RECOGNISING that loss of global biodiversity is linked with increasing violence toward people who put their lives at risk to defend nature and related human rights;

NOTING that environmental human and peoples’ rights defenders and whistleblowers are any individual or group working to protect or promote human rights in the context of the environment, such as the defence of land rights, access to natural resources and the evolving discussions on the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and that they are often members of indigenous and traditional communities who can play a key role in combating environmental crime and should be legally recognised and protected; in accordance with national and/or international laws.

ACKNOWLEDGING increasing human rights abuses against environmental defenders, especially women, their families and associates, including killings, threats, intimidation, harassment, gender-based violence, smear campaigns, criminalisation, and forced displacement, such that in 2020 alone, at least 331 environmental and human rights defenders were killed for defending their homes, lands and natural resources, with more than half of the cases occurring in Latin America (from Front Line Defenders Global Analysis 2020); and ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING that mining, forestry or agro-industrial projects, and in some places, even conservation, have led to abuses;

NOTING resolution 8/12 of the Conference of States Parties (COSP) under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) which encourages States Parties, and in conformity with national legislation, to consider establishing and developing, where appropriate, confidential complaint systems, whistleblower protection programmes, including protected reporting systems, and effective witness protection measures, and to increase awareness of such measures;

CONSIDERING that the protection of environmental defenders, their territories and rights is at the heart of IUCN’s rights-based approach to conservation as recognised in Resolutions 4.052 Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 4.119 Protection of rangers within and in areas adjacent to protected areas, and 4.056 Rights-based approaches to conservation (all adopted in Barcelona, 2008) and Resolution 5.97 Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Jeju, 2012);

APPLAUDING the efforts undertaken by environmental defenders as an essential contribution to conservation for present and future generations and welcoming national, regional and global developments to address the needs and rights of defenders, such as the Aarhus Convention, Escazú Agreement and the cooperation agreement signed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to promote and protect environmental and human rights;

RECOGNISING that environmental defenders under threat are found across the full range of IUCN fields of activity and regions and a more comprehensive approach is needed to support their protection especially in regions and areas of activity with high degrees of vulnerability; and

STRESSING that it is crucial to ensure the security of environmental defenders, within and outside their territories, and that all forms of arbitrary violence and criminalisation against defenders must be stopped and recurrence prevented;