Standing firm

Global Witness reports that at least 177 land and environmental defenders were murdered in 2022, with Latin America accounting for 88% of these cases. The report highlights the extreme danger faced by Indigenous peoples, who represented 36% of those killed, and identifies the Amazon as a critical hotspot where 22% of global killings occurred. It specifically examines the role of illegal gold mining in Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru, and the impact of the 'green transition' mineral boom in Southeast Asia. The document argues that impunity for these crimes is systemic and calls for stronger corporate accountability, specifically through the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

• In 2022, at least 177 land and environmental defenders were murdered globally, continuing a trend where a defender was killed approximately every other day, similar to 2021.
• Latin America is the most dangerous region for defenders, accounting for 88% of the world's killings in 2022. Colombia recorded the highest number of murders globally with 60 cases, nearly double its 2021 figure of 33.
• Indigenous peoples are disproportionately targeted, representing 36% of the defenders murdered in 2022, despite making up only 6% of the global population.
• The Amazon rainforest is a primary site of violence, hosting 22% of all global killings in 2022, with 39 defenders killed in the biome, including 11 from Indigenous communities.
• Illegal gold mining in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by 1,271% over the last 35 years, with 95% of this activity in 2020 concentrated in the Yanomami, Munduruku, and Kayapó territories.
• In the Philippines, 11 of the 16 recorded killings in Asia in 2022 occurred, with a third of total killings since 2012 linked to opposition against mining sector operations.
• Non-lethal strategies are increasingly used to silence defenders, with criminalisation—including arrest and detention—accounting for over 34% of recorded violations in 2022.
• The demand for minerals for 'green transition technologies' is driving a mining boom in Southeast Asia, which the report links to environmental abuse and human exploitation, particularly in Myanmar.
• The report identifies agribusiness as the sector linked to the most killings in 2022 (10 cases), followed by mining (8 cases) and logging (4 cases).
• The European Union's proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is viewed as a potential 'gamechanger' if it mandates due diligence and allows victims to hold companies accountable in European courts.

APA

Global Witness (2023). Standing firm. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/standing-firm/

Chicago

Global Witness. Standing firm. 2023. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/standing-firm/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Standing firm |date=2023 |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/standing-firm/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2023standing, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Standing firm}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2023}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/land-and-environmental-defenders/standing-firm/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }