Need Support?
CAD provides personalized holistic safety & security support for environmental defenders and climate justice activists in immediate risk. The holistic approach covers support for:
Physical Security
Digital Security
Media & Narrative
Legal Support
Capacity Building
Protection Grants
Psychosocial Well-being
In addition, CAD provides capacity development sessions to support defenders and communities to improve their overall security situations.
How to reach out to CAD?
help@climateactivistdefenders.org
+491777649238
+491777649238
Read our guiding support principles and shared responsbility here.
What happens after you reach out to CAD?
Reach out to CAD through email, Signal/WhatsApp
1
We will follow up with you within 24 hours
To help us assess the urgency of your request please include as much information as possible in your message to us:
Your name and current location
What situation are you currently facing? Be as specific as possible and include when, where and who, if you know.
Include references that can vouch for your work as a defender.
2
Assessing your needs & verification
We will conduct a needs assessment with you to understand what type of support will be most helpful to you while we will simultaneously reach out to your references and our trusted partners to confirm your engagement in activities to advance climate justice.
3
Receive support
After assessing your needs together, we will provide the support that we identified. This can include referring you to another organization that can cover your request or support in areas of holistic safety & security (e.g. local lawyers, specialists for digital security, ...)
4
Support Guiding Principles
At Climate Activist Defenders (CAD), our role is to stand with you, shoulder to shoulder, in the struggle for climate justice.
We hold a deep responsibility toward every activist who reaches out to us. That responsibility is built on confidentiality, care, respect, and the promise to do no harm.
We approach every situation with humility and listening, knowing that you are the expert of your own context, your own safety, and your own story.
Our support is guided by:
Duty of care: We take seriously the emotional, ethical, and practical responsibility that comes with responding to crises. Every action we take aims to protect, not to harm.
Communicative care: We stay present, transparent, and human in every conversation. Honest and compassionate communication is part of how we care for one another.
Solidarity, not charity: ‘We act with, not for’. ‘We walk beside, not ahead.’ Support is a shared act of resistance and care and collective liberation.
Decolonial and anti-saviorist practice: We work to not reproduce dependency or power imbalance. Your agency, knowledge, and lived experience are central to every step we take together.
Transversality and intersectionality: We understand that all our struggles are connected, climate justice, gender justice, racial justice, economic justice, and that our different identities shape how we experience safety and risk depending on context.
Consent and trust: ‘Nothing about you, without you’. Your voice and choices guide the process at every stage.
Trauma-informed practice: We recognize that many who reach out are carrying visible or invisible wounds. We approach each situation with care, awareness, and respect for emotional safety and boundaries. Healing and protection take time and differs from one another.
Mutual accountability: We hold ourselves answerable to each other and to our shared ethics. Care is not one-sided; it’s a responsibility we all share.
Care: We know that preventing harm and offering support are complex. We commit to acting with sensitivity, honesty, and awareness of how our actions affect others.
Accessibility and low bureaucracy: We keep our processes simple and people-centered. We value trust over paperwork and make support accessible without unnecessary obstacles.
Learning in motion: We learn through feedback, reflection, mistakes, and growth. Our practices evolve with every experience and every person we walk alongside.
We are not perfect, and we don’t claim to have all the answers. But we promise to meet you with honesty, confidentiality, compassion, and solidarity, always aiming to protect, not to control; to accompany, not to rescue.
Our shared responsibility
Solidarity only works when it flows both ways. For this solidarity support to remain safe, trustworthy, and sustainable, we need to care for one another, including those who provide support.
We know that when activists reach out, they may be scared, exhausted, or under pressure. We hold space for that. But respect and integrity must remain our shared foundation.
Our team is made up of human beings, people who give their time, hearts, and skills to this collective cause. We cannot build protection in a space of harm.
That’s why we ask everyone who engages with Climate Activist Defenders to uphold the following commitments:
Respect and empathy: Treat every member of the support team with care, kindness, and consideration. We are all doing our best under challenging circumstances, and respectful communication allows us to continue this work together.
Transparency: Share your situation openly and truthfully. Trust is the foundation of our work, and transparency ensures that the right kind of support can be provided safely and effectively.
Mutual accountability: Our collective safety and well-being depend on everyone’s participation. Each of us plays a role in maintaining openness, honoring boundaries, and following through on commitments.
Patience and understanding: The work of protection and care often requires time, coordination, and thoughtful action. Please approach this process with patience, recognizing that responses may take time and that some requests may not always be possible to meet.
Trust and consent: Know that we act in good faith and with the intention to support. If something feels unclear or uncomfortable, you are encouraged to speak up. Open communication helps us adapt and maintain mutual trust.
Shared humanity: This is a collective of people, not a service. Our work is rooted in solidarity, cooperation, and care, not in transaction. Each person’s effort contributes to the strength of the whole.
Boundaries and availability: Members of the support team have limits to their capacity and availability. Respecting those boundaries ensures that care remains sustainable and that support can continue for everyone in need. Support is provided within the possibilities, capacities and ethical standards of the organization. While we strive to respond to every need, not all requests can be fulfilled immediately or exactly as envisioned. Clear and realistic expectations allow us to offer help that is steady, fair, and sustainable.
Integrity and conduct: We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward disrespect, violence in all its forms, deception, or any type of fraudulent behavior. Mutual trust and honesty are essential to keeping the network safe and functional for everyone involved. We also reserve the right to establish boundaries and limits in our communication, as well as to end a collaboration if mutual respect is not upheld.