"Uncalculated Risks: Threats and attacks against human rights defenders and the role of development financiers" 30 May 2019

Uncalculated Risks aims to provide an analytical foundation for joint learning on the nature of threats faced by defenders in the context of development activities, the role that development finance institutions presently play, and how they might better prevent and minimize these threats while promoting participatory, rights-respecting development...human rights defenders are increasingly subjected to threats and attacks for their efforts...What’s more, these threats and attacks are increasingly taking place in the context of activities undertaken in the name of development...[they face] smear campaigns or stigmatization used to delegitimize a defender’s character or motivation...judicial harassment...Repression of protests, land occupations, or labor actions by public and private security forces...In 2018 alone, of the at least 321 defenders killed for their work defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, three quarters (77%) were defending their land, environmental or indigenous rights...To avoid adverse human rights impacts, DFIs will need to operationalize a commitment to respect human rights and safeguard defenders through robust screening, assessment, due diligence, and use of leverage...[They must] 1) Respect rights and avoid harm; 2) Ensure an enabling environment for participation; 3) Listen to defenders and monitor for risks; 4) Stand up for defenders under threat.