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The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that global forest governance is currently insufficient to meet 2030 targets. While some countries have successfully reduced deforestation through moratoria and strengthened enforcement, these gains are often fragile or being reversed by legislative rollbacks. The report highlights persistent tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, widespread corruption in the timber trade, and significant gaps in the implementation of demand-side regulations in importing nations.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of halting forest loss and restoring 350 million hectares of landscape. While Tropical Asia is on track to halt deforestation, other regions like Tropical Latin America and Africa are not. The report highlights a massive funding gap, with current mitigation finance at less than 1% of the estimated USD 460 billion annual need. It also notes that commodity-driven deforestation declined by 6% in 2021 but remains far from the trajectory needed for the 2025 private sector target. Governance remains a critical weakness, with persistent tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities and widespread corruption in the timber trade.

The 2022 Theme 2 Assessment of the Forest Declaration finds that the world is not on track to meet 2030 forest goals or 2025 zero-deforestation targets for agricultural supply chains. While commodity-driven tree cover loss declined by 6% in 2021 compared to 2018-20, rates remain higher than in any year before 2016. The report highlights a significant gap between government 'green growth' agendas and actual investment, noting that trillions of dollars are mobilized for infrastructure like the Belt and Road Initiative while global public investments in forest goals are only USD 2.3 billion per year. In the private sector, only a quarter of major agricultural companies have ambitious policies to eliminate deforestation, and less than 20% of companies disclosing to CDP report near full compliance. The extractives sector shows even lower transparency and a lack of explicit forest-focused policies. Grassroots resistance, led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, has achieved some successes, such as a temporary moratorium on new concessions in Ecuador, but defenders face high rates of violence, with over 200 killed in 2021.

The report finds that global forest finance is not on track to meet 2030 goals, with current mitigation finance averaging USD 2.3 billion per year—less than 1 percent of the estimated USD 460 billion annual requirement. It highlights a stark imbalance where 'grey finance' (harmful investments) significantly outweighs 'green finance,' and notes that Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain severely underfunded. While 2021 pledges could quadruple annual finance to USD 9.5 billion, this remains insufficient. The report also analyzes the limited impact of voluntary and compliance carbon markets and the slow progress of REDD+ frameworks.

The report identifies a significant gap between the availability of gender analysis tools and their actual implementation by governments and mining companies. It categorizes approaches into gender analysis within environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), stand-alone gender impact assessments (GIAs), and integration into human rights due diligence. The author argues that strong regulatory frameworks, such as those in Canada, are essential to mandate these analyses. Case studies from Canada, Zambia, and Indonesia illustrate how multistakeholder partnerships and intersectional lenses can improve outcomes, though implementation remains inconsistent.

In 2025, Global Witness verified the killings of 124 land and environmental defenders, continuing a trend of lethal violence primarily concentrated in Latin America. The report identifies land disputes and extractive projects as primary drivers, with a significant increase in the role of organized crime and hitmen. It highlights the vulnerability of Indigenous peoples and small-scale farmers, who comprise 75% of the victims. The document argues against individual-focused security models, instead promoting 'collective protection'—community-led systems like Indigenous Guards—and calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement and the repeal of laws used to criminalize activism.

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.

In 2024, Global Witness documented 146 land and environmental defenders murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry and highlights the disproportionate targeting of Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers. It examines specific crises in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Palestine, while critiquing the failures of state protection mechanisms and the rise of criminalization. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of mandatory corporate due diligence, and the formal recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

In 2024, 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. Mining remains the most lethal sector, followed by logging and agribusiness. The report highlights systemic failures in state protection, high levels of impunity, and the criminalization of activists. It specifically examines the precarious situation of indigenous and peasant communities in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, and Chile, while also addressing the environmental destruction and land expropriation in occupied Palestinian territories. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the guaranteed safe participation of defenders in COP30.

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 identifies extreme land inequality, corruption, and the repression of civic space as primary drivers of violence, particularly affecting indigenous peoples in the Global South. It highlights critical situations in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines, while advocating for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and mandatory corporate due diligence in the EU to protect those on the front lines of the climate and biodiversity crises.

