EN

Author: communications

The Human Rights Council convenes for its 57th session between 9 September and 9 October 2024. You can find all our statements delivered during this session below as they become available. Our past advocacy interventions are available here.

Item 10: General Debate – The Philippines (9 October)

Despite its inherent weaknesses and failures, the recently concluded UN Joint Programme for Human Rights in the Philippines has been touted as a model to operationalize the Council’s Agenda Item 10. Yet, at its conclusion, the Joint Programme has only served to further entrench impunity and shield the government from scrutiny on key human rights issues. In a joint statement, we called for an objective and independent review to not only address the serious human rights concerns in the Philippines but also to ensure that the Council does not repeat its mistakes elsewhere.

• Full statement (English)

Annual Panel on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Guatemala (25 September)

Seventeen years ago, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized their right to self-determination and the State obligation to prevent any act that would lead to the dispossession of Indigenous lands. However, today there are many obstacles to achieving these objectives. During the Human Rights Council, we raised the case of a nickel mine in El Estor, Guatemala that operates on Indigenous land without free, prior, and informed of the community and has caused widespread environmental damage. In a joint statement, we called on Guatemala to meet its international obligations and guarantee compliance with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 4: General Debate – Mozambique (25 September)

More than half a million people are still displaced by the conflict in Northern Mozambique. Over 1.5 million face dire humanitarian conditions, with limited access to food, shelter, water, sanitation, and education – leaving them vulnerable to radicalization by extremist organizations. The official narratives on the conflict in Cabo Delgado ignore the socio-economic disparities which fuel the conflict, in part driven by transnational corporations that exploit natural resources. We urged Mozambique to comply with international human rights and humanitarian law obligations, including by regulating businesses operating in this conflict situation.

• Full statement (English)

Item 4: General Debate – Indonesia (25 September)

In a joint statement, we expressed our concerns over the unnecessary and harsh force used against protestors opposing the Regional Election Bill in late August and against journalists covering the demonstrations. Reports of incommunicado detention during police sweeps and severe beatings of protesters reflect a broader pattern of escalating human rights violations in Indonesia. In this light, our concerns extend to proposed legal amendments that would unduly expand police power and allow for unwarranted military involvement in civilian governance.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: General Debate – Honduras (20 September)  

Although Honduras committed in 2023 to stop using petroleum coke and coal, it is still facilitating a thermo-electric project in the Tocoa municipality, which relies on petroleum coke. The environmental impact studies presented by the company in question contain vague, incomplete, and deficient information, and authorities should have canceled the project from the outset. Instead, community members opposing the project have been attacked, culminating in the brutal murder of environmental activist Juan Antonio Lopez on 14 September. At the Human Rights Council, we stressed that Honduras should urgently comply with its human rights obligations to protect its population and hold companies and public officials accountable for their actions and negligence.  

• Full statement (Spanish) 

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights – Guatemala (17 September)

Unchecked business activities in Guatemala are negatively impacting both the environment and the lives and human rights of Indigenous Peoples. Mineral extraction has contaminated aquifers with heavy metals. Agri-businesses have contaminated soil and watersheds with pesticides. This has led to environmental degradation, the destruction of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and increased risks to the health, food security, livelihoods, and culture of the country’s Indigenous Peoples. Guatemala must urgently comply with its international obligations by regulating and controlling extractive industries. At HRC57, we urged the government to ratify the Escazú Agreement as an essential step toward this goal. 

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Secretary-General on the impacts of loss and damage from climate change (13 September)

The loss and damages caused by climate change go far beyond material destruction, deeply affecting human dignity, cultural identity, and emotional well-being. Together with the Geneva Interfaith Forum on Climate Change, Environment and Human Rights (GIF) we highlighted the unique position of faith communities in responding to the challenges posed by non-economic loss and damages. We called on the Council to integrate these insights into policies as a way to strengthen the international human rights frameworks and to ensure that non-economic loss and damage is addressed in a more holistic, culturally sensitive, and human-centered manner.

