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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.

Eight hundred years after Saint Francis composed the Canticle of Creatures, his writing continues to be deeply relevant– including at the United Nations. Already during his own lifetime, Francis grew concerned by the impacts that humans were having on the world around them. In offering his praise to the many dimensions of nature he witnessed around him, Francis also recognized their fragility. Today, as we try to preserve the world from the multiple and intersecting crises that threaten all of nature, his words resonate as a reminder of what is at stake. 

This year, as we mark the 800th anniversary of the Canticle, the members of our International Board of Directors reflect on its different elements. We invite you to follow along as they explore what the Canticle can teach us, and how its message can inspire us as we work to protect human rights and the environment. 

Vicente Imhof OFMCap
Sister Water
Christopher John SSF
Brother Fire
Benedict Ayodi OFMCap
Laudato Si’
Carolyn Townes OFS
Brother Wind
Charity Nkandu SFMA
Brother Sun
Michael Perry OFM
Sister Mother Earth
Eduardo Tarín TOR
Sister Death

The Human Rights Council convenes for its 58th session between 24 February and 4 April 2025. You can find all our statements delivered during this session below as they become available. Our past advocacy interventions are available here.

Item 5: General Debate – Sri Lanka (21 March)

Despite repeated promises of accountability, critical reports regarding the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks remain undisclosed. Even the number of people killed remains uncertain. Key questions, including why protective measures that were authorized in advance were not implemented, remain unanswered. We urge the Sri Lankan government to publicize all relevant report on the attacks, ensure accountability and reparations for the victims, and cooperate with international initiatives that work toward these goals.

• Full statement (English)

Item 4: General Debate – Guatemala (20 March)

Although the new government in Guatemala shows commitment to the rule of law, the cooption of the justice system by corrupt actors continues to foster a climate of impunity. In 2024, civil society documented the murder of 29 human rights defenders. Over 60 justice operators and 20 journalists have been forced into exile, while others who remained in the country have been criminalized for their work. In a joint statement, we urged the international community to support civil society and closely monitor the selection of magistrates for the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, the Constitutional Court, and the Attorney General’s Office in 2026.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Item 4: General Debate – Indonesia (20 March)

Indigenous women and children are bearing the brunt of the ongoing conflict in West Papua, that has displaced almost 80.000 people as of mid-March. Many are forced to travel long distances on foot over difficult terrain to access limited healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities. In the absence of international humanitarian aid due to government obstruction, women in West Papua are organizing locally to collect resources and provisions for the internally displaced. In a joint statement, we stressed that Indigenous West Papuan women should be actively involved in decision-making processes and in discussions aimed at building a just, inclusive and sustainable peace.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: General Debate – Environmental Justice (17 March)

Climate change is an existential challenge for developing countries that are highly vulnerable to climate impacts. However, many of these countries are spending more on servicing debt than on life-saving public services and responding to the climate emergency. In line with the jubilee tradition, we called on the Human Rights Council to support the proposal of the Independent Expert of the effects of foreign debt to cancel unjust and unsustainable debt without harmful austerity conditions and to promote a fairer system of taxation. In this joint statement, we further urged the Council to support a transparent debt restructuring framework and a UN Debt Convention to develop rules on settling debt crises in a fair and accountable manner.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment – The Philippines (14 March)

Although liquid natural gas (LNG) is seen as a “bridge fuel” in the transition to cleaner energy, its use poses several human rights and environmental challenges of its own. In the Philippines, the development of new LNG infrastructure in the Verde Island Passage is a profound threat to this biodiversity hotspot. Already, toxic cargo spills have had catastrophic consequences for the environment and coastal communities in the area. In our statement, we stressed that fragile marine ecosystems such as the Verde Island Passage should be made off-limits for commercial exploitation and declared as Marine Protected Areas.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary General on violence against children – Uganda (12 March)

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to be trafficked than anywhere else in the world. In northern Uganda, high rates of poverty have resulted in children being trafficked into urban centres for labor, begging, and sexual exploitation. Girls face further risks, as the entrenched patriarchal social structures deprive them of education and drive early marriages. We called on the Special Representative to dedicate part of her mandate to tackling the interconnected nature of these issues and engage with national authorities to exhort them to implement existing legal frameworks to address violence against children in a holistic manner.

• Full statement (English)

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing – Brazil (7 March)

Civil society organizations have determined that over 1.5 million people in Brazil have been affected by forced evictions and displacement since 2020, with a disproportionate impact on women, non-white and low-income groups. Together with the Zero Evictions campaign we expressed our concern over a recent push to increase the criminalization of homelessness, led by politically and economically powerful groups. We urged the Brazilian government to repeal laws that criminalize squatting in homelessness and to take action in erecting the appropriate structures to ensure the protections against arbitrary evictions, in alignment with the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur.

• Full statement (English)

Item 2: General Debate – Mozambique (3 March)

Franciscans International called attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Mozambique following mass protests after the October 2024, to which the government responded with excessive force. The demonstrations have diverted attention from the ongoing crisis in Cabo Delgado province, which has recently seen an increase in insurgent attacks. We called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide regular updates on the situation to the Council and urged the government to ensure accountability for all violations committed by security forces, while also providing sufficient humanitarian assistance to Cabo Delgado.

