Businesses Have a Role to Play, Too

By Kerry Kennedy, President at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

In recognition of this week’s historic 77th Session of the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (#UNGA), I find myself compelled to share the following excerpt from one of my speeches that illustrates the importance that corporations play in protecting civic space and strengthening the rule of law and democracy, in Brazil, among many other places:

“Just shy of two years ago, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights , chose as its distinguished human rights laureate a member of Brazil’s Munduruku tribe. To us, an organization founded in 1968 to further my father’s ideals of a better, more just and equal world, Alessandra Korap Munduruku exemplified a core objective we have had since our inception, to recognize some of the most courageous people on Earth who stand out by protecting their communities and by Speaking their Truth to Power.?

I’m going to tell you a little bit about her work and her community’s struggles because, in a way, it encapsulates much of what is going on in Brazil and serves as a poignant inspiration for more courageous collective action from all of us.

Indigenous peoples, including Alessandra’s community, have faced tremendous struggles in Brazil over the years — from gold miners and loggers illegally invading and exploiting their land to dealing with widespread Amazon fires and a combative president who’s insulted them and proactively removed many of their protections.

Since Jair Bolsonaro became president in 2019, a series of policies that favor environmental destruction and threaten indigenous rights further have been pushed forward.?

One of them tries to make mineral exploration on Indigenous lands legal, a practice that has grown in the country since 2019 and is configured as one of the main activities destroying the forest. Horrifically, Bolsonaro has used the Russian attack on Ukraine as a justification for passing this law, on the grounds that indigenous lands would be rich in fertilizing minerals such as potash. This is yet one more?example of the growing threat to the territorial rights of communities and acceleration of?the industrial agricultural?assault on the environment. All of this occurs as the Supreme Court in Brazil continues to postpone its ruling on the “Marco Temporal case” that could legalize land thefts of Indigenous Peoples— unless the Court stops it. Marco Temporal is a legal loophole that would deny Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their lands, claiming that they only have rights to territories that they were physically occupying at the time of Brazil’s 1988 constitution.

Indigenous people are the front line and ultimate guardians of the environment. They are quite literally protecting the lungs of the world. There is no healthy environment if they are not protected.

As one of the key leaders and organizers of the Munduruku people, Alessandra has fought to stop construction projects and illegal mining that are infringing upon the territory of her people, garnering international attention and support.

She advocates for the demarcation and protection of Indigenous lands and for Indigenous communities to be consulted on decisions that affect them and their territories. Alessandra’s work defending Indigenous rights across Brazil, and importantly raising power within her own community to drive change, exemplifies the crucial role of civic space in any functioning democracy.

But Alessandra and so many others in Brazil, as they fight, are watching something incredibly precious slip away: their democracy.

There are, after all, no human rights without democracy. The preservation of democracy in Brazil is pivotal to effectively advance the fight for human rights, gender equity, and Indigenous and women’s rights. Without democracy and unwavering respect for the rule of law, there are no prospects of advancing the human rights agenda and strengthening the progress in the emancipation of vulnerable groups.

The erosion of Democracy in Brazil is related to Bolsonaro’s authoritarian profile and disdain for democratic institutions. The Brazilian civic space has also been undermined, through both mechanisms of transparency and access to information, and the persecution of organized civil society has also increased.

With this undemocratic escalation, it is vital to make an effective, broad and unrestricted defense of Brazilian democracy.

Corporations play a role in preserving civic space and strengthening the rule of law and democracy. Corporations must also set an example in undertaking human rights and environmental due diligence. We must call on companies to align their strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environmental and anti-corruption goals. States, particularly the U.S., and other Global North countries play a vital role in corporations aligning their goals with human rights. That includes national regulation and legislation that compel corporations to follow the U.N. guidelines on mandatory diligence.

It is not enough to ask corporations to be brave with choices, we must ask them to be courageous. The difference between bravery and courage is bravery comes from bravissimo; it's young and without consequences. The root of courage is cor - the Latin word for heart –overcoming things because of love. That's what you see with human rights defenders. And that’s what we must see with our corporations in order to truly create the better, more just and equal world we are striving to create.