IACHR extends Action Plan for Joint Working Group on precautionary measures for UNIVAJA, Bruno Pereira, and Dom Phillips in Brazil

January 6, 2026

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has decided to extend until July 3, 2026, the Action Plan adopted in the context of the Joint Working Group to implement precautionary measures MC- 449-22, granted in favor of Bruno Araújo Pereira, Dom Phillips, and 11 members of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (UNIVAJA) in Brazil. The State and representatives of beneficiaries of those precautionary measures agreed to extend the Action Plan and informed the IACHR of that agreement on December 10, 2025.

This Action Plan was developed by the IACHR with beneficiaries of MC-449-22 and their representatives. It has three major aims: (i) helping to ensure comprehensive compliance with MC-449-22; (ii) enabling a well-integrated platform for coordination and complementarity between national and international institutions (the IACHR); and (iii) ensuring direct participation by beneficiaries and their representatives.

The creation of the Joint Working Group was approved in Monitoring Resolution 76/23. It was launched on December 11, 2023, at a ceremony held in Brasilia that was attended by representatives of the IACHR. The IACHR decided to extend the Action Plan and noted that doing so would enable further progress to comprehensively implement the commitments made in connection with its various aspects and themes. These commitments include the adoption of measures to promote remembrance and symbolic reparation, strengthen and fully execute the Plan for Territorial Protection of the Javari Valley, and consolidate structural measures of non-recurrence.

In the context of this Action Plan, the IACHR has periodically received reports from the parties, including quarterly updates from the State, messages from beneficiary representatives, and two joint reports submitted in July 2024 and February 2025. The IACHR has also supported the implementation of this Action Plan, with technical assistance during national coordination meetings, country visits, press releases, and a public hearing during its 191th period of sessions.

In 2025, the IACHR acknowledged progress in efforts to implement this Joint Working Group and conducted an on-site monitoring visit to the Javari Valley, in the state of Amazonas, over the period August 4–7, 2025. The IACHR delegation—invited to conduct this visit by the State of Brazil—was led by IACHR Executive Secretary Tania Reneaum and also included members of the Executive Secretariat’s technical staff. The delegation visited Manaus, Tabatinga, and Atalaia do Norte, where it met with authorities representing several State institutions, beneficiaries of precautionary measures, social communications experts, and civil society organizations.

The IACHR also visited the memorial crosses erected as a tribute to Pereira and Phillips at the site where they were murdered, along with representatives of several State institutions, UNIVAJA, beneficiaries of MC-449-22, and the families of the two men. The delegation also took part in an event to debate journalism, communications, and misinformation in the Amazon, where the role of reporting and the defense of human rights in the fight against regional challenges including the climate crisis was highlighted.

The IACHR delegation also took part in a meeting of the Joint Working Group and held a working meeting concerning MC-449-22 that discussed the Action Plan. Through its Executive Secretary, the IACHR presented an assessment of the progress and challenges identified in the four aspects of this Action Plan:

1. It acknowledged progress in cooperation between UNIVAJA and the National Plan for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, among others by including members of UNIVAJA in the National Plan and providing logistics support.
2. It welcomed tributes held in June 2024 and noted Brazilian government plans to create the “Dom and Bruno Prize for Environmental Reporting,” set to be established in agreement with the families of the two men and their representatives.
3. It acknowledged progress in criminal justice proceedings against the perpetrators of the murders and the fact that charges had been pressed against the alleged mastermind. The IACHR stressed the importance of considering lines of inquiry that address Phillips’ role as a reporter, further pursuing with due diligence an investigation into threats made against members of UNIVAJA, and taking measures to ensure active transparency that do not compromise confidentiality in this case.
4. The IACHR welcomed the recent increase in oversight and the renewed State presence in the area, noting that both measures should be permanent and institutional. The Commission stressed that UNIVAJA should be involved in the management of the Plan for Territorial Protection of the Javari Valley and that an adequate budget should be allocated to that program.

The IACHR also welcomed the publication on November 6, 2025, by the State of Brazil of Decree 12,710/2025, to implement the National Plan for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (Plan DDH) and create the Interministerial Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Committee. The IACHR will continue to monitor their implementation, to ensure protection for human rights defenders in Brazil.

The IACHR acknowledges the measures taken by the State in coordination with beneficiary representatives to implement the Action Plan of the Joint Working Group, the protection measures that have been adopted in favor of beneficiaries who are members of UNIVAJA, and the Plan for Territorial Protection of the Javari Valley, as well as progress made in criminal justice proceedings concerning the murders of Pereira and Phillips.

The Action Plan of the Joint Working Group included stepping up efforts to ratify the Escazú Agreement. During 2025, this process made significant progress in the National Congress, and adherence to the treaty was approved by the lower chamber. Senate approval remained pending, as did final ratification by the Brazilian presidency.

The IACHR also sees persistent challenges, particularly concerning the need to strengthen individual protection measures and to increase participation by beneficiaries and the organizations who represent them in decision-making mechanisms.

Similarly, challenges persist in terms of ensuring active transparency in ongoing investigations and adopting relevant guidelines and protocols, in keeping with the applicable inter-American standards. The IACHR notes that it sent to Brazil technical materials detailing those inter-American standards and recently published a guide on the issue. The IACHR stresses that the State must adopt the redress measures mentioned in the Action Plan, as expected by the victims’ families.

The IACHR remains available to provide technical support in the context of a positive agenda. The Commission stresses the importance of ongoing dialogue that is constructive and transparent, as an essential tool to effectively implement precautionary measures and prevent new risks for beneficiaries.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 004/26

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