• Full statement (English)

Item 2: General Debate – Guatemala (11 September)

As noted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, criminal law has been misused in Guatemala to persecute human rights defenders, justice operators, journalists, students, and Indigenous authorities. In this context, the upcoming selection process of new magistrates for the Supreme Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals is crucial. In a joint statement, we called on the international community to observe the proceedings, support civil society organizations already doing so, and stress the importance of a transparent process.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 2: General Debate – Cameroon (10 September)

While welcoming a recent visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, we remain concerned about the persistent impunity for serious human rights violations committed in Cameroon since 2017. Violent clashes between the national army and non-State armed groups continue to have a deep impact on civilians. With presidential elections scheduled for next year, we delivered this joint statement to call on authorities to create the conditions for a peaceful and transparent vote, in line with international standards. We also urged the government to create favorable conditions for peace and national reconciliation.

• Full statement (French)

Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR report on Sri Lanka (9 September)

Sri Lanka has failed to make significant progress in upholding its human rights obligations. Franciscans International expressed its concerns about the lack of accountability mechanisms for victims of enforced disappearances and other violations in the past and present, as well as the lack of progress in the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Considering this, we urged the Council to renew the mandate for OHCHR and its Sri Lanka Accountability project for at least two years.

• Full statement (English)

Written statements

Human Rights Situation in Cameroon: Meaningful Conflict Resolution and Accountability Processes

Violent clashes between armed separatists and the military continue to have a profound impact on civilians in Cameroon, with human rights violations being committed by both sides. Accountability remains a distant reality as victims’ complaints rarely result in court cases, eroding trust in judicial processes. Ahead of the Human Rights Council, we made several recommendations to address the root causes of the conflict and engage in meaningful accountability processes including by enforcing language equality, establishing an adequate legal framework, ensuring safe access to humanitarian and medical aid, and engaging in a constructive dialogue with all parties.

• Full statement (English)

Thumbnail photo: UN Photo / Jean Marc Ferré

Among the devasting consequences of climate change, the spotlight is often on the things we can put a price on, such as damage to infrastructure and property or the destruction of crops by a hurricane. However, climate hazards also threaten to cause a wide range of intangible impacts around the globe. For example, in Small Islands Developing States, rising sea levels put communities at risk of losing not only their lands and livelihoods, but also their cultural heritage, identity, and even language.

In other words, there are aspects of human life that cannot be considered as material goods that can be quantified financially. Additionally, any attempt to put a monetary value on the loss of life or human health raises serious ethical questions. Although the Alliance of Small Island States has been at the forefront of raising these issues since the 1990s, the concept of non-economic loss and damage (NELD) only emerged relatively recently as a policy issue under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The 2012 UN Climate Conference (COP18) in Doha formally mentioned NELD for the first time and is considered a milestone in recognizing the need to address this otherwise overlooked reality. Since then, NELD has been included in the Warsaw International Mechanism for loss and damage and the Paris Agreement. However, there still is a lack of consensus on how to define and evaluate NELD. A comprehensive approach to address and compensate for these impacts of climate change is even further off.

To help move the debate forward, Franciscans International co-organized a side-event during the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council to explore the ethical and human rights dimensions of NELD. This discussion, which brought together the new UN Special Rapporteur on climate change, human rights experts, and grassroots representatives was part of ongoing efforts by civil society to make this issue an integral part of the UN deliberations on climate change.

A blurry distinction

One of the common threads throughout the event was the complexity of the issue. The distinction between non-economic and economic losses and damages can sometimes be blurry and one can spill over to the other. For example, damage to an ecosystem due to climate change would be considered a non-economic loss, while the loss of food deriving from it would be economic. As Kira Vinke from the Climate Unit of the German Council on Foreign Relations explained: “The non-economic losses and damages are the root causes of other losses that may appear more pressing. However, if we are not able to address these non-economic losses and damages, we won’t be able to solve the cascading crisis that emanates from them.”

These challenges are already affecting many of the communities we work with at Franciscans International. For example, rural areas in Central America have been hit with prolonged droughts and extreme weather events. Subsequent food shortages combined with other economic factors continue to fuel displacement. “Non-economic loss and damage may include various dimensions of human mobility – namely, displacement, loss of territory, loss of cultural heritage, or loss of local knowledge,” said Ana Victoria López, who represented the Franciscan Network for Migrants during the Human Rights Council.

