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Despite being home to a vibrant civil society comprising more than 60.000 organizations, human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Philippines who are critical of the government or push for accountability for grave violations, continue to face harassment and attacks. Between July 2016 and March 2024, 305 journalists and HRDs were killed. With only one known conviction to date, a climate of impunity fuels the risks they face.
Following her country visit in February 2024, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression Ms. Irene Khan warned that while the new administration of President Marcos has shown positive signs on improving the country’s human rights record, these are insufficient to turn the page on the past. Her findings were echoed in a written statement submitted to the Human Rights Council by Franciscans International, which identified ‘red-tagging’ as one of the most pervasive and dangerous practices in the Philippines.
Red-tagging – accusing a victim of links with communist rebels or terrorist groups – is widespread and, despite a ruling by the Supreme Court that it threatens the right to life, is practiced routinely by government officials. One of the numerous victims of this practice is Angelito Cortez OFM, a Friar Minor from Manila.
During the so-called ‘war on drugs’ waged by the previous administration, Brother Angelito took on a leading role in the church’s efforts to denounce the rampant extrajudicial killings that rocked the country. Together with other Franciscan sisters and brothers, he provided pastoral support and sanctuary to some of the families of the more than 26.000 victims. During the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, he joined Ms. Khan during a side event to share the consequences of his work.
“I received multiple death threats — clear, direct, and coordinated. One message warned: ‘We were ordered to have you killed. Four of us are already deployed in Manila. But when we found out you are a priest, we paused. We don’t want your family hurt.’ They knew where I lived. They tracked my movements. They monitored my family. And I believed them,” said Brother Angel. “Because of this terror, I had no choice but to voluntarily exile myself to an undisclosed country.”
Although Brother Angelito was eventually able to return to Manila, the wider threat persists and is even expanding. Red-tagging has moved into online spaces, where doxing and harassment can escalate into violence in offline spaces. The result has been a chilling effect that drives some HRDs to self-censor or stop their activism altogether. Land and environmental defenders are at particular risk, including those working with Franciscans to protect the Verde Island Passage from new energy infrastructure or those who oppose the Manila Bay Reclamation project.
“The previous administration has set the bar so low that many would say anything that comes after must be better and therefore more acceptable,” said Ms. Khan during the side event. But among the people in the Philippines, especially activists at the frontlines, they tell you it’s not better, precisely because of the embedded and institutionalized impunity.”
In its statement, FI made several recommendations to bring an end to red-tagging. These include making the practice a criminal offence, instituting appeal processes for organizations that have been red-tagged, and immediately abolishing the National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict – an agency that has been at the forefront of red-tagging HRDs since its creation in 2018. FI also supported calls by Ms. Khan has on the government to issue an executive order denouncing the practice.
“Make no mistake: red-tagging is not a harmless label. It is a death sentence. It gives a green light to surveillance, harassment, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings,” warned Brother Angelito. “It is a direct assault on the right to dissent and the right to speak freely — the very essence of freedom of expression.”
Across the Americas, migration is increasingly met with criminalization instead of protection. Militarized borders, mass deportations, and arbitrary detention have supplanted rights-based approaches. These escalating trends have been reinforced since the Trump administration took office in January and were at the center of a side event organized by Franciscans International during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“The criminalization of migration is the norm, not the exception,” said Jesús Vélez Loor, an Ecuadorian national who was arrested in Panama in 2002 and sentenced to two years in prison for having entered the country irregularly, before being deported. In detention, he endured torture, cruel and degrading treatment, and did not have access to a lawyer. In 2010, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that Panama had violated the rights of Jesús Vélez Loor and ordered reparations. While he received monetary compensation, key measures – such as investigating his torture and implementing structural reforms – remain unfulfilled.
Jesús’s experience is far from unique and highlights a broader regional trend where migration increasingly invites punitive responses.
“It is one of the most disturbing trends observed during my mandate,” said UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants Gehad Madi, who spoke during the event. During his recent visit to Panama, Madi reported a heightened military and security presence across the Darién Gap, including closed jungle trails, razor wire, and army checkpoints. “These policies do not stop migration. They only increase suffering,” he said.
Another major concern that was highlighted is the increasing externalization of migration processes, where countries pay other States to receive migrants on their behalf. A notorious example is the agreement between the United States and El Salvador to deport migrants to CECOT, a high-security prison originally designed for gang members.
