We promote spaces for training and knowledge exchange to strengthen the capacity of environmental defenders. These initiatives contribute to the empowerment of community leaders and foster the creation of support networks, which are essential for confronting the violence experienced by those who defend the rights of their communities and the environment.
Participants From Across Latin America
173 total participants to date: 95 women, 78 men
Indigenous Legal Defense Training Program
Since its creation in 2015, the program—formerly known as the Seminar—offers participants tools to strengthen their knowledge, develop skills, and foster collaboration in the defense of communities and key ecosystems.
This space has been designed so that defenders of the territory and the environment—primarily Indigenous and Afro-descendant people—can acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about legal, organizational, communication, and advocacy actions and strategies to protect their rights.
Perspectives
“This space allows for the exchange of experiences, lessons learned, and knowledge, and for forging bonds that enable them to continue their quest for justice and the guarantee of their collective rights.”
–Juliana Bravo Valencia, Regional Director for Latin America, EarthRights International
“These opportunities not only expose you to different cultures, but also to new ways of fighting and powerful tools I didn’t know existed.”
-Sherly Brendy Falcón, program participant, President of Interquorum Network in Pasco, Peru
Network of Women Defenders of the Territory
Formed in 2022 by participants of the Indigenous Legal Defense Training Program, with the support of EarthRights, the network aims to strengthen their knowledge and skills for the collective defense of their rights and those of their communities. It brings together defenders from various cohorts of the training program, creating a safe space to address the challenges and structural issues of violence and racism.