Continuing our series on the human rights and environmental impacts of corporate and government practices on the seas and oceans, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Conservation Council for Hawaiʻi have sued the US Government over its approval of The Metals Company's application to explore for seabed minerals in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone. The approval sidesteps the International Seabed Authority, and the groups argue it breached public participation requirements. READ MORE

In this issue, we profile alumna Safina Maulida, an ecofeminist and peacebuilder from Indonesia, provide information about DTP's programs and webinars, news from DTP alumni, partners, and the region, and calls from the UN for your engagement.

Award-Winning DTP Alumni

Congratulations to two DTP alumni on receiving international awards for their work to defend democracy: Bone Thit from Myanmar and Jonathan Mesulam in Papua New Guinea - see below for more information.

Vale Beverly Joeman

It is with great sadness that DTP learnt of the passing of Malaysian human rights and Indigenous Peoples Rights Defender, Beverly Joeman on September 7th.

Beverly was a leader of JOAS, DTP’s partner in Sabah, where she participated in and led capacity-building programs with DTP on Indigenous peoples' rights in Asia. Bev was also Vice Chair of Bersih in Sabah and Co-Convenor in Aliran – prominent in Malaysia’s human rights and democracy movement.  She also served as project coordinator for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children’s Rights and was an executive committee member of Engage.  She was known well beyond Malaysia’s borders, contributing to movements across Asia. 

Her passion, courage, commitment, humour and smile made friends, lit up rooms and helped build movements.  She will be greatly missed. We mourn her loss and extend DTP’s deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. READ MORE

Strategy Workshop on Human Rights Education and Advocacy

We are also asking for your help with our survey to inform our workshop and strategy on human rights and capacity building.  To take part in the survey, please click here. Thank you to those who have already contributed. If you would like more information or you are interested in participating, please email [email protected].

DTP at Pacific Pre-COP31

DTP was well-represented at the Pacific Pre-Cop31, with alumni from across the Pacific who reunited in Nadi to have their voices heard and to demand action from COP31 in Turkiye.  DTP trainer and facilitator Joshua Cooper was there to help and co-organise multiple gatherings for Pacific activists at Fiji National University, as well as a Talonoa on Business, Human Rights, and Climate Change.

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

2026: STRATEGY WORKSHOP ON CAPACITY BUILDING ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIA

Bangkok, Thailand, 13-18 September 2026: DTP organised two workshops bookending the UN Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights. The workshops with partners and alumni discussed priorities for civil society capacity building on BHR and had a specific focus also on AI and human rights. The workshops will guide a new regional capacity-building strategy on business and human rights for DTP and its partners, FORUM-ASIA, AIPP and MFA. READ MORE.

2026: 34th ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM

Dili, Timor-Leste, 22 August - 5 September 2026: Held at the invitation of DTP Founder and Patron, President José Ramos-Horta, in partnership with Global Campus of Human Rights, JSMP and the UNTL Human Rights Centre. Twenty-six human rights defenders from sixteen countries across the Asia-Pacific participated in the program. Trainers included Professor Surya Deva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Justine Nolan of UNSW, Dr Mike Hayes of Madihol University, Arul Prakkash, Livania Bakhita dos Santos Gomes, and DTP alumni Neson Santos and Yuyun Wahyuningrum. For more information, including presentations, speeches and the schedule, CLICK HERE.

BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, THE OECD GUIDELINES, AND NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS

Jakarta, Indonesia, 8-12 May 2026: Held in partnership with INFID and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights. Twenty-six participants from across Indonesia gathered in Jakarta to share experiences of how business impacts human rights and the environment, and learned about the UNGPs and OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct as Indonesia joins the OECD and establishes an NCP complaints mechanism. PROGRAM REPORT HERE

2026: REGIONAL CONSULTATION AND CONSULTATION ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S RIGHTS CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS

Chiang Mai, Thailand, 25-27 June 2026:  Held in partnership with the Asia Indigenous People's Pact (AIPP). The consultation brought together representatives of Indigenous People's organisations and networks from across Asia to reflect on over 20 years of DTP's Indigenous People's programs, and to set future directions for DTP's Indigenous People's programs. READ MORE

2026: UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Sydney, Australia, 26 June 2026: Held in partnership with STARTTS and The Bill Crews Foundation. The training was lead by Louisa Yasukawa of UNICEF Australia. The program was designed to strengthen understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and explore practical applications of child rights frameworks across law, policy, health, education, and refugee services. READ MORE

