Centering human rights and environmental defenders in COP30: Pathways for a just transition

A recent advocacy brief by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and partners (including CELS and Observatorio Ciudadano, both members of our community of practice)  outlines why reframing climate action through the lens of human rights and environmental justice  is urgent and how States, corporations, and multilateral actors must act to ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy is both just and inclusive.

From climate commitments to human rights realities

For decades, climate negotiations have revolved around emissions targets, mitigation strategies, and financing mechanisms. Yet, as FIDH’s note highlights, these debates often fail to recognize the lived realities of communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis, those who bear the brunt of extractive economies and exclusionary policies. The report calls on governments to ground climate action in the human rights obligations they have already assumed, emphasizing principles of participation, transparency, accountability, and equity.

This approach requires moving beyond the idea that climate policy is only a technical or environmental issue. Instead, it frames the climate crisis as a human crisis, one that demands social transformation, redistribution of power, and protection of those defending land, water, and collective rights. As the brief notes, a just transition cannot be achieved if it replicates the same patterns of exploitation and marginalization that fueled the current crisis.

Defenders at the heart of the transition

One of the most powerful sections of FIDH’s brief focuses on the role of environmental and human rights defenders. Across Latin America and other regions of the Global South, defenders are facing unprecedented risks. According to Global Witness, over 140 environmental defenders were killed in 2024, with the majority of attacks occurring in the Amazon Basin. These figures reveal a deep contradiction: the same people safeguarding ecosystems essential to global climate stability are those most endangered by violence, criminalization, and corporate impunity.

FIDH argues that protecting defenders is not only a moral imperative but also a practical one. There can be no just transition if civic space continues to shrink and if communities are silenced when they resist harmful projects. The organization urges COP30 negotiators to explicitly recognize the role of defenders in climate governance and to integrate protection mechanisms within climate finance frameworks and national transition plans. This means ensuring meaningful participation, supporting community-led monitoring, and establishing accountability measures for both states and private actors.

Amazonia at the center of global climate justice

Hosting COP30 in Belém gives special weight to these discussions. The Amazon is not only a critical carbon sink but also home to millions of people whose survival depends on the integrity of its ecosystems. Yet the region is under growing pressure from mining, agribusiness, and energy projects presented as “green.” Without clear human rights safeguards, the transition could simply shift extractive pressures from fossil fuels to lithium, copper, and other “critical” minerals.

FIDH’s brief warns that new transition pathways must avoid reproducing colonial and extractive models. Instead, they should be designed through local leadership, respect for Indigenous governance, and a holistic understanding of territory that integrates social, cultural, and environmental dimensions. This perspective echoes the long-standing calls of Amazonian movements: there is no climate solution without territorial justice.

Towards a human rights–based COP30

As preparations for COP30 accelerate, FIDH and its partners call for concrete commitments. States should integrate human rights language into the COP30 outcomes, strengthen protection for defenders, and ensure that international climate finance mechanisms comply with human rights standards. Civil society, in turn, must continue to advocate for spaces where affected communities can speak for themselves and shape global policy.

The brief concludes with a simple but transformative message: the path to a livable planet runs through the defense of human dignity. Climate action that disregards rights will not be sustainable; just transition must begin by listening to those who defend life itself.