Bridging the gap

Despite its relevance and urgency, the concept of non-economic loss and damage is still far from being fully operationalized in policies to mitigate the damage caused by climate change. The Loss and Damage Fund, established in 2022 in line with the Paris Agreement, is supposed to help compensate developing countries for the negative impacts of climate change. However, with financing lacking, the fund currently covers less than one percent of the estimated annual costs. It is still unclear whether the fund will effectively cover NELD.

However, as Rina Kuusipalo, representing the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated during the event, “The determination of value is indeed more difficult for those interests that are not subject to market transactions, such as loss of loved ones […] but the fact that these are hard to measure or estimate by money standards does not make them less real and there is no reason why the injured person should not be compensated”.

Central to the discussion of NELD are the dignity of the human person and the protection of the environment. Through this lens, the losses of people are not reduced to economic ones – social and psychological impacts are taken into account, drawing a broader image of what it means to be human.

Next steps

The event also highlighted the importance of faith-based organizations in addressing NELD because of their deep and often longstanding connections with affected communities. The proximity is essential both to comprehend the debt of their losses fully and to understand how the lack of financing and adaptative measures are impacting lives. Elena Cedillo, representing the Geneva Interfaith Forum that includes FI, also stressed that these organizations can provide a sense of belonging and community that is essential during times of crisis.

One way that FI will take up this role is by raising NELD at the upcoming COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. There, as well as through other UN mechanisms, we will continue to advocate for a human rights-based approach to economic and non-economic loss and damage, emphasizing the importance of capturing all their aspects – including those that are not easily quantifiable but are critical to the well-being, resilience, and dignity of people.

The Human Rights Council convened for its 56th session between 17 June and 12 July 2024. 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 – Mexico (4 July)

Mexico adopted 25 out of the 28 recommendations related to migration and asylum at the conclusion of its Universal Periodic Review. While we that the adoption will improve the current situation and result in the implementation of these recommendations, we remain concerned that the migration policy is based on an approach of militarization and criminalization. In our statement, we urged Mexico to withdrawal military forces from public policing and migration control and review the Migration Law.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur the human rights of migrants (26 June)

In recent years, the United Kingdom has passed several pieces of legislation to deter migrants who may have a legitimate claim of asylum. These include the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Safety of Rwanda Act 2024, sections of which violate the UK’s human rights obligations according to rulings by UK courts. The latter also appears to be direct attack on the rule of law, as it attempts to directly flout a decision by the Supreme Court. Franciscans International reiterated that the UK should respect international law, uphold the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers, and end its policies, practices, and statements that demonize and re-traumatize them.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of internally displaced persons (21 June)

Although lack of access to West Papua has made it difficult to verify the exact number, an estimated 76,919 people are internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict. Franciscans International has received reports about the ransacking of civilian infrastructure by the military and the death of displaced persons (IDPs) in camps due to poor living conditions. Indigenous Papuan women and children are particularly impacted by the lack of basic services. While authorities claim that it is safe for IDPs to return to their homes, the returnees live under constant surveillance and intimidation by the military. In a joint statement, we called on the Indonesian authorities to guarantee the right to a safe return, grant unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations, and allow independent observers to monitor and report on the human rights situation.

• Full statement (English)

Written submissions

Human Rights Situation in Uganda: Need for Greater and Coordinated Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons

Despite adopting a national action plan to fight human trafficking, the practice continues to be widespread in Uganda where men and women alike are routinely recruited as foreign laborers by fraudulent agencies. Once abroad, they are at risk of financial and sexual exploitation. Adequate services and financial support for victims are lacking once they return to Uganda, with the government relying on civil society organizations to provide this care. While acknowledging the efforts made to address this problem, we called on the government to increase funding and training to monitor and prosecute fraudulent agencies and to strengthen its legislative framework to include a gender and age perspective.

