"The deadly price of fighting for human and environmental rights", 04 Sep 2018

This week sees the launch of the UN Environmental Rights Initiative in Rio, as UN organizations, NGOs and other partners are meeting to address the growing problem of attacks on land and environmental defenders in Brazil. Unfortunately, such attacks are part of a pattern seen around the world. In our work as independent UN human rights experts, we see that people standing up for human rights and civic freedoms (human rights defenders) are increasingly being targeted. According to a recent report by the UN Secretary General, at least 1019 human rights defenders were killed in 61 countries from 2015 to 2017. A large number of attacks against human rights defenders and civil society organizations happen because they raise concerns about adverse human rights and environmental impacts of business operations... There is no lack of international standards... The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment clarify that States have a duty to protect...defenders, and business a responsibility to respect their rights...Recent reports...provide recommendations to governments and business... States and business should implement specific policies to support and protect human rights defenders... Emerging business practice shows that action is possible...