Jessica Vosburgh, representing the Center for Constitutional Rights, described the case of a Venezuelan man who, after seeking asylum in the US, was deported to El Salvador, without being able to consult a lawyer. “He is now detained with no contact with his family. We’re trying to determine whether he is under US or Salvadoran custody.”
“This is the most extreme example”, says Madi about the agreement with El Salvador, “but it shows a trend spreading across the Americas.”
In February 2025, two hundred people from various countries, including Russia, Vietnam, and India, were arbitrarily detained in Costa Rica after being deported from the United States. Held in the Temporary Migrant Care Center (CATEM) in Corredores, their passports were confiscated, and they were kept without access to proper information, legal counsel, or interpretation. Many did not understand their legal status or the reason for their detention. After legal challenges, a Costa Rican court ordered their release this June.
In this increasingly hostile context and rhetoric against migrants, many abandon their journey to the United States and attempt to return home. However, they often find this impossible. “There is a reverse movement in migration,” Madi observed. “Migrants are now moving south. But, trapped between borders, they are unable to return to their country of origin.” Stranded at border zones, they are frequently left without food, shelter, legal assistance, or interpretation. In the absence of humanitarian support, “their situation risks becoming invisible to the international community.”
RFM Colombia launches new publication
Contributing to a broader reflection on the many challenges faced by migrants and refugees in the Americas, FI hosted two representatives from the Red Franciscana para Migrantes (RFM) in Colombia to share information on the situation of Venezuelan migrants based in Colombia and the Franciscan efforts to support them through a “culture of encounter.”
As part of their advocacy, the RFM Colombia presented a new publication that, based on extensive community interviews, documents discrimination pertaining to healthcare, education, and protection. It also highlights the limitations of Colombia’s Temporary Protection Statute and calls for stronger institutional coordination and accountability.
The Human Rights Council convenes for its 59th session between 16 June and 9 July 2025. You can find all our statements delivered during this session below as they become available. Our past advocacy interventions are available here.
Item 6: Universal Periodic Review – Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 July)
While welcoming the support for recommendations related to the rights of migrants and the right to a healthy environment, FI also urged the acceptance of recommendations to reinforce institutions that aimed at guaranteeing human rights. Recalling the findings of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association, which indicated that the constitutional situation in the country is fraught, we called on the government to adopt and implement recommendations to strengthen the office of the Ombudsman.
Item 6: Universal Periodic Review – Madagascar (1 July)
The lack of measures targeting extreme poverty in the context of climate change helps fuel internal migration in Madagascar. Although climate-induced extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, local authorities lack the necessary resources and technical expertise to support these displaced communities. During Madagascar’s UPR, we welcomed the launch of a national strategy for human safety that contains a human rights-based approach, including the right to a healthy environment.
Item 6: Universal Periodic Review – Italy (30 June)
Franciscans International commended Italy’s openness to engage with civil society during the review process and welcomed the acceptance of recommendations related to climate adaptation, prisoners’ rights, and the inequitable distribution of health services. Regarding human mobility, we reiterated our call on Italy to uphold international law and ensure that migrants have access to safe and lawful routes, respecting their dignity. Mindful of Italy’s commitment to continuing consultations with civil society and its intention to provide a mid-term report, we expressed our hope that the accepted recommendations will be implemented within a reasonable time frame.
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on climate change (30 June)
Welcoming the latest report of the Special Rapporteur on the imperative of defossilizing our economies, we echoed many of her key findings, including that fossil fuel companies have benefited from undue protection under bilateral investment agreements, contracts, and investor-state agreements. This situation must change. Effective national, regional, and international mechanisms must be established and enforced to hold corporations accountable for human rights violations. Accordingly, Franciscans International urged States to actively participate in the ongoing negotiations for a binding treaty on business and human rights.
Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants (20 June)
In a joint statement, we expressed our alarm over the global trend by States to adopt policies that increase the dehumanization and criminalization of migrants. These have resulted in growing numbers of migrants who go missing or who suffer preventable deaths and disappearances. It has also manifested in detention and removal procedures through confidential agreements with third countries that fail to respect procedural safeguards. We commended the Special Rapporteur for his three-pronged approach to prevent disappearances and called on the Council to ensure that migration policies and frameworks are based on international human rights law and prioritize protection.
Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on summary, arbitrary and extrajudicial executions (18 June)
In the Philippines, the families of those killed in the so-called “war on drugs” continue to suffer threats, harassment, and reprisals. As they pursue justice, they’ve also been met with online attacks designed to discredit and intimidate – a trend that intensified after the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. In a joint statement, we called on UN Member States – including the Philippines – to ensure the protection and support of families seeking redress. We also urged the government to extend an invitation to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions to conduct an official country visit.
