DTP E-Newsletter 207

DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM

Building the capacity of Asia-Pacific
Human Rights Movements since 1990

The next contribution to this year’s series on the impacts of global heating on human rights features a video of Peggy Hicks, director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division of the UN Human Rights Office, addressing the UN Human Rights Council. In her account of a report from her office the "Impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights”, Ms Hicks points out that not only polluting companies, but governments whose jurisdiction they fall under should be held accountable for remediation and reparation. VIEW THE VIDEO

In this issue we profile alumnus Imam Shofwan, provide information about DTP's programs, partners and the region, and calls from the UN for your engagement.

DTP Programs

Screenshot of participants in the Australian and ASEAN Civil Society Exchange on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in the Fishing Industry 2024. Credit: DTP

AUSTRALIAN AND ASEAN CIVIL SOCIETY EXCHANGE ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY IN THE FISHING INDUSTRY: 10 October - 7 November in partnership with MFA: 14 participants from Australia, Indonesia and Thailand CSOs joined in the first online dialogue. Discussions to focus on how Australian, Indonesian and Thai CSOs can collaborate to address trafficking and slavery in regional fishing supply chains connected to Australian retailers and consumers.

UNDERSTANDING GENOCIDE AND THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION: HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND INTERNATIONAL LAW: 22 October 7pm AEDT. First webinar in a new 3-part series in partnership with STARTTS, featuring Francesca Albanese, SR on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 and Chris Sidoti. REGISTER HERE

BUILDING SOCIAL INCLUSION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY IN MYANMAR: 11-29 November, Australia: 15 Fellows from the Myanmar diaspora will participate in a knowledge exchange with Australian organisations, building their capacity and initiating lasting relationships between individuals and organisations in Myanmar and Australia. More information to follow.

"EMPOWERING HUMAN RIGHTS BY ERADICATING CORRUPTION": EXPLORING THE NEXUS: 2-6 December 2024, Malaysia. Applications open for this pilot capacity building program in partnership with The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center), deadline 31 October. READ MORE

DTP BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ALUMNI NETWORK WORKSHOP: December 2024, Bangkok. DTP is calling for expressions of interest from its alumni in participating in a three-day workshop in Bangkok, Thailand with a view of establishing a Business and Human Rights alumni network. REGISTER HERE

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE PACIFIC: SHARING KNOWLEDGE, LISTENING AND STRENGTHENING PACIFIC VOICES: February/March 2025, Australia. 15 Fellows from the Pacific Islands to participate in a program to increase the impact and influence of Pacific voices calling for more ambitious action on climate change. More information to follow.

32nd ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEOPLES' DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM: Timor-Leste 12-23 August 2024 – 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 – AIPP, FORUM-ASIA, PIANGO and MFA. 28 participants from 14 countries across the region. Trainers included UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Surya Deva. READ MORE

REGIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER EXCHANGE, 18-23 August, Cambodia, with AIPP and IWGIA. DTP trainer and Training Committee member Matthew Coghlan led sessions on advocacy, business and human rights for Indigenous peoples rights defenders from across Asia.

PACIFIC, CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK BUILDING: 25-27 June, Suva. In partnership with PIANGO, CCF and OHCHR. 17 Pacific CSOs and experts participated in a consultation workshop to develop a new capacity building strategy on human rights, climate change and business in the Pacific. READ WELCOME REMARKS FROM OHCHR and READ MORE

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS - UNDRIP WEBINAR SERIES: DTP, in partnership with Oxfam Australia, launched a new webinar series on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The first webinar focussed on the right to self-determination, featuring Les Malezar and Monica Morgan. WATCH HERE More information to follow on the next webinar.

DTP NETWORKING AND WEBINARS: DTP is planning a series of webinars to continue knowledge building with DTP alumni. Planning is underway for webinars on Deep Sea Mining, and on Human Rights, Digital Rights and Artificial Intelligence. To express interest and/or suggest webinar topics, please contact [email protected]

DTP Board members, staff and volunteers with President Jose Ramos-Horta at UNSW. Credit: UNSW

DTP Welcomes Founder Timorese President During UNSW Visit

DTP Board members, staff and volunteers joined with the Faculty of Law & Justice to host a special session on social justice and human rights with DTP Founder President José Ramos-Horta.

Child Rights Webinar Series

24 webinars on the Convention on the Rights of the Child are available here. Each webinar features leading child’s rights experts, practitioners and young people exploring the challenges in realising children’s rights in practices.

Alumni Profile

Imam Shofwan

Imam Shofwan is an award winning Indonesian human rights defender, journalist and researcher. He is the Head of Community Network at Jaringan Advokasi Tambang (JATAM), a mining advocacy network comprising Indonesian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community groups dedicated to protecting mining workers, the environment, and the land rights of Indigenous peoples.

"The DTP training also enhanced my ability to support grassroot movements as the training introduced me to the tools and strategies for amplifying community voices.."

DTP Alumni in Action

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].

President Jose Ramos-Horta answering a question at UNSW. Credit: UNSW

TIMOR-LESTE

President José Ramos-Horta spoke on the power of diplomacy 25 years after Timor-Leste's vote for independence during his visit to Australia.

LISTEN HERE

INDIA / TIMOR-LESTE

Francelino dos Santos shares a solidarity message from Komite Esperansa in Timor-Leste for the people of Manipur suffering human rights violations at the hand of the security forces.

INDONESIA

Jimrex Calatan from the Philippines shares a petition to stop the expansion of Ulumbu Geothermal Power Plant in East Nusa Tenggara province leading to abuse of the human rights of the Pocoleok Indigenous Community.

