Monrovia, Liberia – A comprehensive stakeholder engagement meeting has been held by Green Advocate in cooperation with its international partners as part of its efforts to enhance the ability of Grassroots Environmental Defenders (GEDs) in Liberia.
The purpose of this program is to increase GEDs’ ability to run research-based advocacy campaigns around the nation. The goal of the one-day engagement event was to forge a powerful alliance to tackle issues related to the effects on the environment and development, as well as the dangers and assaults on GEDs.
The initiative, titled “Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (STAND),” seeks to expand financial resources for GEDs, ensuring they can work safely and effectively while securing long-term sustainability.
“STAND will offer training, financial support, and collaborative partnerships to civil society organizations (CSOs) confronting the risks faced by environmental defenders in Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, the Congo DRC, Kenya, and Liberia,” said Peter Quaqua.
STAND is led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Indigenous Land and Environmental Defenders (AILED), a global network of civil society donors and defenders driving multi-stakeholder actions and systemic changes.
Green Advocate recently launched a new program with five other global groups to shield grassroots environmental defenders from long-term dangers like violence, security risks, and governance issues. The Department of State in the United States is funding this effort.
Quaqua reminded participants that GEDs face significant risks, including criminalization, loss of livelihood, and extrajudicial killings due to their advocacy.With the use of appropriate safety and protection strategies, STAND initiative aims to increase the resources available and fortify GEDs’ capacity to access legal mechanisms, take part in environmental decision-making processes, pursue justice, and use coalitions and platforms to further their advocacy efforts.
Quaqua acknowledged the vital role GEDs play in protecting the environment and their communities. Their positive impact and need for protection have been formally recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and many international, regional, and multilateral agreements.
He pointed out that stakeholders and non-state actors still do not fully acknowledge the rights and functions of GEDs because of stigmatization and efforts to weaken community support, especially in nations that depend on the exploitation of natural resources and major infrastructure projects.
In Liberia, the economic, social, cultural, environmental, and indigenous rights of defenders continue to face high risks due to their work. The country is home to diverse indigenous communities with deep connections to their ancestral lands.
However, environmental deterioration, mining, logging, and agricultural growth frequently pose a danger to these standards. Quaqua emphasized the unhappiness of communities impacted by the operations of international concession firms as evidenced by the recent protests in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County, which resulted in the deaths of three grassroots defenders.
“The plight of environmental defenders and indigenous communities is the same across Liberia,” Quaqua said. “They are exposed to harsh conditions and brutality perpetrated by these foreign companies with support from state security. Sadly, the government of Liberia appears keen on protecting investors but cares less about the suffering and violations citizens face daily.”
Many GEDs are fighting for their lives after being forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and means of subsistence with impunity. This effort aims to lessen attacks against GEDs while obtaining more robust and significant pledges from the public and corporate sectors to address these attacks, especially in underprivileged communities and areas
Additionally, it seeks to strengthen GEDs’ ability to hold public and private entities responsible for adhering to and upholding environmental laws. This includes enabling GEDs to participate in environmental decision-making forums through the use of local, regional, and global governance structures.
The three-year project will focus on two main goals: raising GEDs’ awareness and technical capabilities to collect and use environmental and GEDs attacks data and information in advocacy campaigns, and boosting GEDs’ involvement in environmental decision-making in large-scale development projects.
The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), according to Bah-Wah Brownell, Director, Program Planning, Internal Monitoring and Evaluation, is tasked with defending and advancing human rights across Liberia.
Established by the INCHR Act of 2005, the commission works with CSOs to ensure that human rights can be demanded by grassroots organizations.
“We must protect and promote the human rights of our citizens, which is why we always collaborate with CSOs to ensure these rights are protected under the law. We are pleased to work with Green Advocate to achieve your objectives.”
Brownell emphasized that while state actors may occasionally commit breaches and abuses, the state frequently fails to provide protection or even works with non-state actors to carry out these violations. The goal of the partnership with Green Advocate is to guarantee that human rights are respected and safeguarded in Liberia, particularly those of environmental defenders.
Reported by: Simeon Wiakanty
Contact: +231881538878
