Across the continent, women are at the forefront of defending forests, rivers, ancestral lands, and community livelihoods. As caregivers, farmers, and guardians of natural resources, their work is vital to the health of their communities and ecosystems. However, by standing up to land grabs, polluting industries, and illegal exploitation, these women encounter threats, harassment, violence, and even death.

The Natural Resource Women Platform (NRWP) proudly welcomes the filing of a landmark petition before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This groundbreaking legal effort, led by the African Climate Platform (ACP) and the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) in collaboration with civil society partners, calls on the Court to issue an Advisory Opinion affirming the rights and protection of women environmental defenders across Africa.

Too often, their voices go unheard. Their safety is ignored. Their contributions are disregarded.

This petition to the African Court acknowledges the undeniable truth: the environmental crisis is a human rights crisis, and women defenders are among its most affected victims.

It clearly distinguishes between environmental destruction and the violation of women’s rights to safety, dignity, health, food, water, and equality. Climate change and extractive industries contribute to the loss of fertile land and clean water, deepening poverty, and fueling gender-based violence. Additionally, it forces women to travel longer distances for necessities, putting their security and well-being at risk.

Across Africa, the impacts are real:

• In Senegal, women were displaced when foreign investors took thousands of hectares of community land for a carbon offset project, without consent.
• In Morocco, women initiated “thirst protests” after years of drought rendered water inaccessible for household use.
• In Kenya and Ethiopia, prolonged drought has devastated pastoralist communities, leading to hunger, displacement, and conflict, putting women and girls in extreme danger.

The petition calls on the African Court to:

• Affirm the right of women defenders to a safe and supportive environment;
• Ensure protection from intimidation, violence, and harm;
• Guarantee access to justice when rights are violated;
• Ensure women fully participate in environmental decision-making at all levels.

Issuing a strong Advisory Opinion will provide a legal shield for women defenders and shape future laws and policies to promote justice, sustainability, and gender equality across the continent.

The Natural Resource Women Platform stands in full solidarity with this petition.

We urge the African Court to seize this moment and act decisively. Defending the rights of women environmental defenders is protecting Africa’s future.