DTP Trainer Joshua Cooper delivers a Masterclass on UN advocacy and the Pacific

Long-time DTP trainer, Joshua Cooper held a masterclass on UN advocacy and Pacific when he was recently in Sydney, Australia.

The hybrid program, held on 16th November at UNSW and online, brought together staff from Jubilee Australia and DTP staff and volunteers for a three-hour session that looked at climate activism, human rights and accountability in the Pacific.

Participants explored how international human rights standards had developed over the last 75 years, including how the human right to a clean, health and sustainable environment can be used by advocates in the Pacific and their allies in Australian NGOs and communities.

Ways that advocates can strategically engage with UN mechanisms and processes to promote and claim their rights - and to hold governments accountable were also discussed, including the Universal Periodic Review, UN Human Rights Special Procedures, UN Treaty Bodies, and the Voluntary National Review Process for the Sustainable Development Goals - and the accountability mechanisms being developed on climate change and biodiversity.

Participants were given the opportunity to brainstorm ideas on how engagement with these mechanisms might assist with their advocacy work and how they might be used in addition to current strategies.