‘Above all, funders must become and view themselves as partners – with us, the Women Environmental Human Right Defenders (WEHRDs). This partnership can only thrive if funders genuinely grasp the context in which WEHRDs operate, recognise the multifaceted nature of the violence we confront, and develop strategies that not only work but are crafted with and for us.’*

In a world increasingly fraught with environmental and climate degradation and gender injustice, the role of WEHRDs has never been more critical. It is them who are standing on the frontlines challenging and working tirelessly to dismantle the structures that perpetuate climate degradation, extractivism and violence against the most vulnerable – women, girls, trans, intersex, and non-binary people, and structurally excluded communities such as Indigenous, Afro-descendant, rural, and young women. 

Since they are confronting states, multinationals and people in power, WEHRDs all over the world are confronted with threats to their lives and work and an overall shrinking or even closing civic space. While facing threats for defending their territory, they also pioneer gender-just climate solutions. These initiatives not only address climate change mitigation and adaptation but also support the systemic redistribution of power, ensuring equitable opportunities and access for people of all genders.

To build connections between the challenges WEHRDs are facing in different contexts and regions, and strategise collective solutions, the Southern-led diverse network Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), involves women’s funds, environmental and climate justice funds, NGOs, and women-led community-based organisations (CBOs). Led by Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres (FCAM) in partnership with Both ENDS and Mama Cash, GAGGA convened a global meeting in early 2024, bringing together WEHRDs from diverse regions—Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. The heart of the meeting was to build collective strategies for the unique challenges faced by WEHRDs across different contexts, the importance of collective care within their communities, and the critical need for a more inclusive, flexible, and safe funding landscape for their work and security.

“What do we need to do to keep our leaders alive?” asks one of the WEHRDs present in the meeting.

Launched in 2016 in partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, GAGGA rallies the collective power of women’s rights, gender, environmental and climate justice movements around the world. GAGGA works to strengthen the nexus of women’s rights, environmental and climate justice at local, national, and regional levels. Collaborating with and funding gender and climate organisations in more than 30 countries across the Global South, GAGGA’s partners include 24 women’s and environmental justice funds, 31 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and over 600 mostly women-led community-based organisations (CBOs).

GAGGA believes that WEHRDs who are part of women-led community-based organisations (CBOs) are in the best position to propose solutions and alternatives to the problems they face because they know the local landscape, language, culture and challenges of their communities. However, they often face limited access to funding and advocacy spaces. That’s where GAGGA comes in, channelling climate finance through national and regional women’s and environmental justice funds to CBOs and WEHRDs working at the frontline and supporting them to access international advocacy spaces.

‘What do we need to do to keep our leaders alive?’ asks one of the WEHRDs present in the meeting. ‘In the last year, many WEHRDs from my region have been killed. Livelihood and basic needs are not being met, there’s no economic stability, and many leaders are struggling with health issues, both physically and mentally.’ 

WEHRDs are navigating through a complex maze of challenges, facing everything from government surveillance to violence, abuse, and threats not just to their own lives but also to their families and loved ones. In numerous countries, their efforts are labelled as ‘rebellion’ or ‘terrorist acts’, legitimising state-sanctioned violence against them. On top of all these hurdles, they also confront the deeply entrenched patriarchal structures of society. ‘Women have no means of economic survival which makes them dependent on their husbands. If they speak up, they risk losing their husbands, which is basically their only way of getting a livelihood.’

So the question truly is – ‘What do we need to do to keep defenders alive?’

‘Fund WEHRDs!’ There is no question that there is an urgent need to redirect funding to the ones on the frontline. However, it is not enough to redirect the current structure of funding that is available. What is needed is to restructure the funding mechanisms to truly align it with the unique positioning and needs of WEHRDs. 

‘We urgently require emergency funds that are immediately accessible! If I must suddenly leave my territory and need resources to secure a safe place to stay, it has to be FAST! The funding must be swiftly dispatched to the WEHRDs’, shares a defender. 

‘It’s unrealistic to expect all organisations supporting grassroots WEHRDs to fit into a one-size-fits-all model. To genuinely support grassroots action, flexibility is essential—enabling us to adjust our plans based on the evolving needs, safety, and security of the WEHRDs and their communities.’

In reflecting on the experiences and recommendations of WEHRDs, it becomes evident that supporting these defenders is not merely a matter of allocating funds. It is about fostering a relationship that is built on mutual respect, understanding, and shared goals. Funders must adopt a more flexible and holistic approach, recognising the diverse needs of WEHRDs and the complexities of their work. This includes providing support for psychosocial and economic needs, simplifying funding processes, and ensuring to provide core, flexible, predictable funding which is attuned to the realities of grassroots activism. It is only then can we defend the defenders and therefore lead to climate and gender justice.

Funding mechanisms reflecting this approach are already in place. National and regional environmental justice and women’s funds emerge from the movements they seek to support. This means they are well-connected to and have an expert understanding of the needs and opportunities of the communities they serve, and are accountable to them. They also provide grassroots groups with the kind of flexible support and multi-year funding they need to adapt to emergencies. 

In the GAGGA model, funds and NGOs provide women-led CBOs with technical and legal support, thematic expertise and funding, while further enhancing their connections with gender-just environmental movements. All GAGGA actors work together in a multi-level, cross-movement collaboration to strengthen movements, link and learn from each other, and lobby and advocate, with an emphasis on participatory processes and shared leadership. Sometimes doing advocacy on the regional or international level is the only possibility remaining, because of closing civic spaces. Partners part of GAGGA work together to enhance knowledge, awareness and action on transformative approaches to environmental and gender justice, building on technical expertise, and lived experience to highlight locally-led solutions in international spaces.

‘May we all be free from threats, from being repressed, from being at risk. That the territory we inhabit is respected and that our rights are made effective – not to be criminalised for defending the territory.’

*Names and other information of the WEHRDs have been omitted for safety and security reasons.