• Full statement (English)

Human Rights in the Philippines (24 June)

The human rights situation in the Philippines remains highly concerning: the current government persecutes human rights defenders with impunity and failed to provide accountability for past violations, including for the more than 27.000 extra-judicial killings during the so-called ‘war on drugs’. The UN Joint Programme, meant to strengthen investigations into these violations, will end in 2024 without achieving its goals. Looking ahead, we urged an independent assessment of this program to evaluate what progress has been achieved. We also reiterated our call on the Government of the Philippines to comply with its human rights obligation and fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court as it investigates possible crimes against humanity committed during the ‘war on drugs’.

• Full statement (English)

Human Rights Obligations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Migration and Asylum Seekers (21 June)

In just the last three years, several pieces of legislation have come into force in an openly declared attempt to deter migrants and asylum seekers from coming to the United Kingdom. Several courts have ruled that elements in these bills violate both international and domestic laws. Highlighting these instances, Franciscans International called on the UK government to turn away from the policies identified by its own courts as being incompatible with international law and norms, and its human rights obligations.

• Full statement (English)

Human Rights Situation in Sri Lanka: The Need to Ensure Accountability for the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks (21 June)

Since the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks that claimed the lives of more than 260 people, survivors and victims’ families are still searching for the truth. In a joint statement, we called for the proper criminal investigation into the involvement of Nilantha Jayawardena, former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director and allegations of being directly responsible for serious dereliction of duty that led to the bombings. We also urged for international assistance to uncover all perpetrators behind the attacks, to ensure adequate and speedy compensation to survivors and victims’ families, and to implement the recommendations from the Presidential Commission of Inquiry.

• Full statement (English)

Human Rights Situation of Internally Displaced Persons in West Papua, Indonesia (13 June)

As of April 2024, over 76,900 people have been displaced by ongoing violence in West Papua. Reports indicate that these internally displaced persons (IDPs) face a lack of access to healthcare and education and that many experience harassment by members of the security forces. Those who can return home continue to live under a heavy security presence with limited access to basic services. In a joint statement, Franciscans International called on the Indonesian government to uphold the human rights of IDPs, allow access to humanitarian organizations, and invite the Special Rapporteur on IDPs to conduct a country visit to monitor the situation and make recommendations.

• Full statement (English)

Thumbnail: UN Photo / Jean Marc Ferré

Franciscans International recently conducted a capacity-building workshop with members of the Franciscan Family in Madagascar, ahead of the country’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The training followed a May 2024 fact-finding mission by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Secular Franciscan Order who met with local authorities and internally displaced communities in northern Madagascar.

Prolonged droughts and subsequent famines in the south have fueled a wave of internal migration, leading to increasing tensions between the displaced and host communities. However, these migration flows have also exposed significant shortcomings in the government’s response, with people indicating that the absence of infrastructure and the failure of authorities to address the famines were key factors in their choice to leave. The Antandroy communities in the south were already experiencing marginalization and discrimination, and the current crisis has only further eroded trust in the government. 

The absence of a regulatory framework to deal with these migration flows is also further exacerbating the situation. While seasonal job migration from the south was already common, the current crisis pushes people to relocate permanently. These displaced communities report difficulties in accessing education, food, water, and face stigma in their host communities. Meanwhile, the displaced southern communities resort to certain cultural practices, such as slash-and-burn farming, that conflict with existing practices in the north and cause further environmental degradation. Little effort is made by officials to address these problems, with observers alleging endemic corruption and the mismanagement of climate funds. 

With the support of FI, the Franciscans in Madagascar will convey their findings to the UN ahead of Madagascar’s UPR in early 2025. Under this mechanism, the human rights record of all UN Member States is examined on a rotating basis. At the end of this process, recommendations are made to improve the situation, setting concrete benchmarks for future actions and policies. FI will use this opportunity to advocate for the adoption of a strong framework to improve the situation of displaced communities, and the absence of sustainable environmental policies, and the integration of the right to a healthy environment in new policies to address and mitigate the prolonged droughts afflicting Madagascar.

In May, Franciscans International visited four communities in Guatemala that experience severe pollution due to the activities of extractive industries. In the Sacatepequez, Santa Rosa, El Progreso, and Jutiapa departments, mining has created a broad range of issues, ranging from water contamination by arsenic and other pollutants to rising tensions within communities. Those standing up against the harm caused face opposition from the authorities, economically powerful companies, and other community members who depend on the mines for their livelihoods.

