Author: apned_admin

Environmental defenders and civic space has been increasingly under threat the last few years in the Philippines. Those who protect our ecosystems and the communities directly impacted by it degradation are unjustly targeted by state forces and policies. The Philippines, holds the title as the most dangerous country for environmental defenders for 10 years in a row, according to independent human rights watchdog, Global Witness.

The Pacific Island Nations vehemently oppose Japan’s ongoing dumping of treated water waste from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean. They believe that the release of the water would harm the Pacific Ocean and its inhabitants and that there are still uncertainties about the long-term effects of the release. Additionally, they are calling for action from the United Nations Human Rights Council and its respective special rapporteurs to act upon the plan, which is against the universal right to a healthy environment.

The EHRD Toolkit was launched last year during the annual commemoration of human rights day! The toolkit is the primary initiative of APNED, along with UNEP, YECAP, UNDP, OHCHR, and CEC-PH, in supporting the vital work of environment defenders across the globe. Additionally, it is an evolving document that seeks to improve upon new developments and consistent consultations and inputs from fellow defenders!

August 9 is the annual celebration of Indigenous Peoples. They have lived in harmony with nature through their knowledge and cultural practices for centuries. Their time-tested ways are still relevant and deemed the best solutions to the triple planetary climate change crisis, biodiversity loss, and pollution. We must recognize their vital contributions to society. Their rights to self-determination, land, livelihood, and other fundamental human rights must be upheld and protected to ensure our transition to a just, inclusive, and sustainable society.

Biodiversity as its tipping point. Our extraction and plunder of resources come at the expense of biodiversity, which is facing the fastest rate of extinction today and the continuous loss of human lives, primarily from environmental human rights defenders. We must strengthen our calls for accountability and more concrete actions from the business and private sector and world governments and institutions. They must heed our calls for the urgent need for a just and sustainable world by transforming our current approach to development, putting aside profit, and replacing it with a human rights-based and environmentally sustainable framework.

The Pacific Collective on Nuclear Issues calls on Japan and its decision-makers to abandon its plan to discharge the wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant—the group wants them to work with the Pacific Islands Forum to find a safe and sustainable solution for this critical issue.

Photo by Kyodo via japan-forward.com

This is a an overview and recap of APNED’s activities from April to June 2023!

Youth Women Environmental Human Rights Defender – working to protect the environment and human rights! We met Ananya through her father’s organization Project Affected People’s Association (PAPA) which has been supporting indigenous communities in India to assert their fundamental human rights such as land, water, natural resources, and clean and healthy environment. We saw their […]

Since 1973, June 5 has been the annual World Environment Day. Governments, institutions, non-government organizations, and civil society take part in raising awareness and creating new initiatives to protect our environment from further degradation. This year, the plastic crisis and the ongoing negotiations of the Global Plastic Treaty take center stage.

The world remembers the victims of enforced disappearances globally every last week of May. These injustices are one of the gravest human rights violations perpetrated towards individuals as it strips them of their dignity and security and causes irreparable and unforgivable damage to families and friends of the victims. We must not forget the names and lives of the numerous victims; their spirit lives on in our fight for a just and peaceful society.