Some of the images in this video, including the landscapes, were generated by AI technology. The Escazu agreement is designed to protect biodiversity and environmental defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. The treaty, adopted in 2018 in Costa Rica, guarantees people’s right to obtain environmental information and to participate in decision-making that affects their lives and environment. It requires countries to ensure access to justice when those rights are violated, and to establish systems to prevent environmental harm or provide redress. It is the world’s first legally binding instrument containing specific provisions on environmental defenders – requiring governments to provide safe and enabling conditions for the defenders and ensuring that those responsible for violence and intimidation against them are investigated and prosecuted. Upholding the rights established in the Escazú agreement could contribute hugely to reversing the cycle of violence and environmental destruction in the Amazon, Human Rights Watch said.       

Government Delays the Move Despite Sea Level Rise, Overcrowding

How will a new EU law banning cocoa imports linked to deforestation and labor rights abuses impact production? In this Twitter Space, HRW discusses chocolate, deforestation and human rights.

In this Twitter Space, HRW and partners discuss how we can: revive forests by empowering local communities, ensure women have equal participation in natural resource management, and ground conservation in Indigenous rights. With Luciana Téllez, Richard Pearshouse, Bimbika Sijapati Basnett, and Quinn Manson Buchwald, ahead

In HRW’s weekly Twitter Space, experts discuss the environmental consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Lorina Fedorova from EcoAction, Doug Weir with the Conflict and Environment Observatory, and HRW’s Birgit Schwarz.

The acts of violence and vandalism that took place in Brazil on January 8, 2023, constitute an abhorrent attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions. HRW’s César Muñoz leads a conversation with Maria Laura Canineu and Brian Winter to discuss the human rights implications.

How do extreme weather events affect people with disabilities, and why is there a need for adaptation and mitigation efforts to be more inclusive? During COP27, Birgit Schwarz speaks with disability advocates.

Carbon credits were proposed in climate negotiations as a way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

As COP27 begins in Egypt, HRW’s Birgit Schwarz is joined by youth climate activists from Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana to discuss climate change, actions needed in the Global South, and why young activists should sit at the negotiating table. With young activists Patience Nabukalu, Evelyn Addor, and Olumide Idowu.

Ahead of COP27, Egyptian human rights defenders Mona Seif and Mohamed Lotfy join Birgit Schwarz to discuss the fight for freedom in Egypt and the authorities' attempts to curb all protest and criticism.