Ahead of COP31: FIDH and Rights Groups Call for Protection of Climate Defenders

Ahead of COP31 in Antalya, international human rights organisations are calling for protection for the people who defend the climate. FIDH links the imprisonment of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt to the shrinking space for independent environmental advocacy. A joint NGO briefing sets out practical measures to make participation safer.

FIDH: protection must extend beyond the conference

In its statement published on 4 November, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) calls for human rights to guide climate decisions. Its appeal includes the protection of environmental defenders and meaningful participation by Indigenous Peoples.

FIDH specifically recalls that Daria was detained in Russia shortly after returning from COP30. She remains in pre-trial detention alongside Natalia. Both face up to 20 years in prison on terrorism-related charges that FIDH describes as unfounded.

The organisation calls on the UN and states to protect defenders before, during and after climate conferences. For people facing reprisals at home, access to the conference venue is only one part of the problem.

From recognition to practical safeguards

The joint briefing for COP31 on environmental human rights defenders, dated October 2026, develops this argument in detail. Its initiators include Amnesty International, CIVICUS, Global Witness, the Center for International Environmental Law, and FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture through their Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, alongside other organisations.

On page 9, the briefing cites Daria’s detention after COP30 as an example of the risks associated with participating in climate conferences. Footnote 37 links to our timeline of Daria and Natalia’s case.

The briefing is a set of civil society recommendations to the COP31 leadership, governments and the UN climate secretariat. It calls for concrete changes in how defenders are included and protected.

Safety before, during and after COP31

The recommendations include freedom of expression and peaceful assembly inside and outside the conference, accessible accreditation, timely visas, financial support and reliable remote participation for people who cannot travel safely.

The organisations urge the UNFCCC secretariat to adopt a policy of zero tolerance for intimidation, harassment and reprisals, and to designate a focal point to receive reports and follow up on them. They also warn that retaliation can continue after participants return home, including through surveillance, online harassment, disinformation and the exposure of personal information.

Protection should also be built into climate policy itself. The briefing addresses women environmental defenders, the assessment of global climate progress, public participation and access to information, the just transition, and adaptation. Across these areas, it calls for defenders and Indigenous Peoples to help shape decisions, with safeguards and accountability when projects cause harm.

Independent voices must be able to participate

For us, these recommendations also raise a question about whose voices can reach international negotiations. Indigenous Peoples must be able to choose their own representatives and express independent views, including views that governments find uncomfortable. Participation cannot depend on agreement with an official position.

Daria and Natalia’s absence cannot be made up for by the number of meetings held or the presence of official delegations. Meaningful participation requires the freedom to speak, the ability to influence decisions, and protection from punishment for doing so.

The test for COP31 is therefore practical: whether recognition of defenders’ contribution leads to safeguards for their participation and sustained demands for the freedom of those already imprisoned.

Read the sources: FIDH’s statement, 4 November 2026; download the full joint NGO briefing (PDF).