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WWF-International has today published an independent review into allegations of human rights abuses and other serious misconduct by government eco-guards in landscapes where WWF operates.

Given the seriousness of the allegations we wanted a challenging and unbiased evaluation of our efforts to continue to learn and improve our programmes.

The panel found no evidence that any WWF staff directed, participated in, or encouraged abuse. When concerns were raised, our staff took action to respond. The panel was also concluded that we must do more. We embrace the Panel's recommendations and are addressing them, in addition to actions we’ve already taken to meet our commitments to communities better. We will regularly report on progress made against these actions.

The reported abuses by some government rangers horrify us and go against the values we stand for. We feel deep and unreserved sorrow for the people who have suffered. We will do more to make communities’ voices heard, respect their rights, and consistently advocate for governments to uphold their human rights obligations. 

The full review, details about the independent panel and WWF-International’s response can be found here.