16 August 2019: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Rights Office signed a cooperation agreement on protecting environmental and human rights. The agreement responds to the growing threats to individuals and communities defending their environmental and land rights in many parts of the world. While seeking to increase support for national implementation of human rights-based environmental policies, the partnership aims to also promote global recognition and acceptance of the human right to a healthy environment.

Tribe vows to fight encroachment of outsiders

AMAPÁ, Brazil - Deep in the heart of the Amazon, Ajareaty Waiapi performs one of her tribe's most traditional rituals. The tribal chief crushes blood red urucum seeds into a thick paste and generously applies it to her face, bare chest and torso. The mixture protects her skin from the sun and insects. It's also believed to ward off evil spirits.

Canada aims to conserve 17 per cent of its land and fresh water by the end of 2020. This noble objective will help protect water, air, food and biodiversity and improve the health of humans.

This month, the world’s leading climate scientists issued a report on land confirming what we already know: forests are a critical weapon in the battle against climate change. Yet as competition for land mounts, the destruction of forests for agriculture, mining, and infrastructure rages on.

Since his inauguration earlier this year, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to make headlines with controversial policy reforms. After loosening protection of Indigenous and conservation lands, the BBC reports deforestation in the Amazon is accelerating with an area the size of one soccer field being cleared every minute.

According to reports from the organization Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the indigenous communities of the Miskitu ethnic group, from Nicaragua, could be on the verge of extinction because they are in a serious situation of abandonment and vulnerability because of the constant invasion of their territories.

Panelists call for legal recognition for Indigenous peoples and local communities

This topic will be discussed at the Global Landscapes Forum New York 2019. Learn more about how to join here.

Abraham Domico’s assassination comes a few days after the murder of two guards on the hands of irregular groups linked to drug trafficking.

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) confirmed Wednesday the assassination of another indigenous leader in the department of Antioquia, located in the central northwestern part of the country.

Comment: The latest science shows the impacts of global warming – and solutions to it – risk worsening inequality if not coupled with support to the world’s poor

One of the fundamental truths of the climate crisis is that the countries and people who did least to create the problem are, in general, hit hardest by its effects.

In Brazil, a struggle over the future of the Amazon is taking place. The struggle will have global impact.