In 2024, 146 environmental and land defenders were killed or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry for defenders and highlights the role of organized crime and state actors in these attacks. It specifically examines the critical situations in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, and Guatemala, while detailing the systemic failures of state protection mechanisms and the criminalization of activism. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of binding corporate due diligence laws, and the recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

The document presents a series of demands from African Environmental Defenders, calling for the recognition of their rights as equal rights holders, the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and an end to large-scale investment in oil and gas. It advocates for a global mandatory legal framework to protect defenders from harassment and killings, reparations for climate-induced loss and damage, and the integration of Traditional Knowledge into climate change solutions.

The report assesses the socioeconomic conditions of women and youth in The Gambia's fishery and agriculture sectors to inform a gender-responsive climate resilience project. It identifies significant barriers for women, including widespread illiteracy, limited decision-making power, and restricted access to productive assets, which hinder their ability to adapt to climate change. While women dominate the fishery labor force (approximately 80%), they are largely confined to low-profit domestic markets. The document outlines a Gender Action Plan to improve decision-making parity, provide literacy and numeracy training, and implement safeguards against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and gender-based violence (GBV).

The report analyzes how the informality of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger facilitates illicit financial flows (IFFs) and fuels regional conflict. It examines the legal frameworks, the scale of gold smuggling—particularly to the UAE—and the ways non-state armed groups exploit mining sites for funding and recruitment. The document highlights a 'vicious circle' where state absence and corruption drive miners toward informal or militant-controlled sites, while recommending simplified formalization, tax harmonization, and multi-level governance to stabilize the sector.

The document critiques the draft National Land Policy of Mozambique for its limited scope, lack of clarity on land tenure, and failure to integrate climate change strategies and human rights protections. It advocates for the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), stronger protections for customary land rights, and a coordinated inter-sectoral approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the oil and gas industry. The authors emphasize the need for gender equality in land access and the establishment of clear mechanisms to combat corruption and land grabbing.

The report outlines a framework for food systems transformation in southern Africa, emphasizing the need for a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the empowerment of women and youth. It identifies key leverage points for change, such as governance reform, sustainable rural livelihoods, and the adoption of climate-smart agriculture. The document recommends shifting from siloed sectoral approaches to systemic, multi-sectoral governance and suggests using 'futuring' methodologies to identify 'Seeds of Change'—small-scale innovative projects that can be upscaled to build regional resilience.

The briefing explores the use of the Sapelli platform to enable indigenous people in Ethiopia's Lower Omo region, regardless of literacy levels, to create digital maps of their territories. By co-designing a pictorial interface, six collaborators from the Nyangatom community recorded over 1,700 map contributions between August 2021 and August 2022, including grazing areas and water sources. The resulting 'land-user generated maps' provided significantly more detail and density than machine-generated or standard user-generated maps, though the authors note that the utility of such data for defending land claims depends on the willingness of legal systems to accept citizen-generated evidence.

The document outlines how corruption—defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain—can sabotage conservation projects. It analyzes three specific intervention types: Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), carbon offset co-benefits, and benefit-sharing in Protected Areas (PA) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM). For each, it identifies systemic risks such as elite capture, data manipulation, and the misappropriation of funds, while proposing responses including participatory planning, independent monitoring, and the establishment of grievance mechanisms.

The document outlines how corruption—defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain—can sabotage sustainable livelihood projects. It provides a framework for analyzing corruption through the lens of incentive, opportunity, and rationalization. The guide is structured into three modules: Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), carbon compensation co-benefits, and benefit sharing from protected areas (PAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). For each, it identifies specific risks—such as elite capture, data manipulation, and the diversion of funds—and proposes corresponding responses, including the use of integrity pacts, grievance redress mechanisms, and inclusive, rights-based stakeholder engagement.

The document outlines how corruption can sabotage conservation efforts by creating opportunities for illicit private gain. It provides a framework for addressing these risks across three main intervention types: payments for ecosystem services (PES), carbon offsets, and protected areas/Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM). For each, it identifies specific corruption risks—such as elite capture, data manipulation, and the undermining of land rights—and suggests corresponding anti-corruption responses, including participatory mechanisms, transparency requirements, and independent accountability systems.