Casa Fund launches publication with data and reflections on support for human rights and environmental defenders

After its launch in Tbilisi, Georgia, during the HRFN festival, the publication will also be launched in Brazil during a panel discussion with partners at an event on May 10th in Belém – PA. Learn how to participate.

It is not possible to defend biomes and forests without defending the people who dedicate their lives to protecting these territories, facing challenges and threats for defending what belongs to all humanity. These human rights and environmental defenders often find themselves in vulnerable situations, suffering constant intimidation, pressure, and threats for carrying out their activities to protect biomes and collective rights. This is the reality of hundreds of defenders, who did not always choose to be in this role, but found themselves forced to fight daily for the defense of their rights and the environment.

The publication was first presented in late April by Maria Amália Souza, Founder and Director of Strategic Development at Casa Fund, in Tbilisi, Georgia, during the Funding Futures Festival, an annual event by the Human Rights Funders Network. Photo: Vanessa Purper

Brazil, with its greatness and wealth, also suffers from significant numbers when it comes to conflicts, threats, and murders of human rights and environmental defenders. For 10 years, the country ranked first in the ranking among the most dangerous countries for land and environmental defenders in the annual reports of the organization Global Witness. In addition, in recent years, amid narratives and political actions that further stimulated the violation of rights, the situation rapidly deteriorated.

The Casa Fund, which had been supporting the improvement of the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations for many years, found itself in a strategic position to act. Our networks and relationships built with great respect and trust with various local and regional institutions were added to the capacity to mobilize resources, allowing the adoption of strategic measures to provide support to those people who were most vulnerable in their territories. Thus, in 2019, the Support Program for Environmental Defenders and Climate Justice emerged, a rapid response fund, enabling direct support to these individuals, so that they could improve their safety and even their health in extremely serious contexts. From August 2019 until today, the Program has provided 286 supports, totaling approximately R$3.8 million donated directly to defenders.

After 5 years of the existence of the Support Program for Environmental Defenders and Climate Justice, the Casa Fund shares the data from this initiative and invites the philanthropic field, researchers, and partners for reflections. The publication Rapid Response Funds – Lessons learned from supporting Human Rights and Environmental Defenders in Brazil brings together data compiled by an external evaluation, which analyzed a series of indicators related to the period of greatest activity of the Program, as well as articles written by guests that enrich the debate with their analyses and provocations. The realization of this publication is supported by Porticus, a partner funder of the Casa Fund in knowledge production.

The study on which this publication was based used a series of indicators to understand the importance of emergency support for human rights and environmental defenders.

Check out the articles from the Rapid Response Funds publication:

Casa Socio-Environmental Fund and the Program for Environmental Defenders and Climate Justice – Authors: Cristina Orpheo and Maria Amália Souza.

About the Environmental Defenders and Climate Justice Program – Author: Rodrigo Montaldi.

Environment and human rights: inseparable and historical connections for sustainability – Author: Rubens Harry Born.

Support for human rights and environmental defenders in Brazil: challenges and perspectives – Author: Raione Lima Campos.

There is no socio-environmental justice without gender justice and collective care – Authors: Alejandra Helbein and Sheila Tanaka.

Integral security for defenders: The importance of the support network and philanthropy – Author: Luciana Ferreira da Silva.

Protection for Human Rights Defenders in Brazil: A retrospective – Author: Sandra Carvalho.

Socio-environmental conflicts and protection of human rights defenders: contributions to philanthropy – Author: Julia Lima.

Conclusions – Authors: Rodrigo Montaldi, Iracema Marques, Laura Gurgel, and Igor Santana.

The publication can now be accessed in digital format on the Casa Fund website.

How to access the publication

The Rapid Response Funds – Lessons learned from supporting Human Rights and Environmental Defenders in Brazil publication can be accessed in the publications section of the Casa Fund website and is available in Portuguese and English.

Click here to access the publication

Launch Event

The Rapid Response Funds publication was recently presented at the Funding Futures Festival of the Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) in Tbilisi, Georgia, an important event for the field of human rights defense in philanthropy. Now, it will be launched in Brazil, in partnership with the Amazon Family Agriculture Institute (Ineaf) of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and with CPT-PA, during the “Panel discussion: Reflections and learnings about supporting human rights and environmental defenders.” The debate will take place on May 10th, following the release of the Field Conflicts Notebook 2023 from CPT.

The publication will be presented in Brazil at the “Conversation Circle event: Reflections and learnings about supporting human rights and environmental defenders”, together with partner organizations that work on the topic.

We invite students, professors, academics, representatives from human rights clinics and observatories, movements, public officials, the press, funders, and other interested groups to expand the debate on this topic.

The following will participate in this panel discussion:

• Rodrigo Montaldi – Program Manager of the Casa Fund Socio-Environmental: Presentation of the main points of the Casa Fund publication – support for defenders and their collectivities.
• Prof. Sônia Magalhães – Ineaf-UFPA: Contexts and situations about issues involving human rights defenders in environmental matters in Pará and the Legal Amazon.
• Lincon Sousa Aguiar – GT-PPDDH-PA: Diagnosis on PPDDH in Pará.
• Raione Lima Campos – CPT-Pará: Monitoring and support for defenders and their collectivities.
• Moderation: Deise Lima de Oliveira – Ineaf-UFPA.

Location: CNBB Auditorium in Belém – Tv. Barão do Triunfo, 3151 – Marco, Belém – PA.

Date: 05/10/24 (Friday) from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Click here to confirm your attendance at the launch event