IFEX's submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment builds on an emerging area of IFEX work by drawing on illustrative contexts and initiatives from our network. The submission shows how civil society has been stepping in to resist the targeting of journalists and defenders by States and companies and to address the resulting vacuum of information critical for environmental democracy and action where States have failed.
“As the climate crisis escalates, the information ecosystem needed to address it is under attack. Crackdowns on free expression and press freedom, blatant impunity for violence against environmental defenders, and the subversion of information integrity are all contributing to a vacuum in understanding and obstacles to engagement at a time when action is urgently needed to combat the effects of climate change.”
IFEX has contributed a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment in response to their call for inputs for a report on “Promoting Environmental Democracy: Procedural elements of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.” The Special Rapporteur’s final report will be presented at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council in 2024.
Our submission, drawing from and inspired by the work of IFEX members, identifies how barriers by States and business enterprises to accessing and disseminating information on the environment and climate are being fortified by the ongoing violence against journalists and defenders reporting on environmental impacts. The resulting suppression of the circulation of accurate information from credible sources add to the growing threats of climate misinformation and disinformation and interferes with the participation of people in key decision-making and public spaces. This disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalised groups and their inclusion in key environmental issues that have the biggest impact on them.
We argue that efforts by civil society organisations have helped to counter these barriers, but the onus remains on States to fulfil their human rights obligations under international law and business enterprises to meet their responsibilities under regulatory frameworks. As the climate crisis grows ever more urgent, it is critical to protect and promote the rights to access information and free expression that ensure a vibrant civic space within which environmental democracy can thrive.
IFEX continues to expand our work in freedom of expression and information as it relates to the environment. You can read IFEX’s submission below.
