OnNovember 1, 2026
The silent procession highlighted the risks faced by environmental defenders worldwide, urging governments to turn biodiversity commitments into meaningful protection for Indigenous peoples and local communities. At COP17 in Armenia, a quiet procession brought the faces of killed, missing and imprisoned environmental defenders into the global biodiversity talksIn the hands of marchers, photographs carried the faces of people who could not be there.
Some had been killed. Others had disappeared. Others remained in prison.
Among the photographs were those of Daria Egereva and Natalia Leongardt, who are imprisoned in Russia, according to the campaign supporting them. Participants carried their portraits alongside those of other defenders killed, missing or imprisoned because of their work, the campaign’s account said.
The procession combined remembrance with solidarity. It drew attention to the gap between international commitments to protect environmental defenders and the persecution many continue to face.
Indigenous peoples’ rights were central to the action. Placards highlighted the importance of free, prior and informed consent in decisions affecting their territories, connecting the protection of ecosystems with communities’ rights over their lands and futures.
Global Witness documented the killing of at least 124 land and environmental defenders in 2025. Its records include 2,375 killings and disappearances since 2012, although reporting and verification gaps mean the true toll is likely higher. [see https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2026/09/21/new-global-witness-figures-at-least-124-land-and-environmental-defenders-killed-globally-in-2025/]
Target 22 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the full protection of environmental human rights defenders. It also requires inclusive participation in biodiversity decisions, access to justice and information, and respect for Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights over their lands, territories, resources and traditional knowledge.
Guidance from the Convention on Biological Diversity identifies legal protection, effective remedies and freedom from retaliation as practical measures to safeguard defenders.
In Yerevan, the photographs gave those commitments a human face. The procession called attention to the distance between promises made in international forums and the safety of people defending nature on the ground. For those remembered in the portraits, protection had come too late or remained out of reach. The action urged governments to make their commitments effective for those still facing danger.