Written statements
Shrinking Civic Space in the Philippines: Attacks against Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society Organizations
Despite a vibrant civil society comprising over 60.000 organizations, the environment for those critical of state policies and working on issues related to grave human rights violations and accountability remains extremely challenging in the Philippines. Attacks against and harassment of human rights defenders are frequent and occur with impunity. Documenting many such cases with local partners, Franciscans International offered a set of recommendations to the government to strengthen civic space and protect those working to defend human rights.
Human Rights of Migrants
According to IOM estimates, at least 52.500 people have died during migration linked to humanitarian crises since 2014. These numbers are almost certainly a vast underestimation of the actual number of missing people whose fate remains unknown: for 2024 alone, the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras found that 9.757 migrants were lost trying to cross between Africa and the Canary Islands. Franciscans International reintegrated the need for States to provide migrants with safe and viable routes to their destination and called for multi-disciplinary efforts in identifying and informing the families of migrants who have been found, either alive or dead.
Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka: Accountability, Truth and Justice with regard to the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks
Six years after the Easter Sunday Attacks, the exact number of people killed in the bombings remains uncertain, with a difference of 56 victims across different investigations and inquiries by authorities. The impact on their families has been profound, as they are ineligible to receive compensation or support. Although more than 40 criminal cases have been filed relating to the attacks, most remain ongoing. Notably, those against powerful officials have repeatedly been delayed. Ahead of the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, Franciscans International submitted several recommendations to ensure transparency, accountability, and justice for the victims of the attacks.
Thumbnail photo: UN Photo / Jean Marc Ferré
From the depths of the ocean to the blood that runs through our veins, plastic permeates our world. Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year, with half of it intended for single-use applications. Rather than recognize and address the harm it has caused, the petrochemical industry, with its profit margins under pressure from renewable energy, is pushing to ramp up production. World Environment Day 2025 highlights the extent of global plastic pollution and its devastating impacts on the ecosystem and public health. It is also a reminder of the scale of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution as not only an environmental, but also a human rights emergency.
In a world where people are already facing the daily impacts of these crises, there has been a clear galvanization on environmental issues at the United Nations in recent years. The recognition of a healthy environment as a human right and the establishment of a Special Rapporteur on climate change – decisions Franciscans International advocated for – are just two examples of UN Member States responding to calls from the grassroots. However, the stark reality is that we are quickly running out of time. Facing an increasingly bleak scenario of climate and environmental catastrophe, we need States to break with past practices and act – and we need them to act now.
A critical first step is the rejection of corporate capture of international processes, especially at UN forums. Over 1.700 fossil fuel lobbyists participated in the 2024 UN Climate Conference in Azerbaijan (COP29), compared to 1.033 delegates representing the world’s ten most climate-vulnerable nations. During this year’s negotiations on a proposed global plastic treaty, lobbyists from the fossil fuel and chemical industries are expected to form the largest delegation. Non-governmental organizations supported by business interests have also been structurally working to undermine UN efforts to regulate transnational corporations under international human rights law. At a time when the wealth of a single company can eclipse the economy of entire nations, States have a responsibility to safeguard the spaces meant to rein in their harmful activities.
A second step is not to repeat the crimes of the past, nor to continue ongoing human rights violations in our search for and use of resources. As States and institutions embrace the language of a “just transition”, finding the resources required often replicates old patterns of exploitation and colonization under a new green label. In Brazil – to name just one example – our partners are sounding the alarm about extractive projects that are accelerated in the name of clean energy, without considering the environmental risk and consulting or receiving the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous communities.
The growing demand for cobalt, nickel, and other critical minerals is now extending this threat to the ocean floors. Deep-sea mining is promoted as necessary for a “green economy”, yet scientific research increasingly warns of the harmful and unknown consequences it could have for fragile deep-sea marine biodiversity and the ocean ecosystem, including those that play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Recognizing these risks, 33 States are now supporting either a moratorium, precautionary pause, or ban on deep-sea mining in an effort that should be widely supported.
