There is no specific route you have to follow when deciding to undertake international advocacy for environmental justice. It is a dynamic challenge and, as described in Sections 2.2 and 2.3, you need to set up a plan before starting this journey.
You might feel pressed or urged to take a stand quickly, but this is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We recommend taking a deep breath and thinking for a moment: What do I want to get out of this interaction with the international system? A simple analysis can help you decide whether engagement makes sense, which mechanisms to use, and how to do so safely and strategically.
Agreeing on an objective — particularly when representing a collective or individual case in a coalition as it is often the case for EHRDs — is essential to align expectations and clarify the best approach to this plan.
Beyond this objective, there are key elements to inform your work at the regional and international level:
Source: ISHR
You may be facing a single incident, such as a specific attack or threat, or a repeated pattern of violations linked to a broader environmental or territorial conflict. Understanding this difference matters because of the documentation you will need to prove your assumptions and the urgency of the case.
Responsibility may lie with a State, a private company, a member of an organised crime group, or several of these acting together or simultaneously. Knowing this helps you determine which mechanisms are relevant and which mandate holders are suitable for putting pressure on or holding a State or company accountable.
Some people or groups may face heightened risks because of who they are or where they live, including women, Indigenous Peoples, rural communities, or other groups. These differences should shape both protection and advocacy choices taking into account intersectionality (see Chapter 1). It also shapes the mechanisms and mandates you should consider when planning your engagements.
It's important to note whether the situation you are registering has been ongoing for a long time or is recent. That will be the starting point for identifying whether this is an emerging topic or if has structural roots.
There are some additional questions you might want to consider when assessing your capacity and ability to navigate international human rights mechanisms (see also Section 2.3 on managing expectations):
This contextual analysis will help you determine the avenues that emerge from it.
Check the ISHR Academy advocacy roadmap for more details to build a successful advocacy plan
Example to put it on practice: An advocacy toolkit for Ocean Defenders
This practical step-by-step tool helps to understand grassroots power and strengthen the capacity of communities with the knowledge to organise and speak up against the ills destroying their environment, and for the entrenchment of the change they seek.
The following chart summarises the different systems you can access and consider when addressing your advocacy plan:
Source: ISHR
In the following entries, you will access the insider knowledge for the universal human rights system and the regional bodies and systems in place.
Source: ISHR
Environmental defenders can approach international and regional mechanisms through three distinct but interconnected lenses. Choosing the right lens — or combining several — depends on your specific context, the violations documented, and your identity or the targeted group and community.
1. Geographical focus: Where did it happen? You analyse your efforts by looking at the State or territory to hold accountable for abuses committed under its jurisdiction. Not all countries have ratified the same instruments, thus your advocacy path depends on location. This would also let you analyse if there is an extra-territorial dimension at play (see Section 1.9).
2. Thematic focus: What rights were violated? The right to a healthy environment is linked to the realisation of other human rights. When planning, link your documented facts to specific violations (e.g., right to life, health, safe drinking water, adequate food, etc).
3. Identity-based focus: Who is affected? As discussed in Section 1.9, intersectionality is practical here. Different identities entail specific vulnerabilities. UN bodies often have precedents or specific protections for certain groups (Indigenous Peoples, women, children).
For detailed guidance on interacting with the UN human rights bodies, visit our dedicated page here and compare the value of each mechanism here.
In the following sections, we will look at the specificities of each mechanism.
