III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 142 

Expressing concern about environmental crimes and attacks on the human 

rights of environmental and land defenders in Latin America and the 

Caribbean. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 30, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. KAINE, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

PADILLA, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. MURPHY) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing concern about environmental crimes and attacks 

on the human rights of environmental and land defenders 

in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Whereas rising instances of environmental crimes, land grabbing, unregulated and illegal natural resource destruction 

and extraction, and irresponsible infrastructure development threaten biodiversity and rural and Indigenous community livelihoods in Latin America and the Caribbean, 

which is home to 40 percent of the world’s species and 

more than 24 percent of the Earth’s forests; 

Whereas harassment, threats, assaults, and killings against 

environmental and land defenders protesting such crimes 


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•SRES 142 IS 

and development have increased throughout the region 

since 2018; 

Whereas, according to Global Witness, Latin America is the 

deadliest region in the world for environmental and land 

defenders, with nearly 75 percent of the 200 known attacks against such defenders during 2021 taking place in 

the region, including— 

(1) in Mexico, where 54 environmental and land defenders were murdered in 2021, representing the highest 

number of such murders in any country that year; 

(2) in Colombia, where 33 environmental and land 

defenders were murdered during 2021, representing the 

second highest number of such murders in any country 

that year; 

(3) in Brazil, where 342 environmental and land defenders have been murdered since 2012, representing the 

highest number of such murders of any country since the 

reporting of such murders began; and 

(4) in Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil, where 78 percent 

of the attacks against environmental and land defenders 

in the Amazon region occurred; 

Whereas more than 25 percent of the attacks on environmental and land defenders during 2021 were reportedly 

linked to resource exploitation, including logging, mining, 

large scale agribusiness, hydroelectric dams, and other infrastructure; 

Whereas, approximately 40 to 60 percent of logging activities 

in the Peruvian Amazon are illegal, according to 

INTERPOL, and approximately 95 percent of deforestation in Brazil in 2021 was irregular, according to the 

Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping 

Project; 


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•SRES 142 IS 

Whereas, in 2021, Indigenous peoples made up more than 40 

percent of victims in fatal attacks against environmental 

and land defenders worldwide, despite Indigenous peoples 

only comprising approximately 5 percent of the world’s 

population; 

Whereas Indigenous peoples, who steward more than 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity, are disproportionately 

vulnerable to the effects of environmental loss and more 

frequently targeted in attacks on environmental and land 

defenders; 

Whereas women acting in defense of their lands and natural 

environments in Latin America face additional threats to 

their human rights, as Latin America has the highest 

rates of gender-based violence in the world; 

Whereas many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean 

lack sufficient oversight capacity, transparency, and accountability for regulations of environmental permits and 

investigations of environmental crimes, especially in Indigenous lands, nationally protected forests, and other remote geographical areas with limited government presence, forcing affected populations to advocate for their 

land and natural resources at great personal risk; 

Whereas corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean enables the subversion of laws designed to prevent environmental crime and protect natural resources, undermining 

efforts to prevent ecological destruction; 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has strained the resources 

and institutional capacity of Latin American and Caribbean Governments to address environmental crimes and 

prevent the expansion of nonstate actors into remote 

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•SRES 142 IS 

ronmental and land defenders and engage in illicit mining 

and drug trafficking activities; 

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development has developed programs to reduce environmental 

crimes and other threats to the Amazon’s forests, waters, 

and peoples throughout Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname; 

Whereas all Latin American and Caribbean countries have 

ratified the decision by the 21st Conference of Parties of 

the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 

Change, adopted at Paris December 12, 2015 (commonly 

known as the ‘‘Paris Climate Agreement’’), which states, 

‘‘Parties should, when taking action to address climate 

change, respect, promote, and consider their respective 

obligations on human rights, the right to health, the 

rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, 

children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations’’; 

Whereas 15 countries in Latin America ratified the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) of 

the International Labor Organization, establishing the 

rights of Indigenous people to land, natural resources, 

and prior consultation on projects affecting their communities, although many such countries have consistently 

failed to respect these legally binding standards; 

