As global loss of biodiversity and increased violence against those who risk their lives to defend nature and encircle human rights, and to more fully guarantee safety of environmental defenders, to stop all forms of violence against defenders in all its aspects and to commend their efforts, the IUCN, at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France, proposed that:

1. ENCOURAGES the Director General to work with State and non-State Members, including Indigenous Peoples Organisations, women organisations and national NGOs, Commissions, Regional Offices, National Committees, the Secretariat and International Organisations, including International Financial Institutions, to:

a. enhance knowledge, collection of disaggregated data and awareness concerning environmental defenders and whistleblowers, and protection mechanisms linked to other current efforts, such as civil society organisations and networks, the UNEP policy on promoting greater protection for environmental defenders, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and national governments;

b. review the IUCN Programme 2021–2024 in terms of intersections with environmental defender issues including in its programme on business and biodiversity engagement;

c. develop an IUCN policy and action plan on environmental human rights defenders and whistleblowers, in collaboration with defenders and whistleblowers and their organisations;

d. as part of the IUCN Annual Report, report on the development and implementation of the activities related to the policy and action plan on environmental defenders and whistleblowers;

e. engage in direct dialogue with individual State Members to conduct independent fact finding, when relevant, and to improve systematic protection of defenders; and

f. mobilise resources with interested donor countries to finance activities in support of environmental defenders and whistleblowers;

2. REQUESTS the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), the Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) and the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), in collaboration with defenders and whistleblowers and their organisations, to initiate a campaign to promote and support the work of environmental human rights defenders and whistleblowers as a way of protecting them from threats and attacks and showing the importance of their work;

3. REQUESTS National Committees to engage Members, raise awareness and build capacity concerning protection needs of environmental human rights defenders, and opportunities to meet those needs in their respective countries;

4. URGES states to adopt and uphold laws aimed at the protection of defenders and whistleblowers, and to put in place holistic protection measures for, and in consultation with, defenders and whistleblowers, thereby seeking to ensure accountability and prosecution for threats and attacks against environmental human rights defenders;

5. CALLS ON financial institutions and businesses to implement human rights due diligence including with the use of free, prior and informed consent for indigenous peoples, and further establish and strengthen grievance and redress mechanisms, and hold meaningful and inclusive consultations with defenders, potentially affected groups and other relevant stakeholders as part of a zero tolerance approach to violence within supply chains; and

6. CALLS ON NGOs and others within the IUCN community to respect, defend and uphold human rights, and to undertake human rights due diligence and commit to the use of free, prior and informed consent for indigenous peoples.

Source from: https://www.iucncongress2020.org/motion/039

Original Chinese article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/l7l-ediU9o0C8bwG7hp4IQ

Translator/Daisy

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