Stories of Change from DTP's Alumni

"Respect for human rights is a shared dream that is made real by efforts of individuals working together in their own communities and across borders."

José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, DTP’s Founder & Patron
Sr Nicola

Sr Nicola Emmanuel

Sr Nicola Emmanuel, a nun in Sri Lanka, provides legal support, relief, rehabilitation, education and livelihood support to the families of the displaced, “disappeared” and imprisoned in Sri Lanka. One year after the DTP program, Sr Nicola put her training into practice, and took these issues to Geneva for the 34th session of the UN Human Rights Council and met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

At the DTP training program we had a role-play on the Human Rights Council in Geneva. It never occurred to me that I will get a real-life experience at United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to present my case and the issues in Sri Lanka. DTP’s training helped me to take the voices of the victims to Geneva, so that the world could hear them and act.

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Mark Munnich

Mark Munnich, a descendent of the Yawuru and Gunwggandji peoples is studying law and working as a community legal educator with the Northern Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA). Mark was subsequently selected to participate in the prestigious UN Indigenous Fellowship Program in Geneva.

DTP program empowered me to share the knowledge I learnt on the program with others and also helped me to secure an Indigenous Fellowship at the United Nations in Geneva.

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Photo of Nayela Akter

Nayela Akter

Nayela Akter, a Bangladeshi advocate for migrant workers, applied DTP’s training by working with others to prepare a report for the UN and then appearing before the UN Committee on the Rights of All Migrant Workers in Geneva in April 2017. The UN Committee accepted 26 of their 30 recommendations.

DTP/MFA have supported CSOs to organise themselves, to identify and prioritise their issues of concern, and to identify solutions. As an outcome of this training, CSOs in Bangladesh submitted their first shadow/parallel report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers.

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