Whereas 25 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean 

have signed, and 14 of these 25 countries have ratified, 

the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public 

Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in 

Latin America and the Caribbean, adopted at Escazu ́, 

Costa Rica March 4, 2018 (commonly known as the 


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•SRES 142 IS 

‘‘Escazu ́ Agreement’’), to ensure the protection of environmental defenders across the region; and 

Whereas, on June 9, 2022, at the Ninth Summit of the 

Americas in Los Angeles, heads of State and Government 

of the Western Hemisphere adopted ‘‘Our Sustainable 

Green Future’’, a commitment to draft and approve national plans, before the commencement of the Tenth 

Summit of the Americas in the Dominican Republic in 

2025— 

(1) to respond to threats and attacks on environmental defenders and collect data on such threats and attacks, in accordance with domestic law; 

(2) to enact, as appropriate, and enforce domestic 

laws to protect environmental defenders and the resources they defend: and 

(3) to carry out and implement environmental assessments in accordance with existing domestic law: Now, 

therefore be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) underscores the urgency of protecting bio3 diversity in Latin America and the Caribbean, end4 ing impunity for environmental crimes, protecting 

5 environmental and land defenders, and confronting 

6 risks and addressing threats to such actors; 

7 (2) urges governments in Latin America and 

8 the Caribbean to protect the rights of Indigenous 

9 peoples and other environmental and land defenders, 

10 including— 


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•SRES 142 IS 

1 (A) strengthening efforts and initiatives 

2 aimed at combating environmental crimes and 

3 protecting the territory of environmental and 

4 land defenders; 

5 (B) complying with commitments made 

6 under the Paris Climate Agreement, Convention 

7 169 of the International Labor Organization, 

8 and the Escazu ́ Agreement to pursue environ9 mental justice and protect the rights of Indige10 nous peoples and other environmental and land 

11 defenders, particularly in relation to rights to 

12 land titling and prior consultation; and 

13 (C) implementing ‘‘Our Sustainable Green 

14 Future’’ commitments made at the Ninth Sum15 mit of the Americas to advance the protection 

16 of environmental and land defenders; 

17 (3) calls on the Secretary of State, in coordina18 tion with the Administrator of the United States 

19 Agency for International Development, to support 

20 and assist governments in Latin America and the 

21 Caribbean in meeting regional and international 

22 standards and commitments for the protection of In23 digenous peoples and other environmental and land 

24 defenders, including through— 


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1 (A) capacity building initiatives aimed at 

2 strengthening networks of environmental and 

3 land defenders, Indigenous peoples, and civil so4 ciety organizations; 

5 (B) providing technical assistance and 

6 other support to combat corruption within 

7 agencies dealing with forestry management and 

8 environmental crimes; 

9 (C) collaborating with law enforcement au10 thorities, including through the sharing of intel11 ligence, to help dismantle criminal groups re12 sponsible for committing environmental crime 

13 and violence against environmental and land de14 fenders; 

15 (D) reinforcing the importance of free, 

16 prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peo17 ples within such regional and international com18 mitments; 

19 (E) promoting the participation of women, 

20 Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant commu21 nities, environmental and land defenders, and 

22 other affected and vulnerable communities in 

23 regional and international forums related to 

24 human rights, environmental protection, and 

25 climate change; and 


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1 (F) hosting summits and other multilateral 

2 forums, with the participation of governments 

3 in the region and relevant civil society organiza4 tions, to share the experiences of environmental 

5 and land defenders and advance solutions to 

6 protect biodiversity and confront impunity 

7 around environmental crime; and 

8 (4) calls on the Administrator of the United 

9 States Agency for International Development, in co10 ordination with the Secretary of State, to develop 

11 comprehensive regional and subregional action plans 

12 with input from environmental and land defenders to 

13 counter environmental crime and attacks against en14 vironmental and land defenders in Latin America 

15 and the Caribbean, including by— 

16 (A) strengthening current programs in 

17 Brazil and Colombia; 

18 (B) expanding key pillars of ongoing pro19 grams to Mexico, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, 

20 and El Salvador, where such initiatives are 

21 largely absent; and 

22 (C) ensuring that projects supported or 

23 funded by the United States Government in 

24 Latin America and the Caribbean take into acVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR142.IS SR142

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1 count the protection of Indigenous peoples and 

2 environmental and land defenders. 

Æ 


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