Protection of the Environmental Human Rights Defenders for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Human rights defenders play a key role in the realisation of all human rights. A rights-based approach to planetary boundaries for ensuring a safe and just space for civilisation and humanity requires environmental actions not only from within and across the United Nations system but also from the civil society engaging in the democratic decision-making processes (António Guterres, The Highest Aspiration: A Call to Action for Human Rights, 2020). According to the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, it is the responsibility of every individual to promote human rights, to safeguard democracy and its institutions. However, exclusion and power imbalances between States, companies, and human rights defenders cause the deterioration of the environmental rule of law, particularly infringing the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the right to access to justice and effective remedy (A/71/281 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, 3 August 2016).