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World Resources Institute (WRI)
The killing of a human rights defender (HRD) represents a direct attack on civic space and an assault on the fundamental freedoms that underpin Agenda 2030. It strikes at the heart of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 for peaceful societies and more specifically of target 16.10, which protects our fundamental freedoms. Indicator 16.10.1, which reports violence against HRDs, including journalists and trade unionists, is the primary measure of global enjoyment of these fundamental freedoms in the SDG framework.
In 2021, the Alliance for Land, Indigenous and Environmental Defenders – ALLIED – published the first-ever baseline review of indicator 16.10.1 using data from the Global SDG Indicators Database and an assessment of the 195 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted between 2015 and 2019. The results, presented at HLPF in 2021, revealed a shocking gap in state-reported violence, specifically against defenders protecting land and the environment (LED). Of the 162 countries that submitted VNRs since 2015, only three – fewer than 2% – indicated that at least one HRD had been killed or attacked. Seven countries reported zero cases and 94% of countries did not report at all.
In 2022, we will provide an update on state data reported in 2021. In addition, we will present a new dataset on non-lethal attacks against LED from the ALLIED Data Working Group, a group of civil society data collectors working to fill this gap. With OHCHR and member parties, we will explore pathways towards a better, more inclusive dataset that could inform better, evidence-based policies and protection mechanisms.