Finally, the intersection between extractive industries, environmental harm, and conflict cannot be ignored. A clear example of this can be seen through the work of Franciscans in Mozambique, where the exploitation of natural gas in Cabo Delgado province has created a vicious cycle of violence, environmental degradation, and displacement, creating a context rife with human rights violations. Environmental degradation not only fuels conflict but is also a direct result of it. In addition to the devastating human costs, a recent study found that the carbon footprint of the genocide waged against Palestinians in Gaza for over 18 months is larger than the annual emissions of a hundred individual countries.
Marking the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of Creatures this year, Franciscans International is intensifying its efforts toward environmental and climate justice in the lead-up to COP30 in Brazil. We are joined across the world by individuals and communities who are calling for bold, meaningful, and immediate actions. The impetus to address the triple planetary crisis cannot be placed on the efforts of individuals alone: States must move beyond lip service and greenwashing to take substantive steps to meet the dire moment we are all facing. Business as usual – including allowing corporate and personal interests to trump people and planet – must end.
For nearly a decade, Franciscans International has worked with Franciscans in the Philippines as they seek justice for the victims of the so-called “war on drugs”, during which over 30.000 people have been killed extra-judicially. However, the human rights-related ministries of the sisters and brothers in the country extend far beyond their calls for accountability. Ongoing efforts by authorities to develop large-scale energy and infrastructure projects pose a threat to both the livelihoods of marginalized communities and the environment. In April, FI visited affected communities on the islands of Luzon and Mindoro to collect first-hand information and identify additional avenues to raise their challenges at the United Nations.
Protecting the Verde Island Passage
Known as “the Amazon of the ocean”, the Verde Island Passage is a biodiversity hotspot and source of livelihood for coastal communities. Nevertheless, the government intends to dramatically expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure on its shores. FI met with fisherfolk in Santa Clara, a settlement squeezed between the Batangas port and a large LNG terminal. Here, residents have seen a steep decline in fish catches while pulmonary diseases have surged.
“When nature is trampled and exploited, who is affected? It’s the poor. It’s the little people who suffer when the emphasis is on big companies that only care about enriching themselves,” says Brother Jose Rico OFMCap, who is a well-known presence in Santa Clara. “They built these plants to power the whole of Batangas, but the people living next to them don’t have access to energy. It’s a great contrast, a contradiction.”
The risk of further developing energy infrastructure in this area was made clear in February 2023 when a tanker carrying 900.000 liters of oil capsized in the passage. On Mindoro, FI visited one of the communities that bore the brunt of the subsequent spill. Beyond the environmental damage, a one-year moratorium on fishing due to the pollution created food insecurity for over a million people. Many of the fishers themselves have not received the financial compensation they were promised.
FI has already raised these issues in a submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, highlighting the real costs of these projects that are ostensibly meant to spur economic growth. Meanwhile, Franciscans are also exploring alternative strategies. While FI was visiting the Verde Island Passage, Brother Edwin Gariguez OFM was in Geneva to speak at the shareholders’ meeting of a large bank, urging investors to withdraw financing from LNG projects in the Philippines.
Saving Manila Bay
Many of these concerns are echoed in the Manila Bay Reclamation project, a plan to reclaim over 100 square kilometers of sea to deal with the capital city’s chronic congestion. The environmental impacts of this project are profound, as the reclamation would disrupt marine ecosystems, threaten food security and livelihoods due to reduced fish catch, damage the seabed and coastal infrastructure, and destroy the mangroves that protect the shores against erosion and flooding. Meanwhile, fisher communities that have lived on the shores of Manila Bay for generations have been unwilling to move.
Together with the Young Franciscan Advocates, FI visited Talabo, where residents have come under increasing pressure to accept offers to relocate, facing implicit and explicit threats by authorities and the companies involved. 700 families have already been forcibly evicted to make way for reclamation projects, half of which have not yet received compensation. Meanwhile, some people who voluntarily decided to move were relocated away from the coast, cutting them off from their traditional sources of income.
“Our government has this idea that bringing in foreign investment and corporations will end with these big construction projects that bring ‘development’. But the question is: development for whom?” says Lia Mai Torres, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Concerns. “It’s not development for the fisherfolk who live there. It is not development for the people who will lose their jobs. It is a profit-making scheme for big business, not genuine development for local communities.”
Parallel to these visits, FI also took the opportunity to meet with long-term civil society partners, Franciscan provincials, and other church leaders, including Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David. Together, we will be raising these issues at the various UN human rights mechanisms throughout 2025 and beyond.
Photo credit: UN.
Franciscans International participated in the twenty-fourth session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York. While progress has been made on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum noted that Indigenous peoples still face significant barriers and urged Member States to take specific actions, including by taking “concrete measures to uphold their individual and collective rights […].”
