WWF commissioned report acknowledges human rights abuses in WWF projects
WWF published ‘Embedding Human Rights into Nature Conservation: from Intent to Action’, a report from an Independent Panel it commissioned last year to review WWF’s role in relation to reported human rights abuses by some government rangers in the most complex and remote areas where it works.
The Panel, chaired by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Judge Navi Pillay, set out a number of recommendations on how to better integrate human rights into conservation.
The report was commissioned in March 2019 following Buzzfeed investigation reports which supported investigations previously made by the Rainforest Foundation (UK) and Survival International: WWF projects in the Congo Basin had taken the land of the local Baka, Bayaka and other (so called “Pygmy”) tribes without their consent, and its rangers had severely mistreated them under the guise of the fight against poaching.
The Panel found no evidence that WWF staff participated in or encouraged abuses of human rights, stated WWF.
When reports of abuses were raised, according to WWF, staff took action in response, but the Panel found that it was not consistent to the commitments of WWF to communities.
“Human rights abuses are never acceptable under any circumstances and go against our core values. That is why we commissioned this independent report,” said Pavan Sukhdev, President, WWF International.
The Panel also called for WWF to clearly advocate for governments to fulfil their responsibility for protecting human rights – including with regard to government rangers who are implicated in these types of abuses.
WWF has already changed its global approach to working in the most challenging regions of the world, which is directly aligned with the Panel’s recommendations. The have started addressing the ways communities can raise their concerns, changed their systems to centrally screen and approve high-risk projects, and are prepared to suspend projects if commitments to human rights cannot be met.
The report has information like allegations that WWF CAR (Central African Republic) helped ecoguards purchase weapons from the army and concealed the purchase from donors. The Panel stated it found no evidence that WWF CAR provided
or procured arms for the ecoguards. It was clear that WWF’s policies prohibit the organisation from providing arms to ecoguards but further it states that it may have engaged in lobbying the Ministry of Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing to ensure that ecoguards were properly equipped for antipoaching activities.
“WWF works with communities around the world and we recognize our responsibility to listen to their voices, advocate for their rights, and engage them in our work. It is deeply saddening to all of us that people have suffered” said Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International.
WWF will regularly and transparently assess progress, beginning in 2021.
WWF Response and the detailed Management Response, which outlines actions related to each recommendation that WWF will take:
- Establishing effective grievance mechanisms in every country in which WWF works so complaints from communities can be raised, received, tracked, and addressed. The Human Rights Centre in the Central African Republic (set up in 2016), which the Panel praised as a best practice, is WWF’s model for integrated grievance mechanisms in complex landscapes.
- Strengthening its social and environmental safeguards, a mandatory set of actions to better engage communities, identify and manage risks, and ensure consistency in our field work. These have been approved by all WWF boards worldwide (since July 2019), and implementation is led by a new dedicated Global Safeguards Unit;
- More firmly using WWF’s influence to support human rights, and preparing WWF’s in-country teams to suspend or withdraw from projects if the safeguards are not met;
- In the process of establishing an office of the Independent Ombudsperson that will hold WWF accountable to our commitments and safeguards, and will provide conflict resolution services to communities in which it works;
- Taking additional steps to help reduce conflicts between communities and government rangers, such as making human rights training mandatory for WWF’s projects that involve enforcement and helping establish the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (in 2020), an international coalition dedicated to professionalizing rangers, including developing a global code of conduct.
- Mandating all high-risk conservation projects are screened by a new, high-level global risk committee of WWF’s leading conservation experts;
- Building staff capacity, including having trained all 7,500 staff around the world on its new safeguards system;
- Incorporating WWF’s commitments to safeguards and human rights in relevant agreements.
Survival International has been critical of the report and states, “that WWF knew about the alleged abuses by rangers… but… continued to support and collaborate with them, and… failed to take effective steps to prevent, respond to and remedy the alleged abuses.” The report echoes previous WWF responses in passing blame onto “government rangers,” funded and trained by WWF.
Tribespeople were beaten, tortured, imprisoned and killed. Neither women, nor children nor the elderly, were spared.
WWF asked London law firm, Kingsley Napley – specialists in reputational protection – to carry out an investigation. This comprised a review of documents and decisions. The investigation was then “assessed” by a team of human rights consultants, including the former UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, John Knox.
On 18 November, the UNDP responded to the abuses committed by WWF funded rangers in the North of Congo by its decision to end its support for its “Transboundary Biodiversity Conservation into the Basins of the Republic of Congo” project, and to do a “fundamental reset” of its work in the area.
However, it will continue to support conservation there and intends to continue working with WWF, in spite of the acknowledged human rights violations.
UK Charity Commission has previously launched investigations into WWF abuses and Germany freezed funding to WWF Congo.
Survival’s Director, Stephen Corry, said, “Another of many internal reports on WWF human rights abuses confirms what we’ve said for decades. It’s come just before Thanksgiving in a clear attempt to bury the news. Conservation is now reframing its narrative to include support for indigenous peoples’ rights, but we’ve heard all this before and little seems to change on the ground. Indigenous peoples’ lands must be properly recognised as their own. Their right to refuse outside intervention they don’t want must be upheld, including for so-called “green” projects. They are better at conservation than the conservation NGOs which mistreat and threaten them. If we are genuine about protecting biodiversity, it’s time to let them get on with it.”
