Independent Review

In 2019, WWF commissioned an independent panel of experts to review how we were responding to reports of human rights abuses by government partners in complex and remote landscapes in Central Africa, India, and Nepal. Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action is the resulting report. We wanted a tough and unbiased evaluation of our efforts in order to continue to learn and improve our programs. We published the Independent Review in November 2020. Importantly, the panel found no evidence that WWF staff directed, participated in, or encouraged any abuses. When concerns were raised, our staff took actions to respond. The panel was also unsparing in its conclusion that we need to do more. We embraced the panel's recommendations and initiated a robust three-year action plan to strengthen our systems and capacities. Throughout this period, we provided annual progress updates (see below), and at its conclusion we published an independent evaluation of our implementation of the action plan.

The Independent Review found no evidence that WWF staff directed, participated in, or encouraged human rights abuse of any kind. The panel recognized WWF was one of the first conservation organizations to embrace human rights principles; that WWF’s commitments often set higher standards than the laws and practices of the states in which we work; and that WWF took many steps to support communities.

The panel also identified shortcomings and called for more rigor in how we implement our policies, listen and respond to communities, and advocate for governments to protect human rights.

We welcomed the panel’s recommendations, which underpinned efforts already underway and have served as important guidance in our evolution as a conservation organization, and committed to addressing all of them.

WWF has long recognized that conservation and human rights are at the heart of sustainable development. In line with the panel’s recommendations, we designed and implemented measures to more consistently integrate human rights into our conservation work, including:

1. Implementing strengthened social safeguards, a mandatory set of actions to better engage communities, identify and manage risks, and ensure consistency in our work in landscapes.
2. Promoting ethical law enforcement, such as making human rights training mandatory for WWF’s projects that involve enforcement, and continuing support for the Universal Ranger Support Alliance, an international coalition dedicated to professionalizing rangers, including developing a global code of conduct.
3. Establishing complaints and grievance mechanisms in every country in which WWF works so concerns relating to our work can be raised, received, tracked, and addressed.
4. Mandating review of WWF's activities in high-risk places, including WWF’s commitments to safeguards and human rights in relevant agreements, and more firmly using our influence if rights are not upheld.
5. Building staff capacity, including having trained all WWF staff around the world on our enhanced safeguards system.
6. Including WWF’s commitments to safeguards and human rights in relevant agreements, and more firmly using our influence if rights are not upheld.
7. Establishing an Office of the Ombudsperson to provide conflict resolution services around local concerns when required.
8. Defining clear boundaries on what we will and will not fund, and we are prepared to suspend projects if our safeguards are not met.
9. Expanding Indigenous representation across WWF boards and advisory roles.