Una década de resistencia

Global Witness reports that 1,733 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2021, with 200 deaths recorded in 2021 alone. The report highlights a disproportionate impact on indigenous peoples, who represent over 40% of fatal attacks despite being only 5% of the global population. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are identified as the most dangerous countries, where extractivism, land inequality, and corporate impunity drive violence. The document calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and stricter mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies, particularly within the European Union.

• Between 2012 and 2021, Global Witness documented the killings of 1,733 land and environmental defenders, averaging one death approximately every two days.
• In 2021, 200 land and environmental defenders were killed, which is an average of nearly four people per week.
• Indigenous peoples are disproportionately targeted; in 2021, they accounted for over 40% of all fatal attacks, despite making up only 5% of the world's population.
• Mexico recorded the highest number of killings in 2021 with 54 deaths, an increase from 30 the previous year, with mining and land conflicts linked to two-thirds of these attacks.
• Brazil has the highest total number of documented killings since 2012, with 342 fatal attacks, the majority of which occurred in the Amazon.
• The Philippines is identified as the worst place in Asia for land and environmental defenders, with 270 killings between 2012 and 2021, often linked to opposition to corporate operations in mining and agribusiness.
• The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) is identified as a risk for 'carbon theft,' where forest and renewable energy projects lead to land grabbing and human rights abuses against indigenous and local communities in the Global South.
• Structural drivers of violence include extreme land tenure inequality, corruption, the shrinking of civic space, and a corporate culture of impunity where human rights guidelines remain largely voluntary.
• The Escazú Agreement, which entered into force on April 22, 2021, is the first legally binding international instrument to include specific provisions for the protection of environmental defenders.

APA

Global Witness (2022). Una década de resistencia. https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-defiance-es/

Chicago

Global Witness. Una década de resistencia. 2022. https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-defiance-es/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Una década de resistencia |date=29 September 2022 |url=https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-defiance-es/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2022una, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Una década de resistencia}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://globalwitness.org/es/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/decade-defiance-es/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }