Standing Together for Environmental Defenders

This fact sheet describes the Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (STAND) Initiative, a collaboration between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) to support Grassroots Environmental Defenders (GEDs) facing security risks and criminalization.

• Grassroots Environmental Defenders (GEDs) face severe security risks, including physical attacks, killings, and criminalization, often driven by poor enforcement of environmental and human rights laws and a lack of recognition from the private sector and States. These risks are particularly prevalent in regions dependent on large-scale infrastructure and natural resource extraction.
• The STAND Initiative aims to support GEDs in underserved communities and areas with weak governance by providing financial resources and integrating protection strategies into climate, forestry, and livelihood work.
• The STAND Initiative employs three primary strategies: capacity building and training to improve advocacy and accountability skills (including psychosocial support), a Defender Small Grant Fund (DSGF) to overcome financial constraints, and collaborative partnerships to strengthen local solidarity and international governance participation.

APA

World Resources Institute (2024). Standing Together for Environmental Defenders. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-03/environmental-defenders-en.pdf?VersionId=30kvhYoPP0Njpl75.Ry..2qBbx9UIeUQ

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Standing Together for Environmental Defenders. 2024. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-03/environmental-defenders-en.pdf?VersionId=30kvhYoPP0Njpl75.Ry..2qBbx9UIeUQ.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Standing Together for Environmental Defenders |date=2024 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-03/environmental-defenders-en.pdf?VersionId=30kvhYoPP0Njpl75.Ry..2qBbx9UIeUQ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2024standing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Standing Together for Environmental Defenders}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-03/environmental-defenders-en.pdf?VersionId=30kvhYoPP0Njpl75.Ry..2qBbx9UIeUQ}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }