Australia
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As the climate crisis intensifies, so does the crackdown on environmental activism, finds new report
New research brief from the CIVICUS Monitor examines the crackdown of environmental activism and profiles important victories civil society has scored in the fight for climate justice.
- Environmental protests are being criminalised and met with repression on all continents
- State authorities and private companies are common perpetrators of violations to civic freedoms
- Despite the risks and restrictions, activist groups continue to score important victories to advance climate justice.
As world leaders meet in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Negotiations (COP26), peaceful environmental activists are being threatened, silenced and criminalised around the world. The host of this year's meeting is one of many countries where activists are regularly facing rights violations.
New research from the CIVICUS Monitor looks at the common tactics and restrictions being used by governments and private companies to suppress environmental movements. The research brief “Defenders of our planet: Resilience in the face of restrictions” focuses on three worrying trends: Bans and restrictions on protests; Judicial harassment and legal persecution; and the use of violence, including targeted killings.
As the climate crisis intensifies, activists and civil society groups continue to mobilise to hold policymakers and corporate leaders to account. From Brazil to South Africa, activists are putting their lives on the line to protect lands and to halt the activities of high-polluting industries. The most severe rights abuses are often experienced by civil society groups that are standing up to the logging, mining and energy giants who are exploiting natural resources and fueling global warming.
As people take to the streets, governments have been instituting bans that criminalise environmental protests. Recently governments have used COVID-19 as a pretext to disrupt and break up demonstrations. Data from the CIVICUS Monitor indicates that the detention of protesters and the use of excessive force by authorities are becoming more prevalent.
In Cambodia in May 2021, three environmental defenders were sentenced to 18 to 20 months in prison for planning a protest against the filling of a lake in the capital. While in Finland this past June, over 100 activists were arrested for participating in a protest calling for the government to take urgent action on climate change. From authoritarian countries to mature democracies, the research also profiles those who have been put behind bars for peacefully protesting.
“Silencing activists and denying them of their fundamental civic rights is another tactic being used by leaders to evade and delay action on climate change” said Marianna Belalba Barreto, Research Lead for the CIVICUS Monitor. “Criminalising nonviolent protests has become a troubling indicator that governments are not committed to saving the planet .”
The report shows that many of the measures being deployed by governments to restrict rights are not compatible with international law. Examples of courts and legislative bodies reversing attempts to criminalise nonviolent climate protests are few and far between.
Despite the increased risks and restrictions facing environmental campaigners, the report also shows that a wide range of campaigns have scored important victories, including the closure of mines and numerous hazardous construction projects. Equally significant has been the rise of climate litigation by activist groups. Ironically, as authorities take activists to court for exercising their fundamental right to protest, activist groups have successfully filed lawsuits against governments and companies in over 25 countries for failing to act on climate change.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘Indigenous Australians must be represented at the heart of policy-making’
CIVICUS speaks about Indigenous peoples’ rights in Australia with Paul Wright, National Director of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), a civil society organisation (CSO) that works in solidarity with and advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia, including by aiming to change the attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous Australians.What is the current situation of Indigenous peoples in Australia?
As soon as colonisation began in 1788, Australia’s First Nations peoples, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, were systematically persecuted and marginalised. They were dispossessed of their lands and denied the rights afforded to settlers or colonisers.
In 2022, more than 230 years since colonisation began and 120 years after the former colonies federated into the Commonwealth of Australia, Indigenous Australians continue fighting for their rights and to have their sovereignty recognised.
Through the years, there have been big wins, frustrating disappointments and broken promises from governments. Human rights have been consistently denied or violated. Australia was one of the last nations to ratify the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and following ratification it has done very little to honour or domesticate the articles of the declaration.
More positively, the Australian Human Rights Commission includes an Indigenous Social Justice Commissioner whose role is to advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples and keep Indigenous issues on the agenda of the Australian federal government. The position is currently filled by a Bunuba woman, Dr June Oscar, who is a great source of information on the human rights situation of Indigenous Australians.
While things are slowly improving, Indigenous Australians continue to have a lower life expectancy, live in poorer health and have worse employment and education outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians.
The wide health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities was highlighted by the Close the Gap Campaign, co-chaired by the Indigenous Social Justice Commissioner and the CEO of the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners. In response, the Australian government entered into the National Agreement on Closing the Gap with the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations, committing to implementing tangible policy reforms. In July 2020 it issued its second Annual Data Compilation Report that tracks the implementation of the agreement.
Do you think Australian Indigenous peoples are well represented in policy-making processes?
They are not, so the current political battle in Australia is to make sure Indigenous Australians are represented at the heart of the policy-making that affects them. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart, an invitation to ‘walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future’. It calls for structural reforms, including constitutional change, to establish a First Nations’ ‘Voice to Parliament’ and kick off a national process of truth-telling and reconciliation. The current federal Labor government has committed to holding a referendum to decide this question. This is a major moment for Australia.
Since the 1992 Mabo High Court decision, which recognised that a group of Torres Strait Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, held ownership of Mer (Murray Island), native title has been recognised for all Indigenous people in Australia. In response to that seminal High Court ruling, the government introduced the Native Title Act, and over the next 30 years, 40 per cent of the Australian landmass has been returned to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that have made claims. Not all claims have been successful, however: native title rights are limited and do not entail self-determination at the level outlined in the UNDRIP and other international standards.
How is ANTaR working to advance the rights of Indigenous Australians?
ANTaR is a national advocacy organisation that promotes the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that was founded 25 years ago. We began as a grassroots protest movement to resist government attempts to water down legislation on native title rights. We have subsequently worked alongside many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, organisations and communities to advocate for rights and justice. Our priorities have included health equality, justice, anti-racism, advocacy for a treaty, reconciliation and much more.
As an ally organisation, we operate under the principle of not speaking for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and instead look to their leadership and direction to channel our resources and support. There are a growing number of solid connections between Indigenous peoples globally, which is encouraging. Australia has learned many lessons from Indigenous affairs in Canada, Norway, New Zealand and elsewhere.
Civic space in Australia is rated ‘narrowed’ by theCIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with ANTaR through itswebsite orFacebook andInstagram pages, and follow@ANTaR_National on Twitter. -
AUSTRALIA: ‘People deeply understand that rights and liberties are won through protest’
CIVICUS speaks with David Mejia-Canales, senior lawyer at theHuman Rights Law Centre (HRLC), about anti-protest legislation being introduced in states across Australia and its impact on civil society activism.The HRLC is an independent civil society organisation (CSO) that advances strategic legal action, policy solutions and advocacy to support people and communities to eliminate inequality and injustice in Australia.
What is the situation of civic freedoms in Australia following last year’s change of government?
Australia doesn’t have a national charter of human rights that legally protects people’s human rights. We are the only western democracy without a national charter or similar document. There are, however, three charters of rights operating successfully at the state and territory levels. This means that the protection of your civic freedoms in Australia is at least partly dependent on the jurisdiction you are in.
Following last year’s election, we have a new federal government that is willing to consider ambitious reforms on how civic freedoms are protected in Australia. The new government has initiated a parliamentary inquiry to make improvements to our human rights frameworks, including considering whether Australia should have a national charter of human rights. Later this year, Australians will vote on a referendum to alter the constitution to establish a permanent, constitutionally enshrined, First Nations advisory body to the legislative and executive branches of government. We are heartened by these steps in the right direction. However, the proof will be in the implementation of all these measures.
What is driving the increase of anti-protest legislation at the state level?
As environmental activism increased in response to the worsening climate crisis, state governments have increasingly sought to introduce laws explicitly criminalising protest. These laws are often so broad and vague that it could be argued that they are introduced more for the benefit of newspaper front pages than for a genuine, legitimate purpose.
It is also important to note that other laws and powers are being increasingly used to criminalise protest, even where not originally intended for this purpose. For example, move-on orders, surveillance and bail conditions are all regularly used in attempts to silence protesters.
Due to Australia’s incredibly lax lobbying regulations, it is impossible to know in what measure state governments around the country have introduced these laws as a result of pressure from oil, gas and mining corporations. Fossil fuel companies donate millions to the major parties to discourage politicians from regulating them properly. Overall, corporations spend billions hiring lobbyists to cosy up to politicians.
They can do all this because Australia lacks basic transparency and integrity safeguards, and our outdated laws leave money in politics woefully underregulated. We need to address the power of harmful industries to skew democratic processes to win political outcomes that put their profits ahead of our wellbeing.
Which groups are being targeted by anti-protest laws?
These laws are almost exclusively targeting environmental activists. However, many of these laws are so vague and broad that they often end up criminalising other types of conduct occurring in the public realm, like blocking a road or obstructing a public passageway. While their intent is to criminalise protesters, these laws are so broad that they could be used against anybody. In some jurisdictions penalties consist of steep fines or two years in prison. Often the penalties are grossly disproportionate to the offences.
In the state of New South Wales, a police taskforce was established with the express purpose of breaking up environmental protest groups. A taskforce is a concentration of police resources usually reserved for very serious crimes like murder or to deal with organised criminal groups. In Western Australia, anti-terrorism police have been involved in seizing devices like phones and memory cards of journalists covering protests.
What are the recent amendments to the protest law in South Australia?
South Australia is the latest jurisdiction to have imposed severe penalties on people for engaging in peaceful protest, joining New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. South Australia’s anti-protest laws carry the harshest financial penalties in Australia.
The Summary Offences (Obstruction of Public Places) Amendment was rushed through the South Australian Legislative Assembly without any public consultation: it was introduced and passed on 18 May 2023. It was a response to protest activity in the city of Adelaide, which briefly closed traffic on a bridge.
The bill dramatically increases the maximum fine for obstructing a public place from AU$750 (approx. US$500) to AU$50,000 (approx. US$33,300) and introduces prison penalties of up to three months. It will surely have a chilling effect on protest in South Australia, undermining people’s ability to exercise this right.
How has civil society responded to the amendment?
There has been an incredible response. South Australia is rightly proud of its history of protest and dissent. It was the first place in Australia, and the second in the world, to grant women the right to vote, and the first place in the world to grant women the right to stand for election to parliament. South Australians deeply understand that these, and many other rights and liberties, were won through protest.
It is incredibly heartening to see such a strong reaction from civil society, including unions, climate defenders, women’s rights organisations, LGBTQI+ organisations, charities, legal assistance services and the legal profession. Civil society deeply resisted these laws not just in parliament but also in the streets, through rallies and other forms of protest. It was because of this incredible response that at least one of the worst elements of the bill was removed through an amendment in the upper house.
The amendment involved a single word – ‘recklessly’. In the original definition, the offence applied to ‘a person who intentionally or recklessly engages in conduct that obstructs the free passage of a public place’. This would have disproportionately criminalised very peaceful protest activity like handing out flyers on a sidewalk, because it would apply even to people unintentionally committing an offence.
What can the international community do to support civil society’s response to restrictions?
The right to protest is a fundamental human right that, together with the right to vote, has been instrumental in advancing other human rights and civil liberties. It is critical that the international community join civil society in Australia and anywhere to fight back against any interference in the right to protest. This could be as simple as amplifying the calls of activists on the ground and supporting their movements.
As the climate crisis intensifies it is crucial that we all protect the right of those fighting for climate justice to continue to gather and demand better from our governments.
Civic space inAustraliais rated ‘narrowed’by theCIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with the HRLC through itswebsite and follow@davidHRLC on Twitter.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘Repressive laws have been introduced to limit people’s ability to protest against climate injustice’
CIVICUS speaks about the challenges faced by climate activists in Australia with Nelli Stevenson, head of communications and investigations at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.Greenpeace is a global environment campaigning network that comprises 26 independent national and regional organisations in over 55 countries across all continents as well as a co-ordinating body, Greenpeace International, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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AUSTRALIA: ‘There will be little change on First Nations people’s recognition, representation and rights’
CIVICUS speaks with Peter Lewis, president of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), about the recent defeat in areferendum of a proposal to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution and create a permanent institution so they can speak directly to government and parliament on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.ANTaR is a civil society organisation (CSO) that works in solidarity with and advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia,conducting independent research and analysis and providing Australians with quality information on priorities concerning First Nations rights.
What was the process leading to the referendum?
In December 2010, an Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians was established and started discussing how to constitutionally recognise First Nations peoples. In January 2012, the panel suggested a new section be added to the Constitution – ‘Section 51A’ – to recognise First Peoples as the original inhabitants of the nation now known as Australia. The federal government later announced that a referendum on the matter would be delayed by two to three years due to an absence of widespread public support.
In December 2015, a Referendum Council was established and began consultations on how best to establish constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples. A discussion paper was released in October 2016 and articulated the central suggestions for constitutional reform to include a declaration of recognition, a ban on racial discrimination and a First Nations Voice to Parliament, with the right to be consulted on legislation relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In May 2017, a convention at Uluru heard the outcomes from the First Nations Dialogues, with 250 First Nations leaders and representatives in attendance. Despite the generosity of spirit embodied by the Uluru statement, in October 2017 the government of then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull outrightly rejected its proposals, breaking is promise of ‘doing things with’ Aboriginal people instead of to them. Turnbull made this decision unilaterally, without any consultation with or regard for the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, a national representative body, or members of the Referendum Council.
In March 2018 the government established another Joint Select Committee that was tasked to again inquire into and report on constitutional change. Its final report endorsed a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament. By the end of 2018, the Labor opposition had promised to establish a Voice for First Nations people and vowed to take the issue of constitutional recognition to referendum if elected to government in 2019.
On 29 September 2022, the inaugural meeting of the Referendum Working Group and the Referendum Engagement Group discussed the steps to a 2023 referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament. The Constitutional Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 Bill was introduced to parliament on 30 March 2023. On the same day, a Joint Select Committee was formed to analyse and report on the bill.
The committee heard from witnesses and published submissions, and recommended that parliament pass the bill without amendment. The House of Representatives passed it on 31 May and the Senate did so on 19 June. This meant a referendum would be called within the next six months.
A constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament would offer a first step toward structural and symbolic reform, ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples can have a say about the laws and policies that impact on their lives and communities.
Who sided for and against?
The federal leadership of conservative parties – the Liberal and National parties – did not support the referendum. However, there was some support for the Voice within the conservative parties federally and in some states and territories.
There was also some opposition by a minority of First Nations leaders on the basis that the Voice did not represent an adequate transfer of power and that a treaty should come before any changes to the constitution. But a vast majority of First Nations leaders and organisations supported recognition and voice, as did most civil society organisations and some business organisations.
ANTaR was active in the Yes campaign and worked with others to establish Allies for Uluru. In October 2022 we initiated a Yes to Voice, Truth and Treaty Campaign.
The Yes campaign also received support from international CSOs such as Amnesty International and Oxfam, and its measures were supported by United Nations (UN) experts, and specifically by successive Special Rapporteurs on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
But the referendum was used by neo-Nazi and QAnon adherents to stoke fear about First Nations peoples’ aspirations.
What kind of disinformation was circulated?
The No side of the debate made a number of false claims ranging from the misleading to clear lies. There were claims that the Voice would be a third chamber of parliament and that it would delay all decision making. There were claims that Australians would lose their homes as a result, and that it would enable First Nations people to establish their own military, and even that it would allow the UN to take over Australia. There were claims that the move was legally risky and that it would divide the nation – although currently the federal government can legislate for First Nations people through the ‘race powers’, a constitutional clause that says the government can make special laws for people of any particular race. So the nation is clearly already divided.
Why do you think the initiative failed, and what will the consequences be?
In Australia referendums rarely succeed, and in fact have never succeeded without support from all major parties.
The No case included much disinformation and fearmongering and a majority of the electorate responded negatively. It should however be noted that many inner-city and inner suburban areas, as well as First Nations-dominated remote areas, voted yes.
Because of this result, there will be little change and First Nations people’s recognition, representation and rights will depend on whoever is in government at the time. First Nations organisations will renew their calls for justice and recognition of their sovereignty and press on issues such as treaty-making, truth-telling and reducing disadvantage by providing greater agency for First Nations communities.
Civic space in Australia is rated ‘narrowed’ by theCIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with ANTaR through itswebsite orFacebook andInstagram pages, and follow@ANTaR_National on Twitter.
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Australia: millions say no to jailing of peaceful climate activists
Over 220 organisations representing millions of members across the country have united to condemn the recent 15 month jail sentence for climate activist Deanna ‘Violet’ Coco and to express concern about increasing repression, including the recent introduction of new anti protest laws in multiple states.“We are seeing fundamental democratic principles stripped before our eyes at an alarming rate. Violet is the 5th person to receive a jail sentence* in the last 12 months for peaceful climate activism, as repression mounts against community activists across the nation. She is one of thousands taking extraordinary action in the face of an urgent crisis” saidKelly O’Shanassy of Australian Conservation Foundation
On 2 December, Violet, from Fireproof Australia, was sentenced to 15 months in custody with a non parole period of 8 months. Her appeal for bail will be heard on 13th December. A solidarity action will take place outside Downing Centre Court.
We reject the claim from Premier Perrottet that protest should not inconvenience people, and are concerned about the message this sends in a democracy. Peaceful but disruptive protests have won many of the rights we take for granted today, including the 8 hour day, voting rights, end to conscription, and to enjoy the forests and precious places we defended. Australia is a signatory to conventions protecting our right to freedom of movement, association, peaceful assembly, and political speech which the government must respect, and we must defend.
"The freedom to protest has been a central part of many of the most important movements across this country, from land rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to voting rights, to achieving the eight hour work day. Governments across Australia need to recommit to our democracy, and repeal these laws that criminalise protest."Alice Drury, Acting Legal Director, Human Rights Law Centre.
We welcome the support from the UN and international human rights organisations, including the recent statement from Clement Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly who expressed “I am alarmed at NSW court's prison term against climate protester Deanna Coco and refusal to grant bail until a March 2023 appeal hearing. Peaceful protesters should never be criminalised or imprisoned.”
Violet was charged with several offences, including disrupting vehicles, failing to comply with police direction and resisting or hindering police. The charges arose from her action blocking one lane of traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for approximately 25 minutes.
“It's outrageous that the statewastes resources seeking jail time and locking up peaceful protestors in custody at the expense of taxpayers. In contrast, fossil fuel corporations are contributing to climate collapse, yet have bi-partisan support for further mining and their subsidies continue at a rate of $22,000 a minute” - Lucy Manne, 350.org
Protestors from Fireproof Australia, Extinction Rebellion, Blockade Australia and Frontline Action on Coal and many more have engaged in peaceful civil disobedience in recent years in support of urgent action on climate change. Thousands have been involved, representing the voices of many more.
Karly Warner of Aboriginal Legal Service NSW said “The Aboriginal Legal Service was born out of a protest movement in the 1970s. You would be hard-pressed to find any win for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights that wasn’t brought about by public protest.
There is no climate justice without racial justice. The right to assemble and demonstrate in our streets, towns and cities is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy. For marginalised communities, public protests enable us to be seen and heard, even — and especially — when those in power would rather suppress our voices.
We condemn in the strongest terms this government crackdown on our right to protest.”
The vast majority of Australians across the political spectrum support, and voted for, strong action on climate. People should not be concerned they could risk heavy penalties simply for taking to the streets. New anti-protest legislation in several states is wide open to police misinterpretation. NSW has already seen increased policing of peaceful NGO-led climate protests and police threats of invoking the laws against a wide variety of actions since their introduction in April.
“This state's ongoing repression of protestors through parliament passing harsher laws, police seeking draconian bail conditions and surveilling protestors, and prosecutors seeking custodial sentences shows just how much contempt this government holds for protestors and the environment. The repression of peaceful protestors must end” concluded Josh Pallas, NSW Council for Civil Liberties
Peaceful protest should not be a crime. Anti protest laws must be repealed. People engaged in peaceful protest should never be sentenced to jail.
Signatories to the open letter
350.org Australia
Dr David Abello, on behalf of the 78ers, the First Mardi Gras Inc
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited
ACF Community Geelong
Action Ready
ADAC - A Different Approach Community
Aid/Watch
Amnesty International Australia
Andrew Denton
Animal Liberation NSW
Antipoverty Centre
Arid Lands Environment Centre
Armidale Action on Coal Seam Gas and Mining
Arshak Makichyan
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)
Australian Communist Party
Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Democracy Network
Australian Forests and Climate Alliance
Australian Lawyers Alliance
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (NSW State Division)
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
Australia
Australian Marine Conservation Society
Australian Nonviolence Projects
Australian Progress
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Australian Services Union NSW ACT (Services) Branch
Australian Services Union Victorian Private Sector Branch
Australian Unemployed Workers' Union
Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Author - The 99th Koala
Bayside Climate Crisis Action Group
Bellingen Activist Network
Beyond Gas Network
Beyond War
Black Flag Sydney
Black Wallaby Forest Action
Blockade Australia
Bob Brown Foundation
Dr Luke Buckmaster
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action
Caldera Environment Centre
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law (Monash University)
Central Victoria Climate Action
Centre for Climate Safety
CFMEU Construction and General Division
Chipstop Campaign Against Woodchipping
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Cristy Clark
ClimActs
CLIMARTE
Climate Action Monaro
Climate Action Network Australia
Climate Action Radio Show
Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA)
Climate Change Action Network
Climate Council of Australia
Climate for Change
Climate Justice Programme
Climate Justice Union
Commons Social Change Library
Comms Declare
Community Action for Rainbow Rights
Community Legal Centres Australia
Community Legal Centres NSW
Community Power Agency
Conservation Council ACT Region
Conservation Council of SA
Conservation Council of WA (CCWA)
CoPower (Co-operative Power Australia)
CounterAct
Darebin Climate Action Now
Defend the Right to Protest
Digital Rights Watch
Do Gooder
Drum Rebellion
East Gippsland Climate Action Network
Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education
Environment Centre NT Inc
Environment East Gippsland inc
Environment Victoria
Environmental Justice Australia
Environs Kimberley
Extinction Rebellion Australia
Extinction Rebellion Cairns
Fireproof Australia
First Dog on the Moon
FlightFree Australia
Flinders University
Frenzal Rhomb
Friends of Bats and Habitat Gippsland
Friends of the Earth Australia
Friends of the Earth Melbourne
Friends of the Forest - Mogo
Frontline Action on Coal
Galilee Rising
Geelong Sustainability
GetUp
El Gibbs, writer, disability advocate
Glen Eira Emergency Climate Action Network (GECAN)
Goongerah Environment Centre
GraceTree
Grassroots Action Network Tasmania
Grata Fund
Green Institute
Green Music Australia
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Gudanji For Country
Heal the Earth Now ॐ (international)
Healthy Connection For All
Dr Tamar Hopkins
Human Rights Law Centre
Dr Rebecca Huntley, Author,”How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference”
Dan Ilic
Institute of Collaborative Race Research
International PEN Melbourne Centre
International Service for Human Rights
Jews Against Fascism
Ketan Joshi, Author “Windfall: Unlocking a fossil free future”
Jumbunna Research, UTS
Justice Reform Initiative
Knitting Nanas Hunter Loop
Sydney Knitting Nannas & Friends
Kooyong Climate Change Alliance
Lane Cove Sustainability Action Group
Carmen Lawrence, academic, Ex WA Premier, Head Australian Labor Party
Legal Observers NSW
Liberty Victoria
Lighter Footprints
Lincoln Ave Progressives
LIVE
Loud Jew Collective
Mackay Conservation Group
Margaret River Regional Environment Centre
Maritime Union of Australia (Sydney Branch)
Melbourne Activist Legal Support
Muslim Collective
Nannas for Native Forests
National Justice Project
National Tertiary Education Union (NSW)
Nature Conservation Council NSW
George Newhouse, Adjunct professor
Nillumbik Climate Action Team
North East Forest Alliance
North Queensland Conservation Council
NSW Council for Civil Liberties
Claire O’Rourke
Oxfam Australia
PASA (Philippines Australia Solidarity Association)
Paul Gilding
Pax Christi Australia
Peace in Papua
People’s Climate Assembly
Peter Garret
Pride In Protest
Progressive Cinema, Armidale, NSW
Proposition One Campaign for a Nuclear-Free Future
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Public Services International (Asia Pacific Regional Office)
Queensland Conservation Council
Queensland Council for Civil Liberties
Redfern Legal Centre
Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU)
Rising Tide
Save the Bay Coalition
School Strike 4 Climate
Scientists Warning Foundation, California, US
Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network Ltd
Socialist Alliance
South East Forest Rescue
South East Region Conservation Alliance (SERCA)
Anna Spargo-Ryan, Writer / A Kind of Magic
Spirit of Eureka SA
Dr Joan Staples
Stop Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Stop Russell Vale Mine
Sweltering Cities
Tom Tanuki
The Australia Institute Tasmania
The Future Makers
The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Sydney Branch
The Sunrise Project
The Sustainable Hour Podcast
The Wilderness Society
Tomorrow Movement
Transition Streets Geelong
UnionsNSW
Uni Students for Climate Justice
United Workers Union
University of Melbourne Student Union Environment Department
UNSW Centre for Crime, Law and Justice
UTS Criminal Justice Cluster
Victorian Pride Lobby
Victorian Socialists
Vote Climate
Vote Earth Now
Wage Peace
Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance VIC
Water for Rivers
What Can I Do? Australia
White Rose Society Australia
Wollongong Against War and Nuclear weapons (WAWAN)
Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA)
Women’s Justice Network
Workers for Climate Action
World Animal Protection
WSU Network for Law and Human Rights
Yarra Climate Action Now
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Civic space in Laos is rated as "Narrowed" by the CIVICUS Monitor
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Australia's adoption of Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
Statement at 47th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights -- Outcome Adoption for Australia
CIVICUS welcomes Australia's engagement in the UPR process.
In our report submitted to the review, CIVICUS examined a number of unwarranted restrictions which undermine the consolidation of a more enabling environment for civil society in Australia. We further articulated several measures the relevant authorities should take to address these barriers to the realization of a more pluralistic civic space.
In our submission, we raised a number of concerns about the climate for civic space in the country. In particular, we underscored that, climate and environmental movements and defenders are increasingly being vilified and criminalised for peaceful protests. We further raised alarm over unwarranted restrictions on media freedoms due, in large part, to police raids on independent media outlets and recent attempts to silence whistleblowers who reveal government wrongdoing under the Intelligence Services Act.
As a result of these issues, in December 2019, the CIVICUS Monitor, which rates and tracks respect for fundamental freedoms in 196 countries, downgraded Australia’s civic space rating from open to narrowed.
While we welcome Australia's acceptance of recommendations to “Continue to protect civil and political rights for all persons in Australia as well as freedom of expression” we regret its unwillingness to accept a number of specific and targeted recommendations, including:
- Amending national security laws that inhibit the speech of journalists, whistle-blowers and lawyers;
- Repealing laws criminalizing public interest reporting; and
- Ensuring meaningful participation in political and public life for all persons, especially for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We urge the government to drop all charges against whistleblowers, halt plans for legal changes to allow for the deregistration of charities for minor offences and consult with civil society in the implementation of the UPR recommendations.
Civic space in Australia is rated as Narrowed by the CIVICUS Monitor
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Country recommendations for UN Universal Periodic Review on Human Rights
All UN member states have their human rights records reviewed every 4.5 years. CIVICUS and partners make UN Universal Periodic Review submissions on civil society space in Australia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, and Rwanda
CIVICUS and its partners have made joint and stand-alone UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submissions on 7 countries in advance of the 37th UPR session (January 2021). The submissions examine the state of civil society in each country, including the promotion and protection of the rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression and the environment for human rights defenders. We further provide an assessment of the States’ domestic implementation of civic space recommendations received during the 2nd UPR cycle over 4 years ago and provide a number of targeted follow-up recommendations.
Australia –This submission raises alarm over the increasing criminalisation of climate and environmental movements and defenders, including Indigenous peoples, scientists, student strikers and environmental organisations, in the wake of Australia’s recent bushfires. It further discusses the unwarranted restrictions on media freedoms due, in large part, to an increase in police raids on independent media outlets. Moreover, its expresses concern over recent attempts to silence whistle-blowers who reveal government wrongdoing under the Intelligence Services Act.
Lebanon – In its submission CIVICUS, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, International Media Support (IMS), Social Media Exchange (SMEX) examine how the government has persistently failed to address the brutal and violent dispersal of peaceful protests, the arrest and prosecution of journalists and protesters and restrictions on the activities of CSOs advocating for women’s and LGBTQI+ rights. It also discusses legal and extra-legal restrictions on the freedom of association and, in particular, the systematic targeting of associations and activities by the LGBTQI+ community. Moreover, it assesses the continued deterioration of the freedom of expression, as highlighted by the increase in judicial proceedings against media outlets critical of the authorities, threats to digital rights, raids and attacks by security forces and sometimes by members of the public on media outlets.
Mauritania (FR) – CIVICUS and Réseau Ouest-Africain des Défenseurs des Droits Humains/ West African Human Rights Defenders Network (ROADDH / WAHRDN) demonstrates that since its last review, the Government of Mauritania has not implemented any of the recommendations relating to civic space. Instead, civic space in Mauritania remains repressed, and civil society actors, especially those working on anti-slavery campaigns and seeking to end racial and ethnic discrimination are frequently targeted and intimidated by the state. Civil society actors face legal and practical barriers to exercising their rights to association and peacefully assembly, which is hampered by the 1964 Law on Associations and Law No. 73-008 on Public Assemblies.
Myanmar– The submission by CIVICUS, Free Expression Myanmar and Asia Democracy Network highlights the use of an array of unwarrantedly restrictive laws to arrest and prosecute human rights defenders, activists, journalists and government critics for the peaceful exercise of their freedoms of association and expression. It also documents the restrictions on peaceful protests in law and practice, the arbitrary arrest and prosecution of protesters and the use of excessive force and firearms to disperse protests against government policies and land disputes with businesses.
Nepal –CIVICUS and Freedom Forum examine howrepressive laws, including amendments made to Nepal’s criminal code, have been used to limit the work of independent CSOs and suppress the freedom of expression. The submission further discusses how the ongoing attacks against journalists and the suppression of peaceful assembly continues to undermine civil space in the country. An evaluation of a range of legal sources and human rights documentation addressed in this submission demonstrate that the Government of Nepal has not implemented any of the recommendations relating to civic space during its previous UPR examination.
Oman –The Omani Association for Human Rights, Gulf Centre for Human Rights and CIVICUS highlight the closure of civic space in Oman and the use of restrictive legislation to target human rights defenders, journalists and writers and civil society organisations. We outline concerns over the forced closure of human rights organisations, the shutting down of independent newspapers and the banning of books and other publications. Human rights defenders and journalists are often subjected to arbitrary arrests and judicial persecution for their reporting and human rights activities. Due to these restrictions, several human rights defenders and their families have fled into exile. Freedom of peaceful assembly is also severely restricted as provisions in the Penal Code are used to pre-empt and prevent protests and stop those that actually take place.
Rwanda –The submission byCIVICUS and DefendDefenders (EHAHRDP) outlines serious concerns related to the unabated repression of the work of human rights defenders, civil society activists and journalists. The submission explores how restrictions on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, expression and access to information have been codified and willfully misapplied under Law No. 68/2018 (on assembly), Law N0 04/12 (on association and activities of CSOs), and the Law on Prevention and Punishment of Cybercrimes (expression and access to information). The Submission makes a number of action-oriented recommendations in accordance with the rights enshrined in the Rwandan Constitution, the ICCPR, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and Human Rights Council resolutions 22/6, 27/5 and 27/31.
See all of our UPR submissions here.
Country civic space ratings from the CIVICUS Monitor:
Australia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Rwanda
OPEN NARROWED OBSTRUCTED REPRESSED CLOSED -
Over 390 orgs urge Australian government to protect Afghan civil society
More than 390 civil society organisations from over 60 countries call on the government of Australia and other governments to ease travel requirements and processes for human rights defenders and representatives of civil society fleeing Afghanistan.We the undersigned, civil society organisations from different regions of the world, write to you in connection with the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, that followed the collapse of President Ashraf Ghani’s government. We are writing because of the urgency required from the international community to support human rights defenders, representatives of civil society, and journalists who are trying to flee Afghanistan to escape the potentially violent actions of the Taliban. In the coming weeks, there are huge concerns that any progress made in the achievements of human rights over the last 20 years in Afghanistan will be swiftly eroded.
As you are aware, human rights defenders, particularly those who defend the rights of women, journalists and those associated with civil society groups have been subjected to violent attacks, threats and intimidation by the Taliban. Over the past several years, CIVICUS and other human rights organisations have documented these attacks and the state of utmost impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators. The Afghan Human Rights Defenders’ Committee (AHRDC) recently reported that 17 human rights defenders were killed between September 2020 and May 2021 alone. Over 200 human rights defenders and media representatives reported receiving serious threats. In light of the present conflict conditions and political instability, these threats have magnified.
The Taliban have a track record of abusing human rights and attacking civilians with impunity. Women and children have borne the brunt of these attacks and many have been prevented from working and have limited access to education and healthcare. The statement by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres of 16 August 2021 urging the international community to speak with one voice to uphold human rights in Afghanistan is a step in the right direction. We also note the concerns expressed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights about early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women.
As is expected, many human rights defenders are trying to leave the country and we have received reports that some are being prevented from boarding planes as foreign missions have prioritised evacuating their own nations and staff. Others have gone into hiding and fear for their lives and others are waiting for the inevitable to happen to them. Women who have campaigned for years for equal rights and equal participation in public spaces including the peace process have faced reprisals.
We note reports that at least 3000 Afghan refugees will be able to move to Australia in the next ten months and that Afghan visa holders currently in Australia will not be asked to return to Afghanistan while their security is at risk. However, much more needs to be done. The international community has a responsibility under international human rights and humanitarian law to protect the rights of Afghans and one way of doing so is to provide a safe passage to those whose lives are at risk if they stay in Afghanistan.
Honourable Prime Minister, we urge your government to hold urgent conversations with relevant Ministries in Australia to develop a National Action Plan to guide Australia’s response to the Afghan crisis.
We request that you prioritise the following actions in the action plan;
- Publicly call on the Taliban to respect human rights, including the rights of girls and women and fundamental freedoms in line with international human rights law and standards.
