Continuing this year’s series on human rights and digital rights, we provide a link to the Submission to the Global Digital Compact: Key Priority Issues on Child Rights and the Digital Environment, from a variety of international NGOs. This stems from General Comment 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment from the CRC Committee adopted in 2021, and recommends that the Global Digital Compact incorporates the principles of the General Comment, and outlines of policies for governments and legislation for corporate responsibility READ THE SUBMISSION

In this issue, we profile Timorese alumna Pascoela Barreto, who leads Alola Foundation's HALIKU Women’s Cancer Program, provide information about DTP's programs and upcoming webinars, share reports on recent programs and news from alumni, partners and the region, and calls from the UN for your engagement. 

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER (HRD) GUIDELINES: A DTP AND FRONT LINE DEFENDERS WEBINAR SERIES - WEBINAR 1: WHAT ARE HRD GUIDELINES?, 23 October, 4:00pm AEDT, featuring Domenica Bumma (European External Action Service) and DTP alumnus Sayeed Ahmad (FLD). REGISTER HERE

BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: THE OECD GUIDELINES ON RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT AND THE NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS (NCP) WEBINAR SERIES The 3rd webinar in this series will focus on the need for companies to respect Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the role of the Australian NCP, 29 October. More details to follow

2nd OECD webinar: Promoting Human Rights through the Supply Chain, featuring speakers John Southalan (Independent Examiner, AusNCP), Laura McManus (Director, Commonwealth Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Office) and DTP alumna Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna. WATCH THE WEBINAR

1st OECD webinar: An Introduction to the Australian NCP, featuring speakers Laura Llewellyn (Director, AusNCP), John Southalan (Independent Examiner, AusNCP) and DTP alumnus Pillkyu Hwang. WATCH THE WEBINAR 

INDONESIAN WEBINAR ALUMNI SERIES: HUMAN RIGHTS, CLIMATE CHANGE, BUSINESS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: INDONESIA'S FOOD ESTATE IN WEST PAPUA AND ITS IMPACTS This series of three webinars highlights the impacts of Indonesia’s Food Estates in Merauke, West Papua, Indonesia.

1st webinar: Food Estate in West Papua and the Impact on the Community, featured Laksmi A. Savitri, Ph.D and Dr. Budi Hernawan and was moderated by alumnus Eko Waluyo WATCH THE WEBINAR

2nd webinar: Indonesia’s Food Estate in West Papua: Impacts on the Communities and Climate, featured Dorthea Wabiser (Pusaka) and Grant Rosoman (Greenpeace International) and was moderated by alumnus Eko Waluyo WATCH THE WEBINAR

WEBINAR SERIES - HUMAN RIGHTS, DIGITAL RIGHTS AND AI An Introduction to Governing Digital Rights and Children's Online Rights

WEBINAR SERIES – Ending Impunity for Violators of Human Rights - The Magnitsky Acts and Australia in partnership with STARTTS. WATCH HERE 

HUMAN RIGHTS WEBINAR SERIES - UN Human Rights Accountability Mechanisms in partnership with STARTTS. WATCH HERE

GENOCIDE WEBINAR SERIES - three webinars on Genocide and the Genocide Convention in partnership with STARTTS. WATCH HERE

UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (UNDRIP) WEBINAR SERIES NOW AVAILABLE HERE.

PACIFIC VOICES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, November 12 - December 3, 2025 in partnership with PIANGO, 15 climate advocates from seven Pacific countries. More information to follow.

33rd ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLES' DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM: Timor-Leste, August 25 - September 5, 2025 - at the invitation of President José Ramos-Horta and in partnership with Global Campus of Human Rights, Justice System Monitoring Project and Human Rights Centre, UNTL with AIPP, FORUM-ASIA, PIANGO and MFA concluded on 5th September. 31 participants from 13 countries. Trainers included President Ramos-Horta, Professor Lucas Lixinski, Mike Hayes, Nelson Santos, Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Arul Prakkash, Fritzie Rodriguez, Joshua Cooper and more. READ MORE

REGIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS EXCHANGE - LEARNING AND TRAINING 2025: Baguio, Philippines, August 15-20. DTP partnered with AIPP and IWGIA for the Asia IPHRD Exchange held in Baguio with local hosts and partners, Katribu and Cordillera Peoples Alliance. The program brought together IPHRDs from 8 countries. Participants shared experiences, changing contexts and strategies. Program content focused on digital security for HRDs, human rights defenders guidelines and engaging with diplomatic missions. This is the third year DTP has partnered with AIPP and IWGIA as AIPP builds its regional IPHRD network. Report to follow.

