Advancing Protection, Accountability and Rights-Based Environmental Governance
Background
Across Asia-Pacific, environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) play a vital role in protecting ecosystems, lands and natural resources, and in advancing sustainable development and climate action. Their work contributes to the realization of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2022.
Despite their essential contributions, EHRDs in the region continue to face serious and increasing risks, including intimidation, criminalization, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), violence, restrictions on civic space, and reprisals for engaging with international mechanisms. These challenges are often linked to conflicts around climate mitigation and adaptation projects, biodiversity conservation initiatives, land use, extractive industries, and large-scale infrastructure developments.
The Asia-Pacific Environmental Human Rights Defenders Forum (2025) highlighted several cross-cutting trends and priority areas requiring further dialogue and collaboration among States, UN agencies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and other stakeholders. In response, partners are organizing a webinar series throughout 2026 to deepen discussions on key thematic issues affecting EHRDs in the region and to identify practical pathways for improving protection and accountability.
Objective
The webinar series aims to:
- Provide a platform for regional dialogue and knowledge exchange on the situation of environmental human rights defenders in Asia-Pacific;
- Highlight emerging risks, patterns of attacks, and protection gaps affecting defenders working on environmental, climate and land issues;
- Promote human-rights-based approaches to environmental governance, including in climate action, biodiversity protection and natural resource management;
- Strengthen collaboration among UN agencies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, and other partners working to support and protect EHRDs; and
- Identify practical recommendations and good practices to enhance protection mechanisms, accountability, and access to justice for defenders.
Webinar Series
Proposed Themes and Timeline
| Webinar | Topic | Suggested Week |
| 1 – Opening Session | Regional trends and overall situation of EHRDs | 19 May 2026 |
| 2 | Biodiversity Governance and Human Rights | 06 August 2026 |
| 3 | Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Human Rights Nexus | upcoming |
| 4 | Corporate Accountability, Climate Action and Just Transitions | upcoming |
| 5 | Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Gender and Inclusion | upcoming |
| 6 | Legal Protection, Access to Justice and Protection Mechanisms | upcoming |
| 7 – Concluding Session | Whole-of-Society Approaches | upcoming |
