Ms. Casper is a member of EarthRights International’s Board of Directors
I’ve just returned from a week-long donor delegation to the Mekong region – where a group of donors and board members experienced firsthand the power of EarthRights International’s community-led work. I have long admired EarthRights’ legal advocacy since I’m also a lawyer, but this trip made something unmistakably clear: EarthRights’ mission is not just important right now; it is essential for the health of communities and the ecosystems all life depends on in this time of disruption.
For 30 years, EarthRights has stood with communities at the intersection of human rights and environmental justice. They were leading the way long before the rest of us understood how inseparable those two struggles truly are.
One of the most defining examples was EarthRights’ landmark case, Doe v. Unocal, litigated on behalf of community members harmed by Unocal, a U.S. oil and gas company that partnered with the Burmese military to build a gas pipeline. The case affirmed what EarthRights’ fact finders had found: the Burmese military had “forced villagers to do backbreaking work to support the gas pipeline project, while committing other horrific abuses, including rape and murder.” The case ended in a landmark settlement in 2005, where for the first time a U.S. multinational corporation paid compensation for the survivors of abuses that took place outside the country, far away from the headquarters.
The Mekong Donor Delegation learning from Niwat Roykaew (Kru Tee) in Chiang Khong, northern Thailand.
That case helped cement a powerful, inescapable reality: companies can be held accountable for human rights abuses committed abroad before U.S. courts. It shifted the landscape of corporate accountability and ushered in a new era of corporate due diligence in response to people using the power of the law.
What struck me most on this trip was not just the legal victories, which go well beyond the Unocal case, it was the EarthRights staff’s staying power. When EarthRights takes on a corporate battle, it stands with communities for the long haul. Not just through headlines. Not just through court filings. But through years of partnership, care, and authentic solidarity.
Over three decades, EarthRights has trained hundreds of emerging leaders across the Mekong region, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. These leaders are now at the forefront of urgent movements and working to:
- Protect communities from toxic pollution caused by the mining of rare earth minerals used in the production of our phones and electric vehicles.
- Challenge new fossil fuel projects that threaten climate stability and fundamental rights.
- Build resilience in places where civic space is shrinking and environmental human rights defenders face real danger.
EarthRights does not work on abstract policy debates far away from where harm is occurring. EarthRights is working locally to support frontline struggles that cascade onto the global stage as a result of connected and empowered communities. EarthRights ensures communities are equipped with legal tools, organizing skills, and global networks to win both inside and outside the halls of power.
As EarthRights enters its 30th year, it has both a proven track record and a bold vision for the future: a world where communities are connected across borders, corporations are accountable, and local leadership drives global justice.
In times when environmental defenders are under threat and corporate power is expanding, EarthRights remains a steady, strategic, and courageous force. Thirty years in, the work is far from done. If anything, it has never been more urgent. I invite you to mark this milestone year by investing in the next chapter of EarthRights’ work. Your support powers the legal strategies, leadership development, and cross-border solidarity that make lasting change possible.