- Prioritise providing safe passage and travel documents for Afghans at heightened risk of persecution from the Taliban because of their past work or status, along with their immediate family members.
- Urge Australian embassies and missions across the world to ease the travel requirements for human rights defenders and representatives from civil society from Afghanistan who may be seeking to travel to Australia.
- Create an enabling environment in Australia conducive for all Afghans who flee recover from the psychosocial pressures they endured in Afghanistan and the anxieties they may experience settling in a new country
- Pledge new support for civil society groups inside and outside of Afghanistan that assist with refugee resettlement, and otherwise promote humanitarian and human rights needs.
- Support the creation of an independent and gender-sensitive investigative and accountability mechanism at the United Nations Human Rights Council Special Session on Afghanistan scheduled for 24 August 2021
Signatories:
- #TrustYourStruggleMovement
- ABAC
- Abraham's Children Foundation
- ACAT TOGO
- Accountability Lab
- ACDIEF
- ACP-DYSS
- ACT FOR CHANGE OU AGIR POUR LE CHANGEMENT
- Action des Volontaires pour la Solidarité et le Développement AVSD
- Action for Community Transformation Initiative South Sudan
- Action for Humanity & Social Progress
- Action for Socio-political and Economic Change
- Actions Collectives pour le Développement Social, ACODES
- Actions for Development and Empowerment
- Actions pour la Lutte Contre les Injustices Sociales (ALCIS)
- Adult Learning Forum
- Advance Centre for peace and credibility international and One Life Count Empowerment Foundation
- AFEDI
- AFeJE Bénin ONG
- Africa Rise Foundation
- African Center for Solidarity and Mutual Aid between the Community (CASEC|ACSAC)
- African Development and Peace Initiative (ADPI)
- AFRICAN FOUNDATION FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (AFED)
- African Leaders Hub
- African Network of Youth Policy Experts
- African Youth Empowerment and Capacity Building Academy AYECBA
- Afrihealth Optonet Association
- Agrupación Fe
- AJAD (Association des Jeunes Africains pour le Développement Durable)
- Alliance for Development and Population Services-ADEPS
- Alliance for Gender Justice and Human Rights
- ALUCHOTO
- Alvin tech
- Amahoro Human Respect
- Amani community based organization
- América Diversa Inc
- Amicale des Jeunes Chrétiens pour le Développement, AJECDE
- Amnesty International
- Angels in the Field
- Anuesp
- APPUI SOLIDAIRE POUR LE RENFORCEMENT DE L AIDE AU DEVELOPPEMENT
- Arcfrancis Foundation
- AROHI
- ARPE
- Asaasiam Vision International
- Asian Academy for Peace, Research and Development
- Asociación Civil, Colectivo para la Participación de la Infancia y Juventud
- Asociacion Desplazada Nuevo Renacer
- Asociación Unión de Talleres 11 de Septiembre
- Association des Amis de la Nature
- Association des Jeunes pour le Développement et la Protection des Droits de l'Homme
- Association for Advancement of Human Rights
- Association For Promotion Sustainable Development
- Association for Reproductive and Family Health Burundi
- Association Nigérienne pour la Démocratie et la gouvernance inclusive
- Association pour les victimes du monde
- Badhon ManobUnnayan Sangstha
- Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)
- Banlieues Du Monde Mauritanie
- Bareedo Platform Somalia
- Beautiful Hearts NGO
- Benimbuto
- BIHDP
- Biso peuple
- BOACSE TANZANIA
- Breaking Out Mental Health
- Brothers keeper NGO
- Burundi Child Rights Coalition (BCRC)
- CA Comrades Association Namibia
- CAHURAST, Nepal
- Campaña Defender la Libertad: Asunto de Todas
- Capellanes Conacce
- Care for Social Welfare International
- CareMe E-clinic
- Center for civil society development PROTECTA
- Center for Communities Education and Youth Development
- Center for Public Health Laws Social Economic Rights and Advocacy
- Center for Social Integrity
- Centre d’Actions pour le Développement
- Centre de support aux personnes handicapées
- Centre for environment, media and development communication
- Centre for Good Governance and Social Justice
- Centre for Inclusion and Empowerment
- Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ)
- Centre for Social Mobilization and Sustainable Development(CENSODEV)
- Centre for Sustainable Development and Education in Africa
- Centre Oecuménique pour la Promotion du Monde Rural
- Centro Cultural Equidad y Género
- Centro de Análisis Político
- Centro de Estudios y Apoyo al Desarrollo Local
- Cercle de Réflexion sur le Développement Humain et les Changements Climatiques CERDHUCC
- CFF-Ghana
- CHALLENGES International
- Chambre Transversale des Jeunes Entrepreneurs du Burundi
- CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING FOR PEACE(CYPLP)
- Children and Youth for Peace Agency - Sierra Leone (CYPA-SL)
- Chinland Development Network CDN Myanmar, and Pyinkhonegyi Phunsang Pawlkom -3P
- Civic Engagement Initiatives Trust
- CIVICUS
- Centre International de Formation des de l'homme pour le Développement de Kisangani, Province de la Tshopo
- Climate Tracker
- CO-OPERATIVE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
- Coalition des organisations pour la promotion des droits des travailleurs de sexe et transgenre
- Coalition of youth organizations SEGA
- Colectivo Jóvenes Por El Cambio
- Colectivo Seres, A.C.
- Commission internationale des droits de l'homme au Tchad
- Commission on Human Rights
- Community Development Foundation
- Community for Peace Foundation(COPEF)
-
Community Health Education Sports Initiative Zambia
- Community Support Center / CSC-Asbl
- Comunidad de Organizaciones Solidarias
- Connecticut Institute for Social Entrepreneurship
- Connecting Gender for Development
- Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations
- Construisons Ensemble le monde
- consultando soluciones
- ControlaTuGobierno A.C.
- Convention Nationale pour le Dialogue et le Règlement Pacifique des conflits au Tchad _CONDIRECT
- COSAD BENIN
- Crisis Resolving Centre (CRC)
- DAKILA
- Determined Society Organization
- Development and Service Centre (DESC)
- Differentabilities
- Digital Rights Activist
- Earthforce Fight Squad NGO
- East Eagle Foundation
- Ecology Africa Foundation
- Edtech for Africa
- EJO YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
- ELOSAN VISION
- Entaxis - Action for inclusion and Education
- Equality Rights Africa Organization
- Espérance Mères et Enfants en RDC "EME-RDC"
- Ethiopian Initiative for Human Rights
- Euphrates Institute-Liberia
- Euro-Mediterranean Resources Network
- Fair Africa
- FAMA
- Family Visions Child Trust
- FEDERACION PROVINCIAL DE ORGANIZACIONES CAMPESINAS DE ZAMORA CHINCHIPE
- Fédération des ONG de la région du Goh
- Feminist Centre
- Fight Against Aids Guinee West Africa
- FINESTE
- Forums Territorial de la Jeunesse Martiniquaise
- Fraternity Foundation For Human Rights
- FSM Alliance of NGOs (FANGO)
- Fundacion Arcoiris por el respeto a la diversidad sexual
- Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo
- Fundación Ecuatoriana Equidad
- Fundación T.E.A. Trabajo, Educación, Ambiente
- Fundación Váyalo
- Fundimma
- Future leaders Society
- Gender Accountability for Peace and Security
- Gender Equality Club
- Ghana Youth Environmental Movement
- Gibson Chisale
- Gidan Dutse Multipurpose Concept
- Give Hope Uganda
- Global Participe
- Global Socio-economic and Financial Evolution Network (GSFEN)
- Global Young Greens
- Golden Change for Concerned Youth Forum
- Grassroot Development Support and Rural Enlightenment Initiative
- Gutu United Residents and Ratepayers Association-GURRA
- H.E.R.O.