As part of the mission, the FI delegation took part in a workshop for “Guardians of the Common Home”, a Franciscan effort to create a network for those interested in the newly recognized human right to a healthy environment. We also seized the opportunity to meet with other civil society organizations and human rights defenders to discuss how FI can strengthen their ability to raise issues related to corporate impunity at the United Nations and how their experiences can help inform the ongoing negotiations on a binding treaty on business and human rights.

The issue of corporate impunity fits within a larger trend in Guatemala, which has seen a steady decline in its human rights situation in recent years. Attacks against, and the criminalization of, human rights defenders and environmental activists have become routine. The cooptation of the judiciary by special interests has weakened domestic avenues for accountability. Indigenous communities have been disproportionally affected by these trends and have routinely been denied their right to grant or withhold free, prior, and informed consent to the development of large industrial and agricultural projects on their lands.

We also used the country visit to meet with the Guatemalan members of the Franciscan Network on Migration (FNM). Although most migrants only transit through the country on their way north, many have recently crossed the deadly Darian Gap – described by one migrant as “hell on earth”. Franciscans offering support in the FNM shelters are documenting the traumatic experiences of migrants, including stories of abuse, exploitation, and extortion. While doing their work, which includes distributing food and medicine to mothers and their infant children, the Franciscans have repeatedly faced threats from gangs.

FI has consistently raised the deteriorating human rights situation in Guatemala through various UN mechanisms. Although a new administration was elected in June 2023, promises of reform have yet to materialize at the grassroots and the information gathered during this mission will serve to further strengthen our advocacy efforts. Meanwhile, FI will also continue to build and reinforce the capacity of Franciscans, their civil society partners, and Indigenous communities to document human rights violations and address these at both the domestic and international levels. 

Violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples have wide-ranging implications beyond the affected communities. This recognition was central to our engagement during the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), which took place in New York between 15 and 26 April. Human rights abuses committed by transnational businesses on Indigenous lands are often emblematic of broader corporate impunity. As stewards of nearly 80 percent of the planet’s remaining biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples also have a key role to play in the struggle for environmental justice. But, as pointed out by the UNPFII’s chairperson during her opening remarks, “like any first responder, we need assistance.”

Throughout the session, Franciscans International both listened to better understand the ongoing human rights violations facing Indigenous communities and offered platforms to share this information more widely. Building on our past work during the negotiations on a binding UN treaty on business and human rights in Geneva, we co-organized several events to discuss ongoing cases and explore avenues for accountability.

“We don’t want our children to group up in a world that is a desert.”

Indigenous representative from Brazil

Working closely with the Mining Working Group (MGW), FI participated in a breakfast meeting where Indigenous representatives from the Americas could elaborate on the harm caused in their communities by business activities. These included widespread and underreported pollution in Ecuador and the loss of livelihoods because of deforestation to clear land for hydroelectric projects in Brazil. The MWG also organized a “North-South Conversation” and a webinar moderated by FI with young Indigenous speakers to explore different elements of the right to self-determination.

Finally, together with the  US Treaty Alliance, we organized a discussion to examine the links between grassroots advocacy and international advocacy. Bringing together a broad range of experiences, speakers looked at what collective actions civil society can take to make the daily reality of frontline communities and Indigenous Peoples better heard at the UN.

The UNPFII itself also considered the impacts of businesses on Indigenous rights, highlighting that extractive industries and green energy projects often lead to the dispossession and militarization of Indigenous lands. It further warned of the harms caused in some instances by carbon and biodiversity markets. As FI continues its advocacy on environmental justice and business accountability, we will heed the voices of Indigenous Peoples and the recommendations coming from the UNPFII on the ‘just transition’ to a greener economy.

Franciscans International recently conducted a first workshop through its new European regional program ahead of Italy’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). On 18 and 19 April, nine sisters and brothers met in Assisi to take stock of the human rights issues they are already addressing through local efforts, and how these could benefit from advocacy at the United Nations.