2026: HUMAN RIGHTS AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES IN INDONESIA, AN INDONESIAN DIASPORA FORUM

UNSW Sydney, Australia, 18 June 2026: Held in collaboration with Gerakan Sydney Untuk Bersuara (GUSAR). The event featured Saurlin Siagian (Commissioner of KomnasHAM), Herlambang P. Wiratraman (Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Gadijah Mada), and Gita Putri Damayana.  Drawing on their respective areas of expertise, the speakers examined the challenges facing democratic governance, civic participation, and human rights protection in contemporary Indonesia. READ MORE

2026: SPECIAL ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CHILD RIGHTS AND DIGITAL RIGHTS, WITH DR VICTOR KARUNAN

DTP was pleased to host eminent human rights activist Victor Karunan in late April. Victor shared with us “The Youth Charter: Advancing the 2030 Global Development Agenda”, the outcome of a meeting of more than 170 young delegates representing over 45 countries convened in Malaysia for the Future Action Summit in November.  READ MORE

2026: HUMAN RIGHTS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND BUSINESS IN THE PACIFIC 

Suva, Fiji, 23-27 March, 2026 in partnership with PIANGO, FCOSS and OHCHR-PRO. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Surya Deva, was the lead trainer on the program, which hosted 23 participants from 10 countries, including DTP's first-ever participants from Palau and Niue. The program was opened by the Honourable Filimoni Vosarogo, Fiji’s Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources, Regional Pacific Representative of the OHCHR Heike Alefsen, and Emeline Siale Ilolahia, Executive Director of PIANGO. READ MORE

See program highlights short video VIEW HERE

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER (HRD) GUIDELINES: A DTP AND FRONT LINE DEFENDERS WEBINAR SERIES

BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: THE OECD GUIDELINES ON RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONDUCT AND THE NATIONAL CONTACT POINTS (NCP) WEBINAR SERIES

INDONESIAN ALUMNI WEBINAR SERIES: HUMAN RIGHTS, CLIMATE CHANGE, BUSINESS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: INDONESIA'S FOOD ESTATE IN WEST PAPUA AND ITS IMPACTS 

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

CHILD RIGHTS AND REPORTING WEBINAR SERIES. WATCH HERE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT released a position paper warning that grouping Indigenous Peoples with local communities under the IPLC label erodes their distinct collective rights, including free, prior and informed consent. READ MORE

CIVICUS draws on the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation's 2026 Progress Report to argue that civil society must be a genuine partner in development, not merely consulted. More than 80% of civil society organisations surveyed said donor funding mainly reflects donor priorities rather than their own. READ MORE

CIVICUS has urged the Philippine Government to end the red-tagging, fabricated charges and protest restrictions used against activists, and to meet its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. READ MORE

FRONT LINE DEFENDERS is calling for the release of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha. They were rearrested under anti-terrorism laws within hours of the Supreme Court granting them bail. READ MORE

FORUM-ASIA and FRONT LINE DEFENDERS are calling for the release of Malaysian human rights defenders Amir Hadi and Dobby Chew. They were arrested under the Anti-Money Laundering Act after their organisations' bank accounts were frozen and travel bans imposed. READ MORE

MIGRANT FORUM IN ASIA recently released a policy brief finding that migrant workers face systemic barriers to compensation for workplace injuries and deaths, which they argue is a structural policy failure rather than an issue of poor implementation. READ MORE

Emeline Siale Ilolahia, Executive Director of PIANGO, told leaders ahead of the pre-COP31 meetings that Pacific civil society must help shape climate and relocation policy rather than simply delivering small grants. She called for community groups to be included in research and planning and to bring traditional and Indigenous knowledge into decisions. READ MORE

United Nations Joint Statement on Transnational Repression: UN human rights experts issued a joint statement warning that states increasingly reach across borders to silence critics. The experts called on states to investigate allegations, provide remedies and tighten oversight of police cooperation tools, including ASEANAPOL. READ MORE

OHCHR's Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity calls for contributions on role of faith-based and humanist organisations in promoting international solidarity, to inform a report to be presented to the 65th session of the Human Rights Council. Deadline 16 October 2026. READ MORE

The Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied Since 1967 is seeking input on environmental destruction and degradation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the unprecedented scale of harm in Gaza since October 2023 and its cumulative, transboundary and intergenerational impacts. Deadline 1 November 2026. READ MORE

The Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights is seeking input on transnational repression carried out under the guise of counterterrorism, and on how "violent extremism" and "extremism" are defined and applied, to inform a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2027. Deadline 15 November 1016.  READ MORE

OHCHR is seeking input on implementation of its updated technical guidance on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, to inform a report to the Human Rights Council's 66th session in September 2027. Deadline 17 November 2026.  READ MORE 

The Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is seeking input on the treatment of LGBT persons deprived of liberty, including in prisons, police custody, immigration detention and psychiatric institutions, to inform a report to the Human Rights Council's 65th session. Deadline 30 November 2026. READ MORE

OHCHR is inviting inputs to inform the Secretary-General's analytical study on human rights and climate adaptation, requested under Human Rights Council resolution 62/14, to be presented at the Council's 66th session in September 2027. Deadline 31 December 2026. READ MORE

REFUGEES: UNSW's Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention with a resource hub. READ MORE

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS: The International Service for Human Rights has launched a free online course, "Advocacy for Environmental Human Rights Defenders: A Pathway," on the ISHR Academy, offering a conceptual, legal and strategic resource to help environmental human rights defenders and their allies turn local environmental struggles into coordinated international and regional advocacy. READ MORE

UPR MECHANISMS: The Brazilian Institute for Development and Human Rights, with the support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, has published “UPR: A Practical Guide for Civil Society Coalitions to Engage in Implementation Mechanisms”, a practical tool for national coalitions working within the UPR mechanism READ MORE

WORKER'S RIGHTS AND LABOUR: The International Trade Union Conference has released a series of podcasts of around 20 minutes each, “Collective Voices: Back to Basics”, on international labour standards and workers’ rights READ MORE  

DTP’s 2025 Annual Report is available here.  In 2025, DTP provided training to 186 human rights defenders across eight programs in Asia and the Pacific.  We know from our alumni the value of this training, and we see it in their decades-long work for human rights across Asia and the Pacific.

The Avery Dennison Foundation offers year-round grants of $50,000 to $100,000 to nonprofits working in education access, environmental sustainability, or secure livelihoods, with roughly 90% of funded projects based outside the United States and a focus on communities of highest need. READ MORE

CIVICUS's Crisis Response Fund and Digital Democracy Initiative are offering rapid-response digital resiliency grants of up to ten thousand US dollars for a single organisation or twenty thousand for joint applications, for civil society groups in the Global South facing imminent civic space threats, with applications accepted year-round on a rolling basis. READ MORE

Rainforest Trust offers Feasibility Awards and Protected or Conserved Area Creation Awards to legally registered NGOs working to create or expand protected areas that benefit endangered species, climate mitigation, or Indigenous and local communities, with concept notes accepted year-round and larger awards with deadlines on the 1st of March, July, and October each year. READ MORE

The Better Politics Fund's Resilient Futures Call is offering Ideation Grants of $10,000 - $20,000 and nomination-only Incubation Grants of up to $50,000, for non-partisan initiatives linking democratic political leadership with climate resilience, with priority countries in Asia including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Applications for Ideation Grants due 4 September 2026. READ MORE

Perspective Fund is offering grants of $25,000 to $150,000 to documentary filmmakers whose work engages complex social, cultural, or political issues, covering production, impact strategy, distribution, and participant compensation, with a focus on projects led by people closest to the issues they address. READ MORE

The Conservation, Food & Health Foundation offers grants, typically between 25,000 and 50,000 a year, to local and regional organisations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East working on conservation, food security, or public health, with applications reviewed twice yearly in spring and autumn. READ MORE 

The GEF Small Grants Program CSO Challenge, supported by the Global Environment Facility and led by IUCN, offers grants of up to $300,000 over 24 months to civil society organisations scaling proven environmental solutions, alongside capacity-building and technical support. READ MORE

Het Actie Fonds (The Action Fund) is seeking grant applications from frontline grassroots movements, including for their Climate Justice Grant program. Grants of up to €2,500 per year per group are available for projects that enable movement building and the development of radical strategies toward climate justice READ MORE

The Lighthouse Global Protection Fund delivers emergency assistance to human rights defenders and civil society organisations operating in high-risk environments worldwide.  Grants are available to eligible groups 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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