2021 was a year of regenerating so much of what was lost, put on hold or forgotten the year before with the Covid-19 pandemic. Priorities and plans have shifted and PBI, along with so many other organisations, has been reflecting on and adjusting our work to ensure that the protection we provide to human rights defenders (HRDs) across the world remains relevant and responds to their urgent needs.
Amidst the challenges and complexities of the pandemic HRDs were on the front lines, defending land and environmental rights, providing essential support to vulnerable people in their communities, calling attention to the needs of the most vulnerable, and demanding that human rights be put at the forefront of international discussions. Actions these individuals and communities undertook included raising their voices in protest against the application of laws limiting freedom of speech and movement; standing up to powerful economic interests to protect the environment; and providing legal support to the victims of torture, enforced disappearance and excessive use of force.
Excerpt from the Peace Brigades International Annual Review 2021.