DTP - BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF ASIA-PACIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENTS 1990 - 2022

Welcome to this issue of DTP’s eNews. It carries news of DTP’s programs and activities, from and about DTP alumni, news from the region, events and resources. We have finally set dates for DTP’s much postponed 30th Annual Regional Human Rights and People's Diplomacy Program and will be making first selections with our partners from those who applied in 2019. We have dates also for our 1st program for Myanmar diaspora advocates in ASEAN.

DTP PROGRAMS

RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: The next webinar Children's Rights and the Right to Education with Sophie Wiggans (Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion) and Jonathon Sargeant (Australian Catholic University), 28 September, 1pm AEST. REGISTER HERE. Next CRC F2F Workshop in Melbourne – November 5th and 6th. Contact [email protected] for more details.

30TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLE'S DIPLOMACY PROGRAM: Rescheduled November 14th – 25th, Bangkok, Thailand – in partnership with Forum-Asia, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Migrant Forum in Asia, and Pacific Islands Association of NGOs. We will be in contact shortly with applicants with more information.

MYANMAR DIASPORA HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN ASEAN: To be held in Thailand from November 27th to December 3rd. Details to follow.

2ND ASIA PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS FORUM - PROTECTING THOSE WHO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT: convened by the UN Environment Programme, UN Human Rights, and the Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders, in partnership with Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, EarthRights International, FORUM-ASIA, Asia Research Institute for Environmental Law, 25-27 October, hybrid event - online and Bangkok.

DIPLOMATIC OUTREACH FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: (in partnership with AIPP) The start of this program has been delayed. More information will be sent to participants shortly. FIND OUT MORE

CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS SPECIAL PROCEDURES - Submitting Cases – with PIANGO, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, CCF and OHCHR-ROP. The start of this program has been delayed. More information will be sent to applicants shortly. FIND OUT MORE

ALUMNI PROFILE: WAHEED AHMAD

Waheed is a Pakistani human rights lawyer currently serving as the Chairman of the Child Protection Committee at Lahore Bar Association. For the past 16 years or so, Waheed has been working in Pakistan's juvenile justice system defending youths. Waheed also works as a legal advisor in multiple progressive organisations and advocates for women’s rights, minority rights and the rights of transgender people in Pakistan.

“In that training program, I have learnt a lot about legislation and the protection of the rights systems of different countries. That knowledge helped me explore and compare the Pakistani judicial system with other countries. I still use references from the DTP training in my legal practices at the courts."

Photo of Waheed Ahmad. Credit: Waheed Ahmad

DTP ALUMNI IN ACTION

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

BANGLADESH

Pervez Siddique, Executive Director of Films4Peace Foundation shares news of their success in being formally registered with the NGO affairs bureau and the presentation they made.

“We work at all levels of society through skills, education, dialogue, media, and community empowerment activities experiencing different forms of conflict and violence. We are empowering our youth through digital skills such as graphics design, video editing, photoshop, and related skills that have a huge demand both in Bangladesh and also internationally."

SEE THE PRESENTATION

Photo of Pill Kyu Hwang. Credit: Pill Kyu Hwang

KOREA/LAOS/ASIA

Pill Kyu Hwang was expert panelist at 4th UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia Pacific. Pill Kyu has recently concluded a field visit to Laos to follow-up on the impact of dam collapse in Laos (included as case study) in UNDP’s Reflections and Directions − Business and Human Rights in Asia: From the First Decade to the Next

Photo of Deep-sea tailings in PNG: Credit: Ralph Reeves Angiwa Mana

PNG

DTP alumnus shares concerns about mining and Deep-sea Tailings Placement in PNG

ASIA

DTP alumni and trainers were well represented as participants and presenters at the 4th UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia Pacific in Bangkok organised by UNDP – the first F2F BHR Forum since 2019. Concerns about impacts of business on Indigenous peoples featured prominently.

