The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ adoption of a landmark resolution calling on African states to uphold access to climate and environmental information – including by safeguarding the rights of journalists reporting on environmental harm, climate impacts, and resource exploitation.
Adopted on March 9, the Resolution on Access to Information and the Right to a Healthy Environment (ACHPR/Res.657(LXXXVI) 2026) underscores that access to environmental information is indispensable for the realization of the rights to health, natural resources, and a satisfactory environment, and explicitly recognizes the growing threats faced by environmental journalists and defenders across the continent.
“This resolution is a timely and important step toward strengthening the protection of fundamental rights at the intersection of environmental governance, access to information, and media freedom”, IPI Africa Advocacy and Engagement Lead Nompilo Simanje said. “We welcome the Commission’s call on African states to ensure unimpeded access to information on environmental and climate issues for journalists and affected communities, including through adopting and effectively implementing access to information laws as well as proactive disclosure of environmental and climate-related information,” she added.
IPI urges all African states to fully comply with and implement the resolution’s recommendations, which include safeguarding the role of climate and environmental journalism. As the resolution states, this includes preventing, investigating, and remedying acts of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest or detention, and other forms of reprisals against journalists as well as human rights defenders.
As the continent continues to grapple with the effects of the climate crisis, African states should recognise the critical role of climate and environmental journalism and, subsequently, access to environmental information. This is essential in promoting accountability for environmental harms and meaningful responses to the climate crisis.
Across Africa, IPI monitoring has shown that journalists reporting on climate and environmental issues are being attacked, threatened, and silenced for their work. IPI data shows increasing pressure in particular linked to extractive industries, land conflicts, and environmental degradation. Most recently, IPI reported on the growing risks to journalists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo covering the human and environmental impacts of conflict in the country’s eastern region.