Luísa S.

During her teenage years, Luísa became involved in environmental movements such as Fridays for Future, which provided her with a more international perspective on the issue. When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, she and her friends organized a fundraiser to support activists at risk in the country. However, they realized that beyond financial assistance, it was necessary to consider all the other stages of a refuge process. The group also identified a gap in the field of human rights protection, as climate activists are not seen as a priority and are often not recognized as human rights activists. In response to this problem, the Climate Activist Defenders (CAD) initiative was born. CAD is an international initiative that provides tools and resources for activists to continue their fight with well-being and security, offering assistance with relocation, psychological support, training, and the creation of a contact network for emergency support.

The team consists of five individuals from different countries: Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Germany, and Morocco. They work horizontally and are divided into working groups such as Resource Protection, Social Media, Communication, Website, and Finance. CAD has already evacuated individuals from Libya, Mexico, Kenya, Uganda and Russia to different countries, and has provided shelter for Afghan activists in a safe house in Pakistan. During COP 27, they launched a hotline to address assistance requests, and they have now established partnerships with the German government and organizations in the United Kingdom and Brazil.