The John Kennedy Bingham Memorial Series poster. Credit: MFA

PARTNER NEWS

MIGRANT FORUM IN ASIA Launch of “People's Migration Challenge Round 6: The John Kennedy Bingham Memorial Series”, 27 September 2022 to 26 September 2023 REGISTER HERE

MIGRANT FORUM IN ASIA is a co-organiser with the ILO of the 2022 Global Media Competition on Labour Migration READ MORE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT: Asia Regional Conference/Dialogue on Indigenous Self-governance, Civic Space, Democracy and Pluralism, will take place in Chiang Mai Thailand, 28-29 September, with participants and case studies across Asia, Europe and Latin America. Organised in partnership with International Working Group Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Global Centre on Pluralism (GCP) and DTP.

PIANGO hosted a training program on development effectiveness for its members from Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Samoa, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu. The training is aligned to PIANGO’s Strategic Focus Area 1 on Governance and Leadership. READ MORE

FORUM-ASIA issues a statement calling for an end to harassment and reprisals against Bangladesh human rights organisation Odhikar READ MORE

Vishal Prasad, a campaigner with the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change from Fiji, poses outside the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 16, 2022. Credit: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

NEWS FROM THE REGION

THE PACIFIC Pacific Island Students Facing Climate Change hope their campaign for an advisory opinion from the ICJ will advance with the government of Vanuatu seeking a vote at the UN General Assembly READ MORE

NEPAL/SAUDI ARABIA Migrant Rights reports on daily death toll and wage theft of Nepali migrant workers READ MORE

GLOBAL Migrant Rights criticises and documents the exclusion of the voices of civil society in the first review of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) at UN headquarters READ MORE

INDONESIA/WEST PAPUA Amnesty International Indonesia demands open trial over soldier’s killing of 4 civilians in West Papua, while welcoming President’s order for the military to cooperate with police READ MORE

MYANMAR Latest report on progress made and remaining challenges with regard to the recommendations of the independent international fact-finding mission on Myanmar READ MORE

New UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Credit: UNHCR/Jean Marc Ferré

UN NEWS AND CALLS TO CONTRIBUTE

Austrian Volker Türk appointed as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights READ MORE

The Working Group on discrimination against women and girls is calling for submissions for its upcoming report “Human Security of Women and Girls in the Context of Poverty and Inequality”, deadline 3 October READ MORE

RESOURCES

OECD eLearning Academy on Responsible Business Conduct courses READ MORE REGISTER HERE

Save the Children: How to write a child-friendly document READ MORE

EVENTS

Funding applications for Indigenous representatives of Indigenous organisations and communities to attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) April 17-28, 2023 READ MORE and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) July 17-21, 2023 READ MORE are now open, deadline 16 October APPLY HERE

The 14th Asia Human Rights Forum: Human Rights Impact of New Technology on Persons with Disabilities REGISTER HERE

Thinking glocally: from theory to action on systemic racism - Maximizing and challenging the UN to advance racial justice, 29 September REGISTER HERE

Evaluation Advancing Advocacy is a capacity development project to support activists and HRDs to use evaluation to develop more effective advocacy campaigns READ MORE

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

FORUM-ASIA seeks an experienced professional as its new Executive Director, deadline 14 October APPLY HERE

Photo of Trainer Virginia Dandan and participant from 2019 Annual Program

PLEASE DONATE

DTP relies on donations to provide quality training to human rights defenders so that they can promote and protect human rights effectively in their societies. Please help if you can and donate here. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

Participants on DTP's 2019 Regional Workshop on Ethical Business and Recruitment Practices, Dubai

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

One of DTP's strengths is you, our alumni and networks. As we see the Covid-19 pandemic spreading and the different responses of government, business and communities, you have never been more important in communicating impacts, and enabling/driving solidarity, action and accountability. If you have news, opinion pieces, resources or examples of best practice to share, or have questions on human rights and Covid-19, please send them to us at [email protected]. Please stay safe.

Issue #158 September 2022

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We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work, the Bedegal people of the Eora Nation