On the frontline of the climate crisis
Environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) are the driving force in advocating for urgent actions to address the climate crisis. Doing so, they often risk their own safety. Global Witness reported that at over 2,000 environmental defenders were killed since 2012. By challenging powerful interests, they are increasingly targeted and harassed by governments and companies alike, facing threats, attacks and criminalisation. And despite their vital role in the fight against climate crisis, they are often marginalised in climate negotiations.
This must change: defenders’ rights must be protected and their voices must be part of climate discussions. A new initiative aims to make that happen.
Introducing LEAD
The Leaders Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD) is a trusted space to connect environmental human rights defenders, Indigenous groups, civil society organisations, UN bodies, funders, government leaders and others to drive meaningful change in the context of the climate emergency. It is a platform created by and for defenders to amplify their voices, advance their protection and ensure that multilateral climate decisions reflect the need of communities worldwide.
That is why LEAD will:
- raise awareness and elevate the vital role of EHRDs in environmental and climate action;
- strengthen global policymaking on EHRD protection through multi-stakeholder information exchange; and
- ensure the meaningful involvement of EHRDs in international environmental negotiations, including those on climate change and biodiversity protection.
LEAD at the 2024 New York Climate Week
In September, coinciding with the United Nations General Assembly, world leaders, businesses, environmental organisations and activists came together at the New York Climate Week to discuss climate action and solutions.
It was against this backdrop that the LEAD coalition hosted a closed-door session and a high-level convening. During these events, environmental human rights defenders, including Olivier Ndoole and Cristiane Pankararu, shared from their own experiences what defenders need to safely exercise their rights, protect their environments and livelihood, and promote a transition that is just for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. They were joined in a panel by governmental representatives including Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil and Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, who discussed opportunities for governments, defenders and civil society to come together to promote multi-stakeholder collaboration and scale these approaches on a global level.
This marked the start of a crucial dialogue about how we can bring diverse groups together in a room to ensure that defenders across the world are recognised, protected and can meaningfully participate in the climate and environmental discussions that affect them.
Closing off the New York Climate week, the LEAD initiative also had a stage moment at the 2024 Global Citizen Festival. Olivier Ndoole, Joan Carling and Kal Penn introduced LEAD and called for the protection of environmental human rights defenders in front of a crowd of 60,000 people in Central Park and 100 million people online.
How to support LEAD?
Sign the online open letter to demand the protection of EHRDS and their inclusion in climate policy making.
Over 20.000 signatories have already called on leaders from governments and international institutions to work together with EHRDs, including young environmental defenders, women defenders, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and other members of civil society, to address the threats they face and to commit to their protection and meaningful inclusion in decision-making on climate and environmental processes. As leaders gather in Cali, Colombia in October 2024 for Biodiversity COP16 and in Belém, Brasil for COP30 in 2025, there is a window of opportunity to advance such action.
The approach to resolving climate change will define our future. With LEAD, we seek to ensure that environmental human rights defenders are protected, their role in the fight against climate change is recognised and their perspectives are placed at the heart of climate decisions.