- Haakro Welfare Association
- HAKI Africa
- Halley Movement Coalition
- Hamdam Foundation
- Hear Their Voice International (HTVI)
- Hidden and Emerging Treasures Initiative
- Hondureños Contra el SIDA
- Hope for Vulnerable Children Association
- Hope Porters Foundation
- Hope Worldwide-Pakistan
- Hub Ciencia Emprende
- Human Rights
- HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
- I BAMBINI DELL 'AFRICA ONLUS
- IAW
- ICCA asbl(Icirore C'Amahoro asbl)
- ICYE Nigeria
- IDA Rwanda
- Ikage
- Imbali Western Cape and Adult Learning Forum
- Inclusive Bangladesh
- Independent humanitarian worker
- India Youth For Society
- Infinite hope for vulnerable Africa
- Initiatives des Femmes en Situations Difficiles pour le Développement Durable et Intégré, IFESIDDI
- Innpactia
- Inspirers
- Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea
- Institute of Youth, women welfare
- Instituto de asilencia para adictos a.c.
- Instituto de Educación Cibernética Automotriz Robótica y Electrónica
- Integrated Agricultural Association (I.A.A)
- Intelligent initiative for Peace & Security Consciousness
- INTER-ACTIONS ONG
- Intercedes youth empowerment
- International Association for Migrant Support
- International Association for Political Science Students
- International Development Opportunity Initiative
- International Human Rights Council
- International Society for Peace and Safety
- Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms
- Jade Propuestas Sociales y Alternativas al Desarrollo, A.C.
- Jesmak health & Safety Center
- Jesus Vazquez Garcia
- JEUNES LEADER DU MALI
- Jeunesse Assistance
- Justice Call
- Justice Initiative for the Disadvantaged and Oppressed Persons
- JusticeMakers Bangladesh
- Kadiwaku Foundation
- Kanika Khurana
- kathak academy(KA)UNCSO(ECOSOC)
- Kenneth and Jacob's House
- Kijana Hai Foundation
- KITUMAINI ASBL
- Knit Together Initiative
- Koneta
- Kwapda'as Road Safety Demand Foundation
- Lamu coastal indigenous people's rights for development (LCIPRD)
- Leaders for Leaders Champion
- Leadership Development Association Bangladesh
- Liberia Sexual Gender Base Violence Movement LSGBV
- Ligue Burundaise des droits de l'homme Iteka
- Local Communities Development Initiative
- LOCAL SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ORGANISATION (LOSCO)
- Locate i
- Love Alliance Foundation for Orphans, Disabled and Abandoned Persons in Nigeria
- Lupus Initiative Uganda
- Lutheran world federation
- Mahatma phule samaj seva mandal
- Manica Youth Assembly
- Masombo The Life/NGO
- Mémorial des victimes des conflits armés en République Démocratique du Congo
- Men 4 Equality
- MENA Research and Conferences
- Mercy Sisters
- Merowa junior school Kampala
- Mike’s New Generation Vision
- MILES CHILE
- Mouvement Citoyen Ras-Le-Bol
- Mouvement INAMAHORO, Femmes & Filles pour la Paix & la Securite
- Movilizatorio
- Movimiento Juvenil Indígena de la Moskitia - Mark Rivas (MOJIMM)
- MPS GABON
- MUDDH - MOVIMIENTO UNIDO POR LA DEFENSA DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS
- Municipal youth network-Nepal
- MUP'S COMMUNICATION
- Ñañaykuna
- National Women Sudanese Association
- National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO)
- National Campaign for Sustainable Development Nepal
- NEW ERA MOVEMENT
- NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN)
- Nigeria Youth SDGs Network
- Nigerian Global Affairs Council
- Noem Elderly Iutreach Uganda
- North Rift Human Rights Network
- North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS)
- Northern Initiative for Community Empowerment
- Nouveaux Droits de l'homme Congo Brazzaville
- Observatoire National pour la Démocratie et l’Environnement ONADE
- Oil Refinery Residents Association
- Onelife Initiative for Human Development
- ONG ADOKA
- ONG CRI DES JEUNES ET FEMMES VULNERABLES, CJFV.
