Leonard Alaza

Leonard is the Research and Information Dissemination Program Coordinator at Jaringan Orang Asal Semalaysia (JOAS) and is responsible for carrying out research on the issues and concerns of Indigenous peoples in Malaysia. As part of this role, he has compiled cases of human rights violations against Indigenous peoples of Malaysia for submission to the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, and UN Special Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples. As part of a “Reducing the Impact of the Dutch Economy on Indigenous Peoples” project, Leonard is also currently conducting conflict resolution activities throughout cases in Borneo where palm oil production has impacted ecosystems and the livelihoods of Indigenous people. Training received during this program would assist Leonard’s work by gaining a better understanding of Indigenous peoples’ rights and the processes involved in effectively advocating for these rights. He is also particularly eager to learn from the experiences of trainers and other participants of the program.