Speech

First European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders

Speaker
Sirpa Rautio
The FRA Director delivers opening remarks on day 2 of the First European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders: Improving Protection and Enhancing Collaboration. The Forum took place on 3-4 June at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Human rights and environmental protection are inseparable: a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is essential to the enjoyment of rights. Although environmental protection is enshrined in Article 37 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the climate crisis remains one of the most potent threats to our societies.  

While states and businesses act as duty-bearers, environmental human rights defenders, amongst others, are essential to environmental governance – in advancing the human rights agenda in practice, and in holding states and businesses accountable. 

You are all aware of the ever-shrinking space CSOs find themselves working in. FRA’s 2026 civic space update captured the reality for CSOs: 67% experienced online threats; 36% in‑person threats; 60% negative media campaigns; 10% strategic lawsuits; and 21% criminalisation of activities. CSOs reported politically motivated funding cuts, and legal frameworks that stigmatise organisations, creating a chilling effect on advocacy. 

FRA’s research consistently shows that environmental activists are among those civil society actors experiencing heightened pressures on the freedoms of association, assembly and expression.   

This conference should serve a number of purposes – it should heighten awareness of the threats to environmental human rights defenders, but it should also provide us with innovative and effective responses, through collaborative thinking and discussion.  

To conclude, allow me to mention some actions we see as necessary:  

  • First, better monitoring. The EU Strategy for Civil Society establishes a “Network on Monitoring”, comprising different actors that monitor civic space, and FRA will develop an indicator framework on civic space. Evidence and data we collect will allow us to design targeted responses. 
  • Second, building coalitions. FRA’s Fundamental Rights Platform, with 1,200 members from civil society, provides us with expertise and direct insight into the work, challenges and ideas of CSOs. Today’s Forum also provides an opportunity for this, so let’s grasp it.  
  • Third, holistic protection. Protection tools need to reflect the manifold and compounded challenges, and must be informed by the lived experience of human rights defenders.  
  • Fourth, sustainable funding. In this regard, it is encouraging that both the EEA and Norway Grants Civil Society Programme and the future AgoraEU funding programme seek to provide funding for protection and advocacy. 
  • Finally – we must maintain our commitment and hope. We all feel the pressure and challenges today of working in the area of human rights. We see attempts to denounce or dilute human rights laws, or paint them as optional. You, human rights defenders on the frontline, and FRA, as the EU’s independent human rights body, must rally alongside all other allies, to insist that those in power commit to the unequivocal respect for fundamental rights, effective enforcement of laws, and a comprehensive and accessible redress where rights are violated.  

I will finish by noting how proud I am that the Fundamental Rights Agency is, as of Monday, 1 June, now located in new climate-neutral building. 

Thank you.