INDONESIA / WEST PAPUA

DTP Trainer Arul Prakkash invites registration to Zoom webinar “Human Rights Video Archiving: The Paradox of Evidence and Impunity in West Papua” to discuss the crucial role of video documentation in combating impunity and advocating for justice, October 17.

Photo of Paul Belisario. Credit: Paul Belisario

SOUTH EAST ASIA

Paul Belisario shares video of webinar “A Voice to Peoples: The Peoples’ Tribunal and the fight for Justice and Self-Determination from West Papua to the Philippines!”

WATCH HERE

Pope Francis with members of Pax Romana Credit: Pax Romana

GLOBAL

DTP alumni William Nokrek, Anselmo Lee, Adrian Pereira, and Ravi Tissera were part of the organising team for the Pax Catholica 2024 Forum, and presented the outcome of the Forum “Appeal for Peace” to Pope Francis.

READ THE APPEAL

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPAhas been extended in four districts of Assam for six months Credit: PTI File Photo

INDIA

Alumni share that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been extended in 4 districts of Assam due to "recent disturbances" in Bangladesh.

Grassroots Forum on Migration Governance banner. Credit: GFMG

OHCHR PACIFIC REGIONAL OFFICE Registrations are now open for the 4th Pacific Business and Human Rights Forum in Fiji and on-line on 30-31 October REGISTER HERE

FRONT LINE DEFENDERS, FORUM-ASIA, South Asians for Human Rights call on the governments of India and Manipur State to act to ensure the safety of human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam and his family and colleagues READ MORE

FORUM-ASIA New video from the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum with the participation of local community leaders VIEW THE VIDEO

PIANGO In a press release PIANGO advises that it has taken the helm of the Vika Pasifika project on public finance management, emphasizing the need for community involvement in decision-making READ MORE

ASIA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PACT shares joint statement with the CHT Commission and IWGIA calling for urgent action on ongoing violence and attacks on Indigenous peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts READ MORE

News from the Region

AUSTRALIA In a new report, “Rights-First: Principles for Digital Platform Regulation”, Human Rights Law Centre calls on the Government to regulate digital platform companies rather than continuing to let them self-regulate READ THE REPORT

LAOS Manushya Foundation's shadow report to the CEDAW Committee reveals abuses of Indigenous women, lack of access to justice, human trafficking and sexual exploitation READ THE REPORT

Shot of people's hands on mobile phones cover of Rights-First: Principles for Digital Platform Regulation” report. Credit: Human Rights Law Centre

CAMBODIA ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights calls for the releases of Nuon Toeun, deported from Malaysia and imprisoned for criticism of the Prime Minister, and Mech Dara, imprisoned for exposing corruption READ MORE

THAILAND The National Human Rights Commission calls on the Prime Minister to review the Land Bridges project in Southern Thailand for its serious threat to the environment and its impacts on local communities READ MORE

BANGLADESH/LEBANON Bangladeshi migrant workers missing and many others injured, and left without food and shelter as Israel bombs country READ MORE

THAILAND/MYANMAR Nearly 300 undocumented Myanmar workers arrested at a construction site in Ayutthaya, face prosecution and deportation READ MORE

INDONESIA/WEST PAPUA The Permanent Peoples Tribunal on State and Environmental Violence in West Papua presented its guilty on all charges judgement at the UN Human Rights Council READ THE JUDGMENT

UN News and Calls to Contribute

Cover of BUILDING HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED MIGRATION NARRATIVES THE STORY OF #DARI DAPUR AND #MYGREAT STORY guide showing women in headscarf smiling with a tray containing fruit on her head. Credit: OHCHR

OHCHR: New report on the human rights of migrants in transit recommends a review of security-driven and deterrence-based migration governance, countering negative narratives and the expansion of pathways for safe and regular migration READ THE REPORT

OHCHR: New guide to inspire and support civil society actors and other stakeholders in the Asia Pacific region to build human rights-based migration narratives READ MORE

UN WOMEN: ASEAN Gender outlook reveals that although many of the SDG targets are closer to being reached, climate change and environmental degradation are still substantially affecting women and girls READ MORE

OHCHR: Call for inputs on lessons learned and good practices of transitional justice that contribute to peace and development, deadline 1 November READ MORE

UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children: call for input “Sexual abuse of children in peacekeeping and humanitarian contexts”, deadline 1 November READ MORE

OHCHR: Call for inputs on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, deadline 8 November READ MORE

Working Group on Disappearances: Call for submissions on Thematic Report on Enforced Disappearances in the Context of the Defense of Land, Environment, and Natural Resources, deadline 30 November READ MORE

Resources and Events

Association for the Prevention of Torture: Detention Focus Database features analysis, legal standards, monitoring questions, and further readings on key issues related to prison and groups in situations of vulnerability from a monitoring and human rights perspective VIEW THE DATABASE

International and Canadian Child Rights Partnership (ICCRP) is organising a series of virtual webinars and a virtual intergenerational roundtable marking World Children's Day, starting on 18 November FIND OUT MORE

Internships

DigitalReach is looking for one research and advocacy intern to assist the ongoing work on digital rights-related policy and social media accountability, and one intern to assist the organisation with the ongoing work on cyber surveillance in Southeast Asia, apply by 23 October APPLY HERE and HERE

2023 Annual Report

DTP's 2023 Annual Report is now available. It showcases DTP's activity throughout the past year as we returned to face-to-face programs.

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.

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We want to hear from you

One of DTP's strengths is you, our alumni and networks. If you have news, opinion pieces, resources or examples of best practice to share, or have questions on human rights, please send them to us at [email protected]. Please stay safe.

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Diplomacy Training Program
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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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