During the workshop, the participants identified four such issues: the rights of prisoners, access to public health services in neglected areas, care of Italian forests, and the rights of migrants. Franciscans already work to improve the situation of affected communities, and there was broad agreement that this justice and peace work could be complemented and amplified by FI’s rights-based approach at the UN.

Under the UPR, UN Member States examine each other’s human rights records on a rotating basis. During this process, they can make recommendations to improve and address existing issues. At the end of this process, the country under review is expected to provide an implementation framework for the commitments it makes, establishing concrete benchmarks to measure progress. As part of the UPR, the UN also invites submissions from civil society organizations, providing the opportunity to shine a light on underreported human rights issues. FI previously submitted reports for Italy’s 2009 and 2014 reviews.

As a next step, Franciscans in Italy will consolidate information through further exchanges among themselves and with FI to form the basis of a new report that will be submitted in July. The examination of Italy is scheduled for January 2025.

In March, New York saw the largest annual United Nations meeting on gender equality and women’s empowerment as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convened for its 68th session. Franciscans International seized this opportunity to continue its advocacy work related to extreme poverty, including as a result of the disproportionate risk of human rights violations women face at the hands of transnational businesses.

This year, we also welcomed a group of nine Franciscan women, active on a broad number of human rights issues ranging from social work and migration to academics, to attend the session, share their insights, and take inspiration for their work.

 The 68th session centered on the need to accelerate the empowerment of women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing. Although UN Member States have committed to reaching gender equality by 2030, there is an annual spending deficit of $360 billion to realize this goal. This goes to the heart of a fundamental problem: when women are left behind, all of us are held back.

“We keep telling girls to ‘shoot for the moon because you’ll end up between the stars.’ But we can barely get to the moon,” says Gabriella Martinez of the Franciscan Action Network, who was part of the FI delegation. “At the session, I heard that peace is 20 percent more likely to last if women are involved in dialogues. That may not seem like a big difference, but when we have all these disputes around the world, it is. And I heard women are saying, ‘We have the solutions; we just don’t have the resources.’”

“Shock absorbers”

A primary area of concern for FI continues to be the role of businesses in fueling human rights violations and environmental degradation, which often disproportionately affects women and girls. Although many companies pay lip service to gender equality, women face systematic violations around the world, including financial and sexual exploitation.

On the margins of the session, FI supported an event organized by the Feminists for a Binding Treaty, where speakers were able to share cases from Argentina, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The discussion also explored ways to strengthen the linkages between the CSW in New York and the ongoing negotiations at the UN in Geneva on a new treaty that would regulate the activities of transnational corporations under international human rights law. 

“If Saint Francis was living today, he would be at the Commission on the Status of Women.”

Sister Maryann A. Mueller CSSF

Echoing some of the themes discussed during this event and following two intense weeks, the outcome document of the session recognizes that women and girls living in poverty have become ‘shock absorbers’ in times of crisis. Acknowledging the shortcomings of the international financial architecture, the Commission also recommended that UN Member States implement reforms that include progressive taxation, enforcing core labor standards, and new strategies toward sustainable economies.

These Agreed Conclusions, together with language coming from other UN human rights mechanisms and State commitments under international law, will continue to inform and shape FI’s work to empower those working on gender equality at the grassroots and the UN.

“They didn’t come here to finance the schools, the roads, or the clinics. They only came here to take the logs and go. They won’t even keep the promises you made with them,” says Andrew Thada, a member of the Anglican Society of Saint Francis. As a traditional leader in the Solomon Islands, he is affectionately known as “Brother Suicide” in his community due to his habit of picking fights with the authorities. In recent years, this meant opposing the logging companies that are operating in the hills near his village on Guadalcanal.

“Before if you planted food, you would enjoy it growing: the wild pigs wouldn’t come down from the forest and eat it. The fish in the river, before you could dive in and catch them. Now you can’t take anything from the river,” he explains. “Even the vines that we use to tie our leaf houses have disappeared because the machines destroyed them all. So that’s the difference between before and now – before, we enjoyed everything in the bush. Now, no.”