In his opening statement, Secretary-General António Guterres underscored that while Indigenous peoples are the “pre-eminent stewards of the world’s biodiversity and of the environment”, they are also “on the front line of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss — despite having done nothing to create these crises and everything to try to stop them.”
At the Forum itself, many speakers and interventions focused on the so-called ‘green transition’ and related demand for critical minerals. Speakers underscored a context of ‘green colonialism’ whereby minerals are often found on Indigenous territories, with extraction occurring without the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples.
Indeed, issues related to climate change, environmental degradation, and extractivism are consistently underscored to FI by its partners throughout the world. This was most recently highlighted during a FI mission to Guatemala, where land rights, environmental protection, and the defense of natural resources were identified as key concerns.
On April 24, Franciscans International co-organized an event titled “Human Rights Situation of Indigenous Peoples in West Papua.” The side event provided a general overview of the situation in West Papua, how Indigenous peoples are recognized under relevant national and international frameworks, and information on the impacts of extractive and other projects on Indigenous peoples in West Papua.
FI also participated in events as part of their coordination with the Mining Working Group, including a global dialogue with Indigenous peoples to share experiences and foster greater solidarity, and an event on Extractives, Critical Minerals and Land Grabbing from the Lens of Indigenous Peoples.
At the same time, Franciscans International’s board held meetings and a public event in New York City. The event, which took place on May 1, was focused on the lead up to the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil in November 2025. Speakers for the event included: Sister Joan Brown, who discussed the Canticle of Creatures in the context of the current triple planetary crisis; Beth Piggush, a Laudato Si Promoter who focused on integral ecology and the right to a healthy environment; and FI staff members Marya Farah and Budi Tjahjono, who discussed FI’s work on business impacts on the environment and the need for accountability, and FI’s previous advocacy and upcoming plans for COP30.
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. We are grateful for the inspiration he took from the values espoused by Saint Francis of Assisi, evident through his chosen name and the selection of Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti as titles for two of his encyclicals. More importantly, these values defined and animated both his life and his papacy.
Pope Francis stood for an open Church, recognizing that its message can inspire those beyond and welcoming people who had previously been excluded or marginalized. In doing so, he did not shy away from confronting the Church’s own history, reaching out to Indigenous Peoples to apologize for past wrongs and finally repudiating the doctrine of discovery.
Fundamentally, he recognized that the Church cannot turn inwards and has a responsibility to lead by example on the most pressing challenges of our time – issues that are not only spiritual but affect the daily lives of billions of people.
Under his guidance, the Church took an active stance on fighting climate change and environmental degradation, and the words Laudato Si’ now remind decision-makers that they have a responsibility as stewards of our common home. Pope Francis spoke out against rising inequality at a time of historic wealth, denouncing this as an affront to human dignity and imploring us to stand with each other in solidarity.
As we mourn his passing, we also know that Pope Francis’ legacy – echoing the examples of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi – will be a source of inspiration for those working to build a more just and equitable world. Franciscans International remains committed to making this dream a reality.
Photo: Pope Francis is greeted by FI co-founder Dionysius Mintoff OFM during a 2022 visit to the Pope John XIII Peace Laboratory on Malta.
As migration across the Mediterranean continues to be marked by peril and human suffering, Franciscans from the region are working together to offer a different vision: transforming the Mediterranean from a “cemetery” – as Pope Francis once described it – to a home open to all.
The Franciscan Network of the Mediterranean (RFMed), founded in 2019 to connect Franciscan-led initiatives supporting migrants and refugees across Southern Europe and North Africa, aims to uphold the dignity of every person, particularly those forced to flee violence, poverty, and climate-induced devastation. “It is something that was dreamt of a long time ago,” says Brother Fabio L’Amour, OFM, who is part of the RFMed’s Coordination Committee.
This idea of creating a network around the Mediterranean started several years ago but was interrupted by the pandemic. Now, a new group has revived the project for good and chosen to focus on three pillars: migration, youth and ecology, and dialogue for peace.
In Morrocco, Br. Fabio L’Amour works directly with migrants: “We have a group of sisters and brothers who work to guarantee a daily service for migrants trying to cross the frontier in the north of the country. Every day, we receive 30 to 40 of them.”
“When they arrive, they are sometimes hurt, hungry, and in very bad condition,” he explains, “we give them some food, medical attention, and clothes because they have traveled a lot to arrive in Marrakech”.
