Over the past years, URG has been at the forefront of efforts to highlight the important role of, and the risks faced by, environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). URG continues its work in cooperation with UNEP, relevant UN Special Rapporteurs, civil society organisations, and local embassies of partner countries.
URG continues to conduct regional capacity-building workshops to ensure that EHRDs are able to better connect to the protection and support mechanisms available at national, regional and international levels. It also works with UNEP and OHCHR to conduct sensitisation and training workshops for UN Country Teams and bilateral embassies in places where EHRDs are at particular risk. To counter the stigma around EHRDs, URG will work with partners to produce short video documentaries telling the stories of EHRDs, their contributions to human rights, environmental protection, and the fight against climate change, and will work with supportive delegations at the Council to bring their faces and voices into the Council.
