[t]he situation in Latin America remains particularly concerning. In 2022, the region accounted for 88% of killings – an ever-growing majority of the world’s cases. A total of 11 of the 18 countries where we documented cases in 2022 were in Latin America.” “More than 70% of cases – 125 killings out of the total of 177– happened in just three countries: Colombia, Brazil and Mexico.” When it comes to Colombia, the country tops the ranking of deaths (60 murders) - almost double the 2021 number of 33. To note that “[w]hen Gustavo Petro, the first leftist president in contemporary Colombia, took office in August 2022, he promised social transformation and enhanced protection for defenders. No government had committed to that before.”) When it comes to Brazil, “34 defenders lost their lives, compared to 26 in 2021. Defenders in Brazil faced relentless hostility from former president Jair Bolsonaro’s government, whose policies have opened up the Amazon to exploitation and destruction, have undermined environmental institutions and have fuelled illegal invasions of indigenous lands.” The report provides a deep dive on the situation in the Amazon, where killings are on the rise - including of “Indigenous communities. These figures are particularly tragic in a context of the worsening climate emergency; protecting the Amazon is one of the most urgent actions we must take to avert the worst consequences of our planetary crisis.” When it comes to Mexico, the number of deaths decreased compared to 2021 (31 compared to 54), although a number of other non-lethal attacks continue.  Honduras has the world’s highest per-capita killings (with 14 murders in 2022.)
  

• Recommendations to business: The GW report provides a number of recommendations to governments, business and the EU. We focus here on the recommendations to business. First companies should “[i]dentify, prevent, mitigate and remedy any harms in their operations against defenders.” For instance, “[c]ompany policies must explicitly identify any contextual risks to defenders and safeguard their rights. This means identifying and mitigating the drivers behind threats and attacks like land inequality, corruption, violent conflict, high impunity rates and shrinking civic space. Businesses must swiftly provide remedies where human rights and environmental harms occur, deter future attacks and publicly recognise the positive role defenders play.” Second, companies should “[e]nsure legal compliance and corporate responsibility at all levels.” This includes “strictly implement[ing] a policy of zero-tolerance for attacks and reprisals against land and environmental defenders, illegal land acquisition, and violations of the right to free, prior and informed consent.” “These policies should state who at senior level is responsible for legal compliance, as well as how it will be implemented and monitored. The policies should also identify clear red lines for prompt suspension or termination of contracts for non-compliant suppliers.” Third, companies (alongside governments) are called upon to “[i]mplement a rights-based approach for addressing climate change.” Global Witness underscores the importance of ensuring “commitments to implement the Paris Agreement align with existing international human rights obligations and standards and promote just and equitable solutions to climate change. This should include strengthening the land rights of Indigenous and traditional communities and enhancing their participation in decision-making in recognition of the key role they play in protecting the world’s last remaining biodiverse areas.”