Global Witness

Global Witness We are an independent, global organisation of investigators and campaigners. Global Witness is an investigative, campaigning organisation.
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We expose how the industries fuelling the climate crisis profit from destruction, and stand with the people fighting back to defend their communities and their rights. Using cutting-edge investigative methods, we shine a light on the financial and political systems that enable corporate abuses of power that harm people and planet. We work with the people who are directly impacted to ensure they are protected from threats when speaking out, and included in climate decision-making as the world transitions to clean energy.

Last year, at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed for protecting their homes and our planet. More mus...
28/09/2026

Last year, at least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed for protecting their homes and our planet. More must be done to safeguard them.​

These recommendations are from our latest report, Collective Power, made in partnership with over 30 organisations in more than 20 countries.​

It's designed to create a worldwide picture of the systemic risks land and environmental defenders face.​

Exposing these trends is the first of many steps to achieving our recommendations, ensuring defenders and their communities are protected and can exercise their rights without fearing for their lives.

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, and our data shows that land disputes triggered more ...
25/09/2026

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, and our data shows that land disputes triggered more than half of them. ​

Mining was the deadliest sector linked to attacks, while logging, agribusiness and organised crime also played a significant role.​
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Addressing these attacks requires more than accountability after the fact. ​

Governments must strengthen civic space, support independent monitoring, tackle impunity for those responsible and invest in specialist mechanisms to protect defenders and their communities.​

Read the full report to learn more:

In English: https://ow.ly/U0HV50ZQSIf
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/XeKX50ZQSIg

“Indigenous Peoples and our knowledge must be at the heart of climate decision-making. Our role as custodians of land, o...
23/09/2026

“Indigenous Peoples and our knowledge must be at the heart of climate decision-making. Our role as custodians of land, our understanding of the consequences of climate breakdown, and our collective resistance to dispossession must have an influence on policy at the centre of power. ​

But this can only happen when our territories are secure, and our people protected from harm. States and leaders must work with us firstly to ensure that our communities are safe – and then to tackle the environmental crises that pose an existential threat to us all.” - Joan Carling​

This excerpt is taken from Joan's foreword to our new report, Collective Power, which documents the systematic risks that land and environmental defenders face. ​

You can read the full foreword, and wider report, here: ​

In English: https://ow.ly/zWfC50ZQ1Q5
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/jZ6y50ZQ1Q4

A big moment for the movement ✊Yesterday, as world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly, the Make Polluters Pay c...
22/09/2026

A big moment for the movement ✊

Yesterday, as world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly, the Make Polluters Pay coalition delivered a petition signed by more than 2 million people calling for fossil fuel companies to pay their fair share of climate damage costs.

The demand comes after a year of devastating climate-fuelled disasters, with communities around the world bearing the costs through lost loved ones, destroyed homes, shattered livelihoods and soaring recovery costs. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel companies most responsible for worsening the crisis have continued to make enormous profits.

That's why people around the world are calling on governments to make polluters contribute to the costs of the damage they've caused, and help fund recovery, adaptation and the transition to renewable energy.

In response, they got a powerful message of support from Selwin Hart, Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action at the UN: “Polluters must pay, and the UN supports this effort, we are with you. We urge you to use every single legal and lawful tool at your disposal. Regulate, legislate and litigate. Civil society must use every tool at your disposal to hold the polluters accountable. You are on the right side of history.”

This is a major milestone for the Make Polluters Pay campaign, and proof that the call for climate accountability is only getting louder.

As global leaders gather at Climate Week NYC to discuss climate solutions, we must remember those who have paid the ulti...
22/09/2026

As global leaders gather at Climate Week NYC to discuss climate solutions, we must remember those who have paid the ultimate price for protecting people, land and nature. ​

Every one of these deaths represents an attempt, in the most brutal fashion, to impose a chilling effect on movements that resist environmental and human rights abuses. ​
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As the climate crisis intensifies, and powerful actors continue to exploit natural resources, the risks faced by defenders is growing. Yet their stories often remain unheard. ​

As always, we stand with defenders and honour the work of those who have lost their lives.​
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Climate action cannot be separated from the protection of environmental defenders.