Building a foundation for the next phase of the Network
From March 31 to April 4, 2025, the Franciscan Network of the Mediterranean held its annual meeting in Rhodes, Greece – a chance to take stock of recent progress and define collective priorities for the year ahead.
Brother Eunan McMullan, OFM, FI’s Europe Coordinator, joined other friars and lay associates for a week of dialogue and strategic planning. Sessions included workshops, shared prayer, and support to local projects at the friary such as food distribution.
While still in its early stages, the Network is steadily expanding its reach across the Mediterranean region. When asked about the Network’s next step, Br. L’Amour explains: “We found those who are working [on migration], and now we are going to plan what we could do as a group to collaborate and make the services better for those who are in need.”
During the week, FI also presented examples of how it amplified the voices of migrants and frontline communities at the United Nations, so as to demonstrate how local pastoral care and international advocacy can – and should – go hand in hand.
A Shared Commitment
“I think that the vision that we, the Franciscan family, have for the Network is not very different from the vision that Franciscans International has for the whole world,” says Br. Fabio, “so it’s natural that we connect with FI.”
As Franciscans International is now formally part of the Network’s coordination committee, this week in Greece offered us the opportunity to reaffirm a shared purpose together with other members of the RFMed: to serve people on the move through both concrete action and advocacy, foster dialogue, and turn the Mediterranean from a zone of exclusion into a region of solidarity.
“There is huge suffering,” states Br. L’Amour, “as Franciscans, we cannot be indifferent to that.”
In Guatemala, Indigenous Peoples – who make up nearly half the population – continue to face systemic racial discrimination and profound inequalities. They experience limited access to healthcare, education, and political representation, while their ancestral lands are threatened by extractive industries and large-scale agribusiness.
This year, Guatemala will be reviewed by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Recognizing this as a critical moment to amplify Indigenous voices and push for State accountability, Franciscans International travelled to the country to lead a workshop on engaging with the CERD process.
Capacity-Building for Indigenous Leaders
For three consecutive days, representatives from Maya organizations and other civil society groups gathered in a small hotel in Guatemala City. They shared their knowledge and experiences while learning about how they can advance their cause through the UN system. “In Guatemala, there is racial discrimination for being poor, for being Indigenous, and for being a woman”, remarked one of the attendees.
As part of the training, participants selected thematic areas to focus on for a joint alternative report that will be submitted to the CERD. Among them, land rights, environmental protection, and the defense of natural resources were identified as key concerns.
“We need to consider Mother Earth as a subject for human rights”, said a representative of CODECA, an Indigenous and peasant-led organization. “If we do not defend our Mother Earth, then we are destroying our own common home”.
The workshop also welcomed representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), who provided valuable insights and best practices. The next step will be finalizing the alternative report, which will be presented to the CERD later this year.
Fact-Finding Mission in El Estor
Before leaving Guatemala, our team traveled to El Estor, a town nestled on the shores of Lake Izabal, the country’s largest lake. Known for its lush landscapes and mineral-rich soil, the region has been at the center of land disputes for decades.
At the heart of the conflict is the mining industry. For years, transnational companies have extracted resources from these lands, often at the expense of local communities.
The industry has been linked to environmental degradation, forced displacement, and violent repression of Indigenous resistance.
Land rights are a particular area of concern for local communities. In total, nearly 385 square kilometers have been granted as a mining concession around El Estor and divided up into several “lotes” (plots of land).
We met with the inhabitants living on Lote 9, who for decades have fought to secure legal ownership of their land. Despite fulfilling all required payments, their land title was never issued. As a result, they have suffered forced displacement, harassment, as well as the contamination of their food and water sources.
“Look at the children here. Where else can they go?” one resident asked.
After years of legal battles, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in December 2023 that Guatemala had violated the community’s rights and ordered the government to grant them their land title within six months, but as of today, the community is still waiting.
Why it Matters
The situation in Guatemala underscores a broader global pattern: Indigenous communities defending their lands against powerful economic interests, often at great personal risk. To protect their rights, Indigenous land defenders are exposing themselves to intimidation and criminalization – particularly in Guatemala, where the legal system has been co-opted by special interests.
Our country mission aimed to support these communities by ensuring that their voices reach the international stage, particularly through the upcoming CERD review. Furthermore, FI will continue pushing for a legally binding instrument that regulates transnational companies, so that Indigenous rights and environmental justice are not sacrificed in the name of profit.
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