Policy and Governance Frameworks for Environmental and Human Rights Defenders

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 31 January 2025 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 3 April 2025

  2. This Research Topic is still accepting articles.

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Background

Over the past decades, increasing environmental degradation around the world has been coupled with growing violence against individuals, communities, and organizations that defend human rights, their land, and the environment. Notable examples include several Latin American and Asian countries and economic sectors such as agribusiness and mining which stand out in this development. Evolving forms and intensities are making the protection of environmental defenders a global concern. While murders regularly capture media attention, insidious types of structural violence, such as labeling defenders as terrorists or curtailing the activities of defender organizations, impact the very environment in which defenders operate. Despite international and regional declarations and resolutions that raise awareness and support for environmental and human rights defenders integration into national policy and governance frameworks remains sluggish, resulting in knowledge gaps about how most effectively defend societies and the environment.

Violence against environmental human rights defenders continues unabated, even though international and regional policy and governance frameworks are expanding, most recently with the Adoption of Human Rights Council Resolution 48/13 on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Independent organizations such as Global Witness, reporting on the persistent threats faced by individuals, communities, and organizations, note that between 2012-2022, 70 percent of killings occurred in just three countries (Colombia, Brazil, Philippines) and point to profound policy failure as the main culprit. Scholars and civil society organizations present increasing evidence of how widespread the trend is; the decision by British police to include Extinction Rebellion on a list of extreme ideologies is but one recent example of a policy and governance framework that undermines defender rights.

Knowledge about evolving forms of physical and structural violence against defenders, and especially policy and governance responses to them, is growing but remains anecdotal and uneven. This Research Topic aims to shed more light on specific aspects of the phenomenon, presenting new cases and synthesizing existing information and experiences.

Contributions to be published under this Research Topic may be of different types, including but not limited to original research, systematic reviews, policy and practice reviews, community case studies, data reports, policy briefs, and opinions. Invited manuscripts may involve single or comparative case studies.

The following themes are of particular interest:

• Evolution and impact of international policy and governance frameworks and mechanisms in support of environmental and human rights defenders;
• National policy and governance frameworks for ensuring a safe environment for defenders and defender organizations;
• The role of regional organizations in promoting environmental and human rights, as well as their interaction with global and national levels;
• Capacity building for public authorities, civil society organizations, and the private sector concerning protecting environmental and human rights defenders.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Community Case Study
  • Conceptual Analysis
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Community Case Study
  • Conceptual Analysis
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Policy and Practice Reviews
  • Policy Brief
  • Review
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: Environmental defenders, Human rights, International governance, National policy frameworks, Regional organizations

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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