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, with killings documented in 15 countries. ​As in prev...
18/09/2026

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, with killings documented in 15 countries. ​

As in previous years, Latin America remained the deadliest region, accounting for 85% of all cases recorded.​

While our data reveals where the highest numbers of killings occurred, documenting attacks remains particularly challenging globally, including in many parts of Africa and Asia, where defenders, victims' families and civil society organisations can face serious reprisals for reporting abuses. As well as lethal attacks, defenders also face a much wider pattern of violence and repression, including threats, harassment, intimidation and criminalisation.​
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In response to frequently inadequate state support, communities are developing powerful forms of collective protection, including Indigenous Guards, territorial patrols, monitoring networks and early-warning systems.​

But governments must do more to protect defenders. ​

At minimum, they must uphold communities' rights to their land and territories, ensure access to justice and hold those responsible for attacks to account. ​
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📖 Read the report:​

In English: https://ow.ly/JwFL50ZOM38
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/fW6J50ZOM3n

What does it take to protect people and planet? 🌱​Each year, we publish a report analysing the experiences of land and e...
17/09/2026

What does it take to protect people and planet? 🌱​

Each year, we publish a report analysing the experiences of land and environmental defenders worldwide. ​

We track the risks and violence experienced by defenders, and explore the systems, pressures and power dynamics that impact their work. ​

Whether protecting forests, resisting land grabs or defending Indigenous territories, defenders are often part of wider communities and movements working collectively to protect people and planet. ​

That’s why this year's report, Collective Power, focuses on the importance of collective protection. ​

It highlights how community-led approaches can build resilience and challenge the conditions that put defenders at risk in the first place. ​

It's also a reminder that environmental defence is not only about individuals on the front line, it’s about the power of communities standing together.​

🌍 You can read the report here:

In English: https://ow.ly/QcGR50ZOofs
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/7Jpw50ZOofr

17/09/2026

At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025 for standing up to protect their lands and livelihoods from destruction. ​

Every one of these deaths represents an attempt, in the most brutal fashion, to impose a chilling effect on movements that resist environmental and human rights abuses.​

We remember the families, friends and communities who have been left devastated by each of these losses. ​

We acknowledge that the names of many defenders who were killed last year may be missing, and we may never know how many more gave their lives to protect our planet. We honour their work too.

Around the world, land and environmental defenders are risking their lives to protect their ecosystems, territories and ...
16/09/2026

Around the world, land and environmental defenders are risking their lives to protect their ecosystems, territories and communities.​
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We documented 124 killings of land and environmental defenders in 2025, with Indigenous and Afro-descendant people and small-scale farmers accounting for over three-quarters of those killed. ​
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Behind these numbers is a broader global pattern of threats, intimidation, harassment and criminalisation aimed at silencing those standing up for people and planet.​

But defenders are not simply victims of this violence. Around the world, communities are using and strengthening collective approaches to protect themselves and their territories. These include Indigenous Guards, territorial patrols, community monitoring and early-warning systems. ​

📖 Read the full report, Collective Power, out now: ​
In English: https://ow.ly/JWue50ZNYqW
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/xu9v50ZNYqX

16/09/2026

In 2025 alone, 124 land and environmental defenders were killed for protecting their communities, land and natural resources. ​

Since 2012, over 2,300 defenders have been killed or disappeared for this work. ​

Countless more have been abducted, disappeared and criminalised. ​

These statistics represent lives taken, families and communities harmed, and an ongoing struggle for justice in the face of planet-wrecking greed. ​

As the climate crisis intensifies, and powerful actors continue to exploit natural resources, the risks faced by defenders are growing. Yet their stories often remain unheard. ​

It’s time to amplify their voices, demand they are protected, and hold perpetrators to account.​

🔗 Read our full report now: ​

In English: https://ow.ly/7BJh50ZNY4M
In Spanish: https://ow.ly/Y6Iw50ZNY4L

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