Concluding this year’s series on human rights and digital rights, we provide a link to a new report from UNDP, The Next Great Divergence: Why AI May Widen Inequality Between Countries. The report highlights how many countries remain without the infrastructure, skills, and governance systems needed to capture the benefits of AI, especially in Asia and the Pacific, and makes recommendations on how to harness AI’s opportunities while managing its risks in support of broader human development. READ MORE

In this final issue for 2025, we profile Puangchomphu Suwansirisilp, a Thai human rights defender working on cybersecurity and digital rights, we provide information about DTP's programs and recent webinars, share reports on recent programs and news from alumni, partners and the region, and calls from the UN for your engagement. 

On behalf of the Diplomacy Training Program, we wish you all season’s greetings and best wishes for the new year. We will be back in your inboxes in the new year.

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY WORKSHOP ON ENGAGING WITH UN ANTI-TORTURE MECHANISMS: Sydney, Australia, 10 December, in partnership with STARTTS and the Whitlam Institute. 19 community leaders and members of diaspora communities participated in a capacity building workshop lead by Steven Caruana on Human Rights day. Report to follow. 

PACIFIC VOICES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, November 12 - December 3, 2025 in partnership with PIANGO. 15 climate advocates from seven Pacific countries participated in this intense knowledge exchange and capacity building program. They met with with academics, climate experts, parliamentarians, government officials and civil society. Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP was special guest speaker at the Closing Reception hosted by DTP’s Chair, Michael do Rozario at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. The program was funded by DFAT’s Australia Awards Fellowships Program and took place as the world gathered in Belem, Brazil for COP30.  

BUILDING RESILIENCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY THROUGH CAPACITY BUILDING: Bangkok, Thailand, November 4, 2025. DTP ran a workshop that attracted over 50 participants as part of the International Civil Society Week/Asia Democracy Assembly/Asia-Pacific Social Forum in Bangkok. DTP alumni were well represented in these regional forums, as participants and panelists. Workshop report 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 THE PROGRAM REPORT

See nice short video about DTP's Annual Program in Timor-Leste VIEW HERE

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

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER (HRD) GUIDELINES: A DTP AND FRONT LINE DEFENDERS WEBINAR SERIES - WEBINAR 1: WHAT ARE HRD GUIDELINES?, The first webinar features Domenica Bumma (European External Action Service) and DTP alumnus Sayeed Ahmad (FLD). WATCH THE WEBINAR

BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: THE OECD GUIDELINES ON RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT AND THE NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS (NCP) WEBINAR SERIES The 3rd webinar focused on companies responsibility to respect Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the role of the Australian NCP, featuring speakers John Southalan (Independent Examiner, AusNCP), and DTP alumni Frederic Wilson (AIPP) and Abbey Shillingford (Genesis Minerals). WATCH THE WEBINAR

2nd OECD webinar: Promoting Human Rights through the Supply Chain, featuring speakers John Southalan, 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 and DTP alumnus Pillkyu Hwang. WATCH THE WEBINAR 

INDONESIAN ALUMNI WEBINAR 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.

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].

MIGRANT FORUM ASIA invites registration to the on-line International Migrants Day Celebration,  Solidarity as Resilience: Weathering the Storm Together on December 17 REGISTER HERE

FORUM-ASIA shares an opinion piece describing the critical role to be played by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights in implementing the ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment which it helped and promoted at the recent ASEAN Summit at which Timor-Leste became a member of ASEAN READ MORE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT Calls for Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All Indigenous Peoples on Human Rights Day 2025 READ MORE

PACIFIC ISLANDS ASSOCIATION OF NGOS The Public Finance Management (PFM) Human Interest Stories-Pacific, Volume III - a collection of stories on the challenges that Pacific people face due to gaps in PFM was launched on Anti-Corruption Day READ MORE

PACIFIC ISLANDS ASSOCIATION OF NGOS shares CIVICUS' document on the state of civic space in Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Samoa and Tuvalu, Australia, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu and calls on the governments to do more to respect civic freedoms and strengthen institutions to protect these rights READ MORE

DTP Trainer Matthew Coghlan is the lead author on the recently released Altiorem guide Integrating human rights due diligence (HRDD) in finance and investment READ MORE

ISHR publishes Activist Guide to the Declaration +25, a guide to using, building on, and amplifying the standards in the Declaration +25 to protect the right to defend rights and to further the understanding and application of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders READ MORE

DTP alumnus Billy Wetewea of Kanaky shares that applications are now open for the OHCHR Minorities Fellowship Program 2026, open to all nationalities, deadline 31 January READ MORE

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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