Emergency funding as a lifeline for environmental defenders

Effective forest conservation requires a safe operational space for (women) environmental defenders and civil society organisations (CSOs). However, partners and communities in IUCN NL’s Forests for a Just Future programme face substantial challenges in their civic freedoms, as was revealed by a 2023 survey. In order to address urgent cases of repression, intimidation or safety and security concerns, IUCN NL has set money aside for a so-called emergency fund. Over the past four years, we have provided emergency funds to 33 organisations  and individuals for legal support and safety and security measures to environmental defenders and for urgent natural disaster relief.  

Header photo: Protest against open pit mining in The Philippines, 2021 © Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)

Legal support for environmental defenders in the Philippines and DRC

In the Philippines, a Women Environmental Human Rights Defender (WEHRD) received crucial support through a quick response grant, advocacy efforts, and legal assistance. This support led to the acquittal of the WEHRD on two counts of cyberlibel that had been filed against her by a mining company. Cyberlibel is the act of spreading false information about another person, group, or organisation through a computer network.

In the DRC, we also supported legal actions defending Virunga National Park and other protected areas. The organisation involved faced significant pressure and legal proceedings after successfully invalidating activities set up by the Ministry of Fisheries. The emergency funds were crucial in ensuring the continued protection of these critical conservation areas, providing much-needed security and legal aid.

‘In countries where civic space is repressed and where natural disasters are omnipresent is that the speed at which emergency funds can be provided is crucial.’

• Antoinette Sprenger, IUCN NL

Speed is crucial

‘What we’ve learned over the years in our work with partners in countries where civic space is repressed and where natural disasters are omnipresent is that the speed at which emergency funds can be provided is crucial,’ says Antoinette Sprenger, senior expert environmental justice at IUCN NL. ‘One of our partners in Uganda works in a very dangerous context and had to go into hiding for a while. In a situation like that, someone can’t wait a month until the funds are transferred but needs them as soon as possible. Because we know and trust the partners that we provide these funds to, we are able to transfer them within five to seven days.’

Natural disasters

Emergency funds have also been crucial in supporting relief and rehabilitation efforts in communities affected by natural disasters. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we provided funds for emergency assistance after the eruption of the Nyiragonga volcano in Goma.

In the Philippines, funds were provided to assist Indigenous communities impacted by Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) in December 2021, helping around 120 families rebuild their homes. Additionally, funds supported communities affected by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the Cordillera region in the Philippines in July 2022, aiding in the rehabilitation of damaged rice fields, irrigation canals, and residential houses.

In Bolivia, funds were used to fight and contain forest fires, which required logistics like fuel and personnel. After the fires subsided, some additional funds were used to supported local communities who lost their crops, small cattle herds and their homes.

Forests for a Just Future programme

Through the Forests for a Just Future programme by the Green Livelihoods Alliance, IUCN NL contributes to more sustainable and inclusive management of tropical forests that supports climate mitigation and adaptation, human rights, and the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities.

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• Our work to protect environmental defenders
• Our work for human rights and nature