[World Environment Day Statement] Uphold the Rights of Women on the Frontlines of Environmental Protection

Today, on World Environment Day 2025, we at the Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders reiterate the call to protect, honor, and stand in solidarity with women environmental human rights defenders (WEHRDs) amid the worsening threats and persistent attacks they face. 

According to the 2015-2024 report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, nearly 40% of attacks on EHRDs took place in Asia and the Pacific. These attacks are categorized into judicial harassment, non-lethal physical violence, killings, intimidation, and threats. The Philippines leads in the region with a staggering 411 recorded cases. Furthermore, a report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature exposed that 40% of them are land and environment defenders, and 13% of documented murders of HRDs are women.

This bleak reality calls for urgent action in promoting and protecting the rights and lives of women EHRDs. These attacks, often carried out by state actors, cause harm to the overall well-being of EHRDs and impede their initiatives for human and environmental rights. Attacks disproportionately impact women, who face multiple burdens and struggles. When environmental issues arise, women often have to take on extra jobs, extend their working hours, or relocate their families to meet basic needs, on top of their already heavy multiple responsibilities inside and outside the household. In addition, gender-based attacks, such as sexual harassment and assault, disproportionately target WEHRDs.

Furthermore, APNED’s upcoming publication on the situation of WEHRDs in the Asia-Pacific reveals that many women face threats related to mining operations, deforestation, and large-scale agribusiness plantations. These issues are further exacerbated by the militarization of many communities, which restricts access to essential social services such as healthcare and education, while also undermining people’s means of earning a livelihood. State-sponsored attacks undermine democratic rights and hinder women’s participation in decision-making and social change.

With this, APNED reiterates our call last February 28 during a side event at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in Bangkok to protect the rights, safety, and leadership of women at the frontlines of environmental struggles. WEHRDs constantly demonstrate resilience and experience in organizing and empowering their communities

APNED urges governments to fulfill their responsibility to protect the rights and lives of Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders (WEHRDs). This includes putting an end to environmentally destructive projects that endanger local communities and threaten their rights.  

We advocate for the recognition of WEHRDs’ contributions and the implementation of policies and legal frameworks that protect their rights. Additionally, we call for action to address the root causes of threats against EHRDs, primarily driven by profit-oriented businesses.  

We also demand ongoing discussions to develop a robust and grassroots-oriented ASEAN Environmental Rights Declaration. Our network emphasizes the urgent need to uphold and protect the rights of EHRDs in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.

Defend the defenders! Uphold environmental rights and climate justice!

Resources:

[1] Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (2025). Defending rights and realising just economies: Human rights defenders and business (2015-2024). https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/human-rights-defenders-and-business-10-year-analysis/defending-rights-and-realising-just-economies-human-rights-defenders-and-business-2015-2024/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKrjKBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFROXVpSnpBWk54dzliOGdiAR7EVmDGvbjiyLVrerc1R-MXFBPH2FzCXlMajmhYB9BbZSnDkze9Y0rdsn1dAg_aem_aRq6ZE63o_PpSqL2psrNlg#_who. 

[2] International Union for Conservation of Nature (2021). Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders: Facing gender-based violence in defense of land, natural resources and human rights. https://www.iucn.nl/app/uploads/2021/03/iucn-srjs-briefs-wehrd-gbv-en_01.pdf.

[3] Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (2025). Women Environmental and Human Rights Defenders in Asia and the Pacific. https://apned.net/apned-women-ehrds-apfsd-2025/.