Large-scale industrial logging has affected all aspects of life for communities living near the harvesting sites in the Solomon Islands. As the forests disappear, so do traditional sources of food and medicinal herbs. The heavy equipment shipped to cut down the ancient trees has introduced invasive species that are now devastating crops. Disputes over land ownership and a sudden influx of money fuel conflicts between neighbors. Young women and girls have fallen victim to trafficking and exploitation by foreign loggers looking for companionship.

However, perhaps the most profound impact has been on the water. As Pacific islanders, the people of Guadalcanal have a deep connection to water – both to the salt waters that surround them and the freshwater that sustains them. The Solomon Islands are now facing a situation where freshwater supplies are dwindling while rising sea levels threaten to engulf communities. Logging is exacerbating both problems.

These consequences were also felt deeply by the brothers of the Society of Saint Francis, who often saw these problems happening to their own families and friends. “People like telling stories. So even without asking, ‘What is the situation with logging here?’, we began hearing stories. From there, we continued to have those conversations and try to help them,” says Brother Worrick Marako SSF, the Minister Provincial of the Solomon Islands. “Through my observations, I’ve seen many struggles in the places where logging is happening. But even from the places I never visited, I still hear the same complaints.”

The brothers approached the Anglican Sisters of the Church and the Catholic Dominicans to expand their reach and to start documenting the harm caused by logging together. They took their findings to the authorities, but the reality is that most timber is not used domestically. After the trees are cut down, they are immediately taken to the shores and loaded on barges to be shipped abroad. Because the Solomon Islands is only the first link in a large, global production chain, they decided to take their case to the international community.

In 2020, with the help of Franciscans International and the Dominicans for Justice and Peace, they submitted their findings in a report to the Universal Periodic Review, a UN mechanism through which the Member States examine each other’s human rights records on a rotating basis. When this happens, the UN also looks at the information that is provided from the grassroots by civil society organizations including Franciscans International. In part based on this, countries offer each other recommendations and support to address human rights challenges. To make sure that the findings in their report were heard, the Sisters and Brothers spoke to 16 different embassies in the Solomon Islands while FI lobbied diplomats at the UN in Geneva.

This joint report clearly laid out the destructive cycle through which logging affects all water resources in and around the Solomon Islands. Often entire hillsides will be destroyed to extract just a few large trees. The rest of the wood is used to construct slipways to transport the trees. These are routinely doused in diesel oil, which pollutes the ground and freshwater supplies. In many villages, parents report that their children started suffering from skin rashes after swimming in the rivers and creeks. Within a few years, the polluted soil also becomes infertile and starts to erode.

“The law says logging should happen at least twelve meters from the streams, but the loggers come in closer,” says Brother Andrew. “When a company moves into an area, all the small streams that come into the big rivers are blocked. And then come the floods.” With the natural irrigation channels clogged up, flash floods have become more common during the rainy seasons, washing away roads, bridges, and buildings alike.

From the hills, it is only a short way to the sea. After polluting the streams and drinking water, the erosion causes sedimentation of coral reefs near the coast, killing off the fish populations that people have relied on as a source of food for centuries. The barges used to collect the timber further damage the corals. As the reefs disappear, so does the protection they offer from the pounding of the ocean waves, adding to the problems of sea levels that are rising due to global warming.

At the end of its 2021 review, the government accepted several recommendations related to logging – essentially promising in front of the international community that it would try to address these problems in the next five years. After that, the Solomon Islands will undergo another Universal Periodic Review. For the Franciscan brothers and their allies, these outcomes are important because they now have concrete benchmarks that they can use to approach authorities to demand action and accountability.

In October 2022, the Franciscans and Dominicans decided to visit some of the communities to assess if the commitments made were indeed implemented. During a series of focus group interviews, where they talked to community leaders, women, and youth, they found that little had been done. Not only was the government falling behind, but the logging companies themselves had broken many of the promises they made to communities when they moved into the area.

Based on their findings, they produced another publication that identified not just the most common problems in each village, but also linked these back directly to the promises made by the government at the UN. Combining the insights gained from these conversations, they also put together concrete and immediate steps that authorities can take. With this, they are again lobbying the leaders in the Solomon Islands to act, including by presenting the report to the governor-general.

