WASHINGTON, D.C. | May 31, 2022 — On May 13, National Whistleblower Center (NWC) was cited in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Coalition comment to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment outlining transformative actions needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the environment. The comment highlights whistleblowers as a key to stopping environmental crime and names whistleblower protections as a key action item citing National Whistleblower Center reports.
The submission, Tackling Corruption Linked to Environmental Crimes to Achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focuses on how corruption and environmental crimes are harmfully impacting the environment and the climate and undermining the rights of communities and indigenous peoples across the globe.
The comment mentions NWC’s 2020 “Exposing a Ticking Time Bomb” report, and asserts that countries must “legally require and effectively implement strong protection and reward mechanisms for whistleblowers from the public and private sector who report on environmental crimes and corruption linked to environmental crimes, in line with international best practice.”
The UNCAC Coalition is a global network of over 350 civil society organizations in over 100 countries, committed to promoting the ratification, implementation and monitoring of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). This is the second time in 2022 that NWC is cited in a UN submission. Earlier this year, NWC was cited in a landmark report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for the prioritization of whistleblower protections as a human rights mechanism.
“NWC is extremely pleased with the UNCAC Coalition’s inclusion of whistleblowers in its report, as they are critical to combatting environmental-related crime.” Said Siri Nelson, Executive Director at NWC, explaining that “NWC has long advocated for whistleblowers as a powerful anticorruption mechanism and has specifically focused on encouraging and protecting whistleblowers in the fossil fuel industry as well as whistleblowers who report illegal logging and wildlife trafficking.”
NWC believes that the UNCAC Coalition’s submission will bring additional attention to the critical importance of whistleblowers in thwarting environmental corruption. The Coalition’s comment can be viewed here, and for more information about how whistleblowers can help prevent environmental-related crime, please visit whistleblowers.org.
National Whistleblower Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and this work for human rights and climate whistleblowers is made possible by our generous donors. Please donate to support climate whistleblowers today.
NWC Executive Director Siri Nelson is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
