INDEPENDENT REVIEW

INDEPENDENT REVIEW INTO ALLEGED ABUSE – AND WWF’S RESPONSE

In March 2019, WWF International commissioned an independent review to get to the bottom of allegations of human rights violations by government eco-guards in some areas where we work.

After a thorough investigation lasting more than 19 months, the independent panel has finished its work and in November 2020 we published its full report and recommendations into the issues. The report can be found at panda.org/review

The reported abuses committed by some rangers are horrific and go against all the values we stand for. We feel deep and unreserved sorrow for those who have suffered, and we are determined to consistently advocate for governments to uphold their human rights obligations. It is vital that as a global organisation we learn from the panel’s findings and use its recommendations to improve the ways we work.

THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW

We are determined to meet our own commitments to the people and communities we work with. That is why the independent review panel was asked to investigate the allegations of abuses, and to look at the suitability and appropriateness of WWF‘s broader policies, procedures and assurances and risk management processes. We wanted a challenging and unbiased evaluation of our efforts, to continue to learn and improve our programmes. The review was concerned with: • Allegations of criminal acts and abuse by some government rangers in areas where we work. • Allegations that WWF provided support to the governments that employed the rangers but did not do enough to respond to the allegations of abuse. The independent review panel was led by chair Judge Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, together with Professor John Knox, first UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, and Dr Kathy MacKinnon, chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and former Lead Biodiversity Specialist of the World Bank. The review focused on allegations in the following areas: • Cameroon

• Central African Republic (Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas) • Republic of Congo (Messok Dja) • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Nepal (Chitwan National Park) • India (Kaziranga National Park)

THE FINDINGS

The panel’s report, Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action, found: • The rangers accused of abuses were employed and managed by governments, not WWF. • No evidence that WWF staff directed, participated in or encouraged any alleged abuses. • No evidence that WWF purchased or procured weapons for rangers. The panel also recognised that WWF was one of the first conservation organisations to embrace human rights principles, that our commitments often set higher standards than the laws and practices of the states in which we work, and that WWF took steps to support communities in the places it reviewed.

However, the panel found some significant shortcomings and management failures in the way some programmes have operated, most particularly that we: • Did not consistently create accessible grievance mechanisms and should have been more transparent in following up on complaints. • Need to more firmly engage governments to uphold human rights and use our influence better if they do not. • Need to strengthen our governance and management systems to manage risks consistently, more rigorously implement our policies, strengthen compliance and increase transparency.

WWF’S RESPONSE – A SUMMARY

As well as publishing a general response to the report we have also published a technical response, detailing the specific actions we are taking in response to each of the panel’s recommendations. The full technical response can also be found at the link above. We will regularly and transparently assess our progress, beginning in 2021. We are committed to:

• Establishing effective grievance mechanisms in every country in which WWF works so complaints from communities can be raised, received, tracked and properly addressed. The Human Rights Centre in the Central

African Republic (set up in 2016), which the panel praised as an example of best practice, is WWF’s model for integrated grievance mechanisms in complex landscapes. • Strengthening our social and environmental safeguards, a mandatory set of actions to engage communities better, identify and manage risks and ensure consistency in our field work. These safeguards have been approved by all WWF boards worldwide (since July 2019) and implementation is led by a new dedicated Global

Safeguards Unit. • More firmly using WWF’s influence to support human rights, and preparing our in-country teams to suspend or withdraw from projects if the safeguards are not met. • Establishing an office of the Independent Ombudsperson (this process is under way) that will hold WWF accountable to our commitments and safeguards and will provide conflict resolution services to communities in which we work. • Taking additional steps to help reduce conflicts between communities and government rangers, such as making human rights training mandatory for all of WWF’s projects that involve enforcement and helping establish the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (in 2020), an international coalition dedicated to professionalising rangers, including developing a global code of conduct. • Mandating that all high-risk conservation projects are screened by a new, high-level global risk committee of

WWF’s leading conservation experts. • Building staff capacity, including having trained all 7,500 of our staff around the world on our new safeguards system. • Incorporating WWF’s commitments to safeguards and human rights in relevant agreements. We appreciate the panel’s diligent work and welcome its recommendations as important guidance in our evolution as a conservation organisation, as we work to ensure we operate to the very highest standards.