To ensure that the affected communities can benefit from the report as well, the Franciscans also translated it into the local Pijin language. Meanwhile, the brothers have started to integrate awareness raising about the impacts of logging. Every year, they spend several months visiting communities across the different islands. Through creative means like theatre, they teach people about their rights to stand up to the logging companies.

“After many years, I feel that people still have hope for the generations to come, even though rivers are drying up and climate is becoming hot. Many have already become educated and know the effects of climate change, logging, mining – everything,” says Brother Worrick. “So, it is my hope that in the future people will begin to make the right decisions.”

You can find all our statements delivered during this session below as they become available. Our past advocacy interventions are available here.

Item 10: General Debate – the Philippines (3 April)

As the UN Joint Programme on Human Rights (UNJP) is nearing its conclusion later this year, we called attention to the ongoing extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. Considering the prevailing impunity in the country, we urged the Council to mandate the High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the UNJP. In the absence of such a resolution, we asked all Member States to join our call on the Office of the High Commissioner to undertake this assessment on its own initiative.

• Full statement (English)

Item 4: General Debate – United Kingdom (21 March)

In the first statement delivered under our new Europe program, we expressed our concerns over the United Kingdom’s failure to fulfill its international legal obligations while highlighting issues with the Safety of Rwanda Bill and the Illegal Migration Act. Similarly, the 2024 Northern Ireland Troubles Act was found to be incompatible with five aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Windsor Agreement. While we welcomed the government abandoning plans to abolish the Human Rights Act, we reiterated that all States must fully implement their international human rights obligations.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: General Debate – Business and human rights (15 March)

In a joint statement, we reemphasized the urgent need for a binding UN instrument aimed at preventing and providing accountability for human rights violations by corporations. Although we are encouraged by some of the progress made during the ongoing negotiations toward such a treaty, we remain concerned that the new draft text weakens the obligation of businesses to respect human rights. Meanwhile, we continue to see signs of the corporate capture of UN Processes. During the Council, we called on all governments, especially those in the Global North where most transnational corporations are headquartered, to support a strong, legally binding treaty that can set a floor for regulating corporations in a way that is in line with human rights and gender justice. 

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and association – Indonesia (7 March)

Franciscans International called attention to the continued use of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, harassment, intimidation, and threats against Indigenous Papuan activists in the context of peaceful protests.  More generally, civic space in West Papua continues to shrink. For example, recently the military has put up public billboards displaying the names of Indigenous Papuans on a wanted list in an attempt to muzzle peaceful gatherings. We urged the Indonesian government to uphold international standards on the use of force during peaceful protests and called for an impartial investigation into several incidents raised in our joint statement.  

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (6 March)

Franciscans International expressed its gratitude to the outgoing Special Rapporteur for his efforts and willingness to engage with civil society during his tenure. Highlighting the negative impacts of business activities on the environment and the role of environmental degradation in fuelling violent conflict, we expressed our hope that these issues will be taken up again by the next mandate holder.

• Full statement (English)

Item 2: General Debate – Sri Lanka (4 March)

On 21 April, it will be five years since 273 people were killed during the Easter Sunday bombings. Yet much about that day remains unclear. Repeated requests for a transparent, independent, and fair investigation into the attacks have been denied by the government, while new evidence was brushed aside. With authorities introducing new laws further curtailing media freedom, we raised our concerns about the failure of meaningful accountability processes in Sri Lanka and called on the Council to insist on a transparent investigation into these matters.

• Full statement (English)

Item 2: General Debate – Guatemala (1 March)

Despite a new administration taking power in January, the co-optation of the Guatemalan judicial system is still a major concern. Critical voices continue to be targeted and criminalized, with civil society organizations documenting 5.965 aggressions against human rights defenders between January and November 2023. In a joint statement, we urged the new government to establish a plan of action to accept visits from Special Procedures, implement recommendations by the Universal Periodic Review and Treaty Bodies, and request a country visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Thumbnail credit: UN Photo / Elma Okic

Start typing to search ...