• Full statement (English)

Item 2: General Debate – Guatemala (3 March)

Despite various efforts by the current government, Guatemalans are still facing structural discrimination and corruption. The co-opting of the judiciary by special interest has not only resulted in the forced exile of justice operators, but the weakened rule of law also enables land grabbing from Indigenous Peoples and peasant farmers. In a joint statement with FIAN International, we called on the council to continue to monitor the human rights situation in Guatemala and support affected communities. We also urged the government to guarantee the right of Indigenous Peoples and rural communities to access, control, and use their lands.

• Full statement (Spanish)

Image by UN Photo / Jean Marc Ferré

Franciscans International recently welcomed two partners from the Philippines to participate in their country’s examination by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in Geneva. In a submission ahead of the review, we raised our shared concerns over several large-scale development projects that have profound and negative human rights implications.

The government has already built fossil fuel infrastructure in the Verde Island Passage, harming this biodiversity hotspot and putting at risk the livelihoods of local fisherfolk. However, authorities now also plan to further develop the area as a major hub for liquified natural gas in the region. Beyond the larger threat of moving the Philippines away from its climate commitments, the immediate risks are already evident: in February 2023, a tanker carrying 900.000 litres of oil capsized causing a catastrophic spill.

“You cannot fish the way you could fish before. We’ve tested the toxicity in these marine protected areas. It’s still high, meaning that there is a risk for those that consume fish,” says Gerry Arances of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development (CEED). “But people are forced to because there are no alternatives. And yet the government is not actually doing anything to clean it up. Their strategy for the oil-stricken municipalities is just a natural rehabilitation.”

In the same submission, we also expressed our concerns about ongoing reclamation projects in Manila Bay, leading to the destruction of mangroves and causing widespread environmental damage. With the fishing industry making up 67 percent of the bay’s total economic value, any decline in fish populations will have profound consequences for coastal communities. Already, the megaproject to develop Manila’s new airport has led to the displacement of 700 families, half of whom have received no compensation.

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) working on these issues frequently face harassment, threats, or attacks themselves. Global Witness ranked the Philippines as the most dangerous Asian country for HRDs in 2023, with 305 killings documented since July 2016. To call attention to the consequences of this hostile environment for the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights, FI also invited Samantha David of the Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) – an organization that itself has been accused by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) of supporting terrorist organisations for its support for a Human Rights Defenders Protection Act.

“We understand that the UN sessions won’t magically solve the human rights situation in the Philippines, but it is valuable that we are at least bringing attention to the violations on the ground that would be otherwise unknown to the public – which would be even more dangerous,” she said. “It is one out of many steps, but the support is crucial in sustaining efforts.”

You can find the joint submission to CESCR by Franciscans International, PAHRA, and Fastenaktion here.

Women and girls working on tea plantations in Sri Lanka are confronted with a multitude of challenges, ranging from unfair wages to limited access to education and health services. Poor access to justice further fuels exploitation and gender-based violence.

Last week, we were privileged to welcome Lucille Abeykoon of the Human Rights Center in Kandy, where she works closely with Franciscan sisters to promote the human rights of tea plantation workers. In Geneva, she raised these and other issues with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

One of the emblematic cases Lucille brought up at the United Nations is that of a young woman, who was attacked and raped in 2001 while on her way home from Sunday school. When she reported her case, she was unable to do so in her native Tamil language, leading to a faulty complaint that favored the men who attacked her. What followed were prolonged court proceedings and delays. Two decades later, she is still waiting for a final judgment.  

“Can you imagine going to court for 23 years? Yet she is still committed,” says Lucille, who is part of the team supporting the victim. “She says ‘I need justice. I know have not made any mistakes, and this was not my fault’.”

During Sri Lanka’s examination by CEDAW, FI made several recommendations to address the specific challenges facing women working and living on tea plantations. These include ensuring an increased daily minimum wage, improving access to education, and strengthening the capacity of law enforcement officers. You can find our full submission and recommendations to the CEDAW here.

Negotiations on a binding treaty for transnational corporations resumed in Geneva this week. For the tenth time, UN Member States will meet in an open-ended intergovernmental working group (IGWG) established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014 for this purpose. The need to regulate businesses under international human rights law has only become more urgent in the decade since, as their activities have become one of the driving causes of human rights abuses worldwide.

In 2024 alone, Franciscans International raised numerous cases at the UN of the harm done by unchecked business activities to people and the planet. In Mozambique, the exploitation of natural resources has led to half a million displaced people, food insecurity, and environmental degradation. In Indonesia, Indigenous Papuans benefit little from extractive projects but almost exclusively bear their negative impacts, including contamination of water sources and subsequent health issues. Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala contend with projects that are undertaken in the absence of free, prior and informed consent, and human rights defenders are often harassed and criminalized.

Against this backdrop, procedural delays and the attempted corporate capture of the negotiations are all the more concerning. As part of the Treaty Alliance, ESCR-Net, and Feminists for a Binding Treaty, Franciscans International collaborates closely with other civil society and grassroots organizations committed to countering these trends.

From 16 to 20 December, the negotiations covered Articles 4 to 11 and saw active engagement by States and civil society. FI supported and joined interventions on these articles, underscoring the need for prevention of environmental degradation and human rights abuses and violations, broad legal liability, and protections for affected individuals and communities.

The urgent need for a binding instrument was widely recognized: as part of this, and in follow-up to decision 56/116 of the Human Rights Council,  one meeting was dedicated to a tentative roadmap for further inter-sessional meetings in 2025. FI looks forward to continuing its engagement in the process and towards an end to impunity for human rights violations in the context of business activities and operations.

Follow our work at the IGWG:

Interventions on the draft text

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