As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders this year, there is a myriad of questions to reflect on, along the lines: have things improved for defenders? Are they safer than they were 25 years ago? Have we done enough to ensure that they can safely exercise their right to defend human rights?

But while these are important questions that need to be addressed, when I really think of this anniversary, there is one image that comes to my mind. It is like a giant carrousel of faces, of angry tears and hopeful smiles, of silent marches and joyful songs, of spirited looks and determination.

And as this carrousel is spinning in front of my eyes, with images and memories of all the defenders I had the honor to meet over the years, I can’t help but think that there is nowhere else I’d rather be, nothing else I’d rather do, than continuing to use my voice to raise theirs.

I was recently elected as the first UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention. I have been tasked to protect those who defend our right to a safe, clean, and healthy environment, as recognized by the UN General Assembly, to protect the defenders who are the most at risk, worldwide, of being penalized, persecuted, harassed, and even killed for what they do, and sometimes only for who they are.

In the last few months, I have met with many more environmental defenders, including from a new generation of climate activists who are reinventing new forms of mobilization to demand that those in power act to protect our planet and its species, including humankind. As always, these encounters have created in me a deep sense of admiration and a source of inspiration: more images are now spinning in the carrousel.

This year, and in the years to come, I will try to honor environmental defenders and their work, by putting at least as much thought, energy, and boldness in protecting them, as they put in defending our rights and the future of our planet, and by trying to be at least as spirited and as outspoken as they are in showing us the way for a brighter future for us all.

To me, celebrating the 25 years of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders is about remembering and celebrating those who have passed and those who are still here, those I have met and those who are not born yet. It is about celebrating entire generations of individuals who, in all possible forms, are bringing us together and giving a real meaning to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And to all of them I would like to say: thank you