HUMAN RIGHTS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND BUSINESS IN THE PACIFIC: Suva, Fiji, 23-27 June 2025 in partnership with PIANGO, Fiji Council of Social Services and OHCHR-PRO. 25 Pacific human rights and climate change advocates gathered together for the new program focusing on Human Rights, Climate Change and Business in the Pacific. READ MORE

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND BUSINESS: Chiang Mai, Thailand 9-13 June in partnership with Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP). 23 participants from 7 countries, and six DTP alumni returning as trainers. AIPP Secretary General led the session on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Self-Determination. There was a focus on the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct with Serena Lillywhite AM. READ MORE

For information about our alumni, click here. If you want to get in contact with any of DTP's alumni, please contact the office at [email protected].

CIVICUS shares account of recent protests in Timor-Leste in discussion with two student activists caught up in the protests. It explains what sparked the protests, what the protesters demanded, the response of the authorities, and the outcome of the protests. READ MORE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT at the 4th ASEAN–EU CSOs Forum in Kuala Lumpur, 52 civil society groups—including Indigenous Peoples’ organisations—urged ASEAN and the EU to recognise, protect, and partner with CSOs in shaping regional human rights and sustainability policies READ MORE

LAWKAPALA FOUNDATION share Myanmar NUG Ministry of Foreign Affair's Special Issue of Myanmar Updates (8 Oct 2025) on how an engineered election inside a controlled information space locks in military rule—and why this threatens regional stability READ MORE

FORUM-ASIA shares a video on police brutality in Indonesia directed against legitimate protests, in breach of Indonesia’s obligations under the ICCPR that it has ratified READ MORE

OHCHR PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE through the Pacific Climate Change and Human Security (PCCMHS) Programme Phase II is organising a Regional Workshop on Human Rights and Climate Mobility, to be held from 2–4 December 2025 in Nadi, Fiji READ THE CONCEPT NOTE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT co-organised the 5th Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia (IKPA) Conference: Celebrating & Advancing the Power and Leadership of Indigenous Women. 157 participants including 128 women, 29 men, and 51 youth from 16 countries and 53 national, regional and global organizations gathered for one of the largest and most inspiring conferences in AIPP’s history. READ MORE AT AIPP'S FACEBOOK PAGE

Special Rapporteur on the right to development and DTP trainer, Surya Deva, tables new report “Financing for inclusive, sustainable and participatory development” calling for governments to finance only inclusive, sustainable and participatory development READ MORE

UN Secretary-General reports to the Human Rights Council that 32 states have initiated reprisals against persons or individuals working or seeking to work with the UN READ MORE

OHCHR: Quarterly Newsletter “UPR in the Regions” READ HERE

University of Peace: eCourse: Operationalizing the Right to Development in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, 29 October - 25 November, deadline for applications 26 October READ MORE

University of Peace: eCourse: Mainstreaming the Right to Development in Voluntary National Review Reporting, 26-7 November, deadline for applications 20 November READ MORE

Centre for Sport and Human Rights: new report “Mapping Rights and Duties at the Intersection of Sport, Human Rights and the Climate Crisis” READ THE REPORT

SAVE THE DATE: 2025 Asia Pacific Social Forum on 1-5 November REGISTER HERE

SAVE THE DATE: Macquarie University’s Environmental Law Research Centre and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Regional Office for the Pacific are co-organising an International Conference on “Securing justice for the planet: Opportunities for, and barriers to, course correction”, 18-19 March 2026 Sydney. CLICK HERE FOR CALL FOR PAPERS

DTP acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, the Bedegal people of the Eora Nation. We recognise their lands were never ceded, and we acknowledge their struggles for recognition and rights and pay our respects to the Elders – past, present – and the youth who are working towards a brighter tomorrow. This continent always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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