This New York Climate Week 2025 high-level event is co-convened by the Leaders Network for Environmental Activists and Defenders (LEAD) initiative, the World Resources Institute (WRI), the Alliance for Indigenous, Land and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) and the Ford Foundation. The event places Environmental Human Rights Defenders at the center of global climate and environmental action, bringing together frontline defenders, governments, UN bodies, and global institutions.

Around the world, Indigenous leaders, land and water defenders, youth activists, and frontline community organizers play a critical role in safeguarding our planet. Yet their contributions to climate outcomes continue to go unrecognized while they face intensifying threats and violence. This event seeks to:

  • Highlight the positive and effective contributions defenders make to climate mitigation, adaptation, and governance.
  • Advance practical pathways for coordinated international recognition and protection of Indigenous, land, and environmental defenders in climate forums.
  • Identify opportunities for integration of defender rights into climate policy and finance frameworks.

The event will be facilitated by Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention, and will include presentations and a robust panel discussion featuring:

  • His Excellency Volker Türk, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (TBC).
  • Sônia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (TBC).
  • Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile (2006-2010) and Vice President of Club de Madrid.
  • Hong Hoang, Environmental and Climate Defender, and Thuli Makama, 2025 Goldman Prize Winner. And,
  • Experts Elizabeth Moses from WRI and Nikhil Dutta from the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL).

The reception, hosted by ALLIED, will include a sneak preview of its new campaign, "Changing the Story: Voices of the Land," which helps environmental defenders share their positive contributions to society and counter smear campaigns that attempt to criminalize their work. It will feature insights from Mijael Kaufman Falchuk, Elected Representative of the Public for the Escazu Agreement (TBC).

Due to limited capacity, a formal registration link will follow closer to the date once space availability is confirmed. In the meantime you can contact Elizabeth Moses, Elizabeth.Moses@wri.org for more information.