- ONG Good Neighbors
- ONG ICON Niger
- ONG ITODJU
- ONG María Acoge
- Organisation Internationale des volontaires des Nations Unies
- Organisation pour la protection des droits de l'homme
- Organizando Trans Diversidades (Asociación OTD Chile)
- Organization of the Justice Campaign
- OTRANS-RN
- Otro Tiempo México AC
- Pahel Pakistan
- Pan - African Peacemakers Alliance (PAPA)
- PARIVARTHANA
- PAWA - Pacific Australian Womens Association
- Peace Education and Practice Network (PEPNET)
- People's health movement
- People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
- Peoples Federation for National Peace and Development (PEFENAP)
- PJUD-BENIN ONG
- Plateforme des Femmes pour la Paix en Casamance
- Plateforme nationale des organisations de la société civile pour la lutte contre le VIH et Tuberculose
- POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (PDI)
- Programme d'Appui à la Lutte contre la Pauvreté pour l'Emergence et la Restauration d'un développement durable
- Progressive Single Mothers Network
- Red de Desaparecidos en Tamaulipas
- REDECIM
- Redemption Research for Health and Educational Development Society(RRHEDS)
- Redlad
- REFUGEES PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR PEACE-RPP
- Regional Network of Children and Young People Trust
- Réseau des Organisations de la Société Civile pour l'Observation et le Suivi des Élections en Guinée (ROSE)
- Réseau Nigérien Anti-Corruption
- RIHRDO (Rural Infrastructure and Human Resource Development Organization )
- Rising Winners Youth Empowerment Initiative (RWYEI)
- RNDDH
- Rotary Club of Alabang Madrigal Business Park
- RUKIGA FORUM FOR DEVELOPMENT (RUFODE)
- Rural Development Foundation
- Ryht Group
- Safe employee and volunteer
- Sahiba Foundation
- SAPI Child international
- Save the Climat
- Savie asbl NGO LGBTIQ PGEL Congo DRC
- Sehzoor Life Organization
- Service Workers In Group Foundation Uganda
- Shanduko Yeupenyu Child Care
- She & Peer
- Shibganj Integrated Development Society
- Sierra Leone School Green Clubs (SLSGC)
- Sierra Leone Unites
- Siyakholwa Support Care Centre
- Social Action For Empowerment and Relief
- Social democracy movement
- Social Voice Networking Forum - Pakistan
- Société Civile Engagée
- Somali Action for Transformation (Somact)
- SOPEVUDECO ASBL
- SORETO
- SOS Jeunesse et Enfance en Détresse " SOS JED
- Sout To Support Women's Rights
- South African National Civic Organisation
- South Sudan Youth Peace and Development Organization (SSYPADO)
- Southwest Genesis Consultancy
- Swabalambee Foundation
- TARGET 4.7 Education for Global Citizenship & Sustainability
- Tariro Foundation of Zimbabwe Trust
- The Environment Ameliorators
- The Institute of Caribbean Studies/SMART Futures Movement
- The Young Republic
- Timely performance care center
- Today for tomorrow foundation
- Tomorrow for human rights
- Toto Centre Initiative
- Tournonslapage
- Tremendas Panamá
- Uganda Diversity Network
- UGONMA FOUNDATION
- Ukana West 2 Community Based Health Initiative
- Umbrella for Journalists in Kasese (UJK)
- UN SDGs Programme
- Unión Nacional de Instituciones para el Trabajo de Acción Social - UNITAS
- United nations Youth Association-Ghana
- United World Against Diabetes
- Universal Union For Consumer Protection and Civil Abuse "UNUCOPCA" NGO
- University of Western Cape
- VEILLE CITOYENNE TOGO
- Venezuela Diversa AC
- VIE +
- Vivace Youth Centre
- Volunteer Activists
- Warembo Forum
- Welfare Taskforce for Malaysian Students Abroad
- WELFARE TOGO
- West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)
- Western Youth Empire
- Women and Children Empowerment Network-South Africa
- Women in Action-WINA
- WOMEN WITHOUT POVERTY (WOWIPO)
- World Mission Agency
- World Youth Union S/L
- YACAP INTERNATIONAL
- YES We Can
- yesaid society (Kenya)
- Young African change makers
- YOUNG AFRICAN FIGHTERS ORGANIZATION
- Young Men Association
- Youth Advocacy Network
- Youth Advocates for Change
- Youth Against Drug Abuse YADA International
- Youth Arm Org
- Youth Association of Sierra Leone
- Youth Development Initiative Trust
- Youth Enrichment for Success
- Youth for the Mission
- Youth Forum for Social Justice
- Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana
- Youth innovation centre
- Youth Leadership Parliament, Nigeria
- Youth Network for Positive Change
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ‘The mining company must address its human rights and environmental legacy’
CIVICUS speaks with Keren Adams, Legal Director of the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), about the victory recently obtained in holding the British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto accountable for the multiple human rights violations caused by its operations in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Established in 2006, the HRLC is an Australian civil society organisation that uses strategic legal action, policy solutions and advocacy to support people and communities to eliminate inequality and injustice and build a fairer, more compassionate Australia.What tactics does the HRLC use to hold corporations accountable?
The HRLC uses a mixture of strategic litigation, high-impact media work, campaigning and shareholder engagement to hold corporations accountable for the human rights consequences of their actions. We work in partnership with affected communities and workers to seek justice and remedy for corporate human rights abuses. We also advocate to improve regulation and oversight over the activities of Australian companies to ensure they uphold their obligation to respect human rights, wherever they operate.
What were the impacts of the Rio Tinto operations on Bougainville Island, and how did the HRLC support the struggle of local communities for justice and accountability?
Rio Tinto’s former Panguna mine on Bougainville left a massive legacy of environmental and social devastation on the island. Panguna had been one of the world’s largest copper and gold mines. During its operation, between 1972 and 1989, over a billion tonnes of waste from the mine were dumped directly into the Kawerong river downstream. The environmental destruction this caused, and its associated social consequences, led to a local uprising that forcibly closed the mine in 1989 and triggered a 10-year civil war on the island. In 2016, Rio Tinto divested from the mine and walked away without accepting any responsibility for this legacy.
As a result, communities all along the Jaba-Kawerong river valley continue to live surrounded by vast mounds of tailings – mine waste – left over from the mine’s operation. Their water sources are heavily polluted with copper and with every rainfall, huge volumes of tailings erode into the rivers, flooding farms and forests downstream with polluted mud, displacing villagers and destroying peoples’ livelihoods. Many people in the area live with serious health problems, including skin diseases and gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, which local health workers attribute to their exposure to pollution. An estimated 14,000 people live downstream of the mine.
In 2020, the HRLC assisted 156 local residents from several villages downstream of the mine to file a human rights complaint against the company with the Australian government, alleging serious breaches of the company’s human rights and environmental obligations. In response to the complaint, Rio Tinto agreed to re-engage with the communities about these issues and in July 2021 committed to funding an independent environmental and human rights impact assessment of the mine to identify impacts and risks posed by the mine and develop recommendations for what needs to be done to address them.
What do you hope will be the outcome of the process once the impact assessment is complete?
The communities we are working with called for Rio Tinto to fund the impact assessment as a first critical step towards addressing the massive and ongoing environmental and human rights problems being caused by the mine. But it is only the first step. They hope and expect that once the impact assessment is complete, Rio Tinto will contribute to a substantial, independently managed fund to help address the harms caused by the mine and assist long-term rehabilitation efforts.
These communities urgently need access to clean water for drinking and bathing. They need solutions to stop the vast mounds of tailings eroding into the rivers and flooding their villages, farms and fishing areas. They need their children to be able to walk to school without having to wade through treacherous areas of quicksand created by the mine waste. These are just some examples of what remediation means in real terms for the people living with these impacts.
What challenges lay ahead in achieving rightful compensation and long-term rehabilitation?
The extent of the environmental destruction at Panguna and the myriad health and social problems caused by the mine, left unaddressed for over 30 years, mean that substantial resources and a long-term commitment will be needed to find solutions and undertake proper rehabilitation of the site.
So far, Rio Tinto has only committed to funding the independent assessment of the mine. While we see this as an important development, it remains to be seen how serious the company is about addressing its legacy on the island and providing remedy in accordance with its human rights and environmental obligations. We will be continuing to work with local communities and other stakeholders like the Autonomous Bougainville Government to ensure that they do so.
Civic space inPapua New Guineais rated as ‘obstructed’by theCIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with the Human Rights Law Centre through itswebsite orFacebook page, and follow@rightsagenda on Twitter. -
TUVALU: ‘We share Taiwan’s democratic principles, values and struggles for sovereignty’
CIVICUS speaks about the prospects following the inauguration of a new government in Tuvalu with Kiali Molu, a PhD candidate in Politics and International Affairs at the University of Bergen in Norway and at the University of the South Pacific.Kiali is a native Tuvaluan and his research, currently funded by the government of Norway, focuses on Tuvalu’s strategies to maintain its statehood and sovereignty as its territory is threatened by sea-level rise.