Earth Overshoots its Resources for 2026 in:
Project Working Group – Call to Action
IAUT (Indigenous Ark Urban Technologies) is seeking volunteers to form a Project Work Group to produce a robust tool kit to launch educational campaigns on the persecution of environmentalists. This group will also seek to foster informed discussion to support Indigenous Peoples in making strategic decisions about whether and how to engage with international accountability mechanisms, such as through the OECD outlined below, as part of broader advocacy efforts. Please email admin@urbanarktech.org and/or follow the click on “Volunteer” to express your interest.
Persecution of Environmental Defenders: For the indigenous whose land contains coveted natural resources, the struggle to protect the planet often involves risking everything.
A significant aspect of the Escazú Agreement is its explicit recognition of the critical role played by environmental defenders. This is especially important in Latin America, which is one of the most dangerous regions to be an Indigenous rights and environmental defender; three out of four assassinations of environmental defenders occur there. This dire situation underscores the urgent need for protections for defenders. By requiring member States to recognize, protect, and promote the rights of environmental defenders, the agreement sends a powerful message about the importance of safeguarding human rights in the context of environmental activism. The agreement holds particular significance for Indigenous Peoples, who have been stewarding biodiversity for millennia. It includes provisions to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ meaningful participation in environmental decision-making processes and grant them access to environmental information and justice.
Escazú Agreement: A Landmark for Environmental Rights | Cultural Survival
- Where is protecting the planet most dangerous?
- Where does speaking up and organizing for the rights of nature risk a person’s freedom or even his/her life?
- Which communities most need support in facing the impacts of pollution?
- Where are there opportunities to stand as allies for those persecuted?
OECD’s NCP Complaint Process
- OECD’s NCP Complaint Process
- For an introduction to the OECD NCP Complaint process, please see here. The complaint process must balance transparency and anonymity, which in the context of indigenous leaders defending the planet against interests for ultra-high value resources such as gold and lithium, often entails jeopardizing their lives. Because the OECD NCP Complaint process seeks to resolve challenges through mediation, anonymity has its limits. A strategic approach whereby international allies may assist may be an advantage when strategically employed in concert with other tools. The following is the introduction to the OECD’s paper on this matter, although the author does not directly address the issue of safety for targeted environmental defenders.
- “All governments adhering to the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises are required to establish a National Contact Point (NCP). NCPs are mandated to further the effectiveness of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (‘the Guidelines’) by undertaking promotional activities, handling enquiries and contributing to the resolution of issues that arise relating to the implementation of the Guidelines in specific instances. The Guidelines do not provide a formal definition of‘ specific instances’, however the term is used to describe situations of alleged non observance of the Guidelines brought to NCPs.1 Between 2000 and 2016 over 400 specific instances have been submitted to NCPs. Over this period, most NCPs have developed rules of procedure and continue to refine their processes of handling specific instances to address challenges and improve outcomes.
- The specific instance procedure is intended to provide a consensual, non-adversarial, forward-looking “forum for discussion” for issues that arise relating to implementation of the Guidelines.2 The issue of confidentiality and its relationship to campaigning during specific instances represents an ongoing challenge to NCPs in handling specific instances.
- The Procedural Guidance recognizes that transparency is one of the four core criteria for functional equivalence of NCPs. The Procedural Guidance of the Guidelines also contains provisions setting out how confidentiality is relevant to specific instances, however, confidentiality is generally seen as an exception to this general provision of transparency.
- Related to the issue of confidentiality during specific instances is that of campaigning. Campaigning is not referred to in the Procedural Guidance but has been described as “a series of coordinated activities, such as public speaking and demonstrating, designed to achieve a social, political, or commercial goal.” In practice the scope of campaigning with respect to corporate conduct can be quite varied. Some campaigns may focus on boycotts or disengagement from certain industries. Other campaigns may be more targeted, calling for specific action from a company such as improved labour conditions or environmental management or other changes in the context of specific operations.
- Some stakeholder groups use widespread advocacy platforms such as mass media to share their message with the broader public or consumers while others may be more targeted, engaging with investors or with relevant policy makers.
- The following document, as published by the OECD, seeks to address the following questions:
- What does the Procedural Guidance say about transparency, confidentiality, campaigning and good faith participation?
- How do NCP’s address issues of confidentiality and campaigning through their own rules of procedure and policies?
- How have other grievance or mediation platforms approached confidentiality and campaigning issues?
- What are the various stakeholder perspectives on confidentiality and campaigning?
- What good practices should NCPs take into account in developing effective approaches for balancing transparency and confidentiality concerns?”
- Guide for National Contact Points on Confidentiality and Campaigning when handling Specific Instances.
- The OECD’s Public Database of prior complaints is available here:
- For an introduction to the OECD NCP Complaint process, please see here. The complaint process must balance transparency and anonymity, which in the context of indigenous leaders defending the planet against interests for ultra-high value resources such as gold and lithium, often entails jeopardizing their lives. Because the OECD NCP Complaint process seeks to resolve challenges through mediation, anonymity has its limits. A strategic approach whereby international allies may assist may be an advantage when strategically employed in concert with other tools. The following is the introduction to the OECD’s paper on this matter, although the author does not directly address the issue of safety for targeted environmental defenders.
- The OECD Watch has also produced a fillable complaint template available here:
- Urban Ark Tech has software to generate email campaigns. We need volunteers to draft petitions to international organizations to advocate for environmental detainees.
- There is an explanation of this problem and current on-going efforts to address it here.
- While a handful of leading organizations is important, we believe that a chorus is more powerful in bringing widespread attention to this critical reality.
- Join the chorus with us. Help us help those on the front lines.
Resources
Escazú Agreement: A Landmark for Environmental Rights | Cultural Survival
foreign corrupt practices act mining in authoritarian countries – Google Search