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We are continuing with our series of contributions on new human rights challenges and new developments affecting political, economic, social and environmental challenges in the 21st Century and what these mean for human rights and capacity building. We invite our readers and alumni to contribute.

Statement by DTP Founder and Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta with other Nobel Peace Prize Laureates on nuclear disarmament: End the Nuclear Insanity

DTP would like to congratulate DTP International Advisory Council Member Vitit Muntarbhorn for his appointment as the UN Independent Expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)

DTP’s 25th Anniversary Exhibition of Posters featuring DTP alumni and work

For DTP’s 25th Anniversary, UNSW Faculty of Law prepared an exhibition of posters featuring DTP alumni from the region, highlighting their work for Indigenous Peoples, Migrant Workers, Human Rights and Sustainable Development and on the human rights responsibilities of business.

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. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible. Please send your donation to DTP now online, or by credit card or EFT with this donation form

DTP Programs: 2016 Draft Schedule

2016 Program Location/

July 12 UNSW Roundtable Discussion – Human Rights and Peace –CHT, Nepal and Mindanao with DTP Alumnus Mong Marma

Sydney, Australia

DIPLOMACY TRAINING PROGRAM E-NEWSLETTER October No 64 Email: dtp@unsw.edu.au | Website: www.dtp.unsw.edu.au | Phone: +61 2 9385 3549 | Fax: +61 2 9385 1778

Recipient of the Sir Ron Wilson Human Rights Award 2015

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August 1 DTP’s Alumni in Timor-Leste – Alumni Dinner Review, Reflection and Reconnecting

Dili, Timor-Leste

August 2-4 ASEAN Peoples Forum - DTP Workshop on Strategic Priorities for Human Rights Capacity Building

Dili, Timor-Leste

August 5 DTP Timor Leste Alumni – UPR Workshop Dili, Timor-Leste

August 8 Roundtable Discussion on Human Rights in the UN System at UNSW – with Joshua Cooper

Sydney, Australia

August 22-25 The Human Rights of Migrant Workers –Bangladesh – 4th Module Dhaka

August 26 DTP Bangladesh Alumni in – UPR Workshop Dhaka, Bangladesh

October 10-26 DTP’s 26th Annual Regional Human Rights and Peoples Diplomacy Training Program, in partnership with JSMP

Dili, Timor-Leste

October 30- Nov 3 The Human Rights of Migrant Workers – MENA Region Doha, Qatar

November 29- December 2

The Human Rights of Migrant Workers –Bangladesh – 5th Module Dhaka, Bangladesh (TBC)

December 12-14 3rd Regional GCC Program on Human Rights, Migrant Workers and the Private Sector

Dubai, UAE (TBC)

February 27 – March 8

Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, the Private Sector and Development in Partnership with JOAS: Brochure and Application

Malaysia

Please check the DTP website for details, program information and application forms. Please send enquiries to dtp@unsw.edu.au

Reports

Civil Society Workshop on Universal Periodic Review, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 26 August 2016

25th Annual Regional Human Rights and Peoples Diplomacy Training Program, Sri Lanka – Feb-March, 2016 – Draft Report

Capacity building program on Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, the Private Sector and Development in Indonesia May 28-June 4

Module 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Bangladesh – Capacity Building Program for Advocacy for Migrant Workers and Safe Migration May 3-6, 2016

Final report of 2014/15 Sri Lanka Capacity Building for Advocacy for Migrant Workers and Safe Migration and Summary Report of Module 5 (November 2015)

Regional Workshop on Ethical Business and Recruitment Practices in Labour Migration, Dubai, UAE April 26-29

The 2015 DTP Annual Report

Other Training Programs Free e-learning resources on English defamation law for advocacy and campaigning organizations

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The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment is inviting submissions on the topic of human rights obligations relating to biodiversity

Amnesty International Australia: Stop the deliberate abuse of the two thousand people held in Nauru and Manus Island

Add your voice, Thailand: Judicial Harassment against Human Rights Lawyer Sirikan: confirmed reporting for Sedition Charges on 22 OCTOBER 2016

Appeal, Malaysia: Death threats against human rights defenders Maria Chin Abdullah, Mandeep Singh and Ambiga Sreenevasan

Appeal, Bangladesh: Death threats against human rights defender Anu Muhammad

Appeal, Cambodia: Physical attack against human rights defenders Chan Puthisak and Am Sam Ath

Appeal, China: Human rights lawyer Xia Lin sentenced to 12 years in prison

Appeal, India: Detention of human rights defender Khurram Parvez

DTP alumna and trainer Yuyun Wahyuningrum wrote in the Jakarta Post that AICHR, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights must step up human rights protection in ASEAN

Urgent appeal, Pakistan: Two students disappeared, one shot dead in public, for opposing Pak-China Economic Corridor

Appeal, Vietnam: Arrest of blogger Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh

From the Kuwait Society for Human Rights: A press statement on the launch of a workshop entitled (How to follow up the United Nations recommendations for Human Rights) and A press statement on the participation of the Society in the expanded health meeting of the Gulf committee of care for the elderly

From Dilshan Weerasinghe in Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan Government Rapped by the Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers

From Kapaeeng Foundation in Bangladesh: “What Comes First: Tourism or Livelihood?” and Criminals prey on Khasi people

From Wensislaus Fatubun in Indonesia/Papua: Police attack and shoot at 10 Papuan youth, killing one and injuring others and UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination addresses an ‘Early Warning’ appeal to Indonesia regarding the situation of the ‘Papuan indigenous people in West Papua’

Call For Nominations – 2017 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders. Deadline: 9 November 2016

DTP alumnus Lenin Raghuvanshi has been awarded the M.A. Thomas National Human Rights Award 2016 of the Vigil India Movement, Bangalore

DTP alumna Rita Samuel from India has been awarded the Woman's Empowerment Award for 2016 for her work on behalf of migrant workers

Human Rights Watch: Researcher on Burma/Myanmar

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: Development Officer (deadline 23 November)

Environmental Justice Atlas This scholar-activist collaborative mapping project shows stories of communities reclaiming justice. You can contribute here.

OHCHR Training Package on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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Laksiri Fernando, former Executive Director of DTP has written a new book, "Issues of New Constitution Making in Sri Lanka: Towards Ethnic Reconciliation”. He has written an article describing its contents.

Nayela Akter from Bangladesh is an Alumna from the 2015 and 2016 Capacity Building for Advocacy for Migrant Workers and Safe Migration Program in Bangladesh.

Violet Udite Savu from Fiji is an alumna of DTP’s 2008 Annual Program in Australia.

John Tripura from Bangladesh is an alumnus of the 2016 Annual Program in Sri Lanka.

DTP would like to express its deep condolences for the sudden death of human rights defender from the Philippines Max de Mesa, on 28 September 2016. Max de Mesa was the Chairperson of Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA) and Executive Committee member and Treasurer of FORUM-ASIA.

DTP would like to extend its condolences to the relatives, friends and colleagues of Helen Kelly who has died at the age of 52. Helen Kelly became the first female president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. She fought unrelentingly for health and safety in the forestry industry, which resulted in significant reductions in deaths at work. Most recently, she campaigned for the use of medicinal cannabis for the terminally ill.

Human Rights and Business BSR & GlobeScan find companies list human rights as most important corporate sustainability issue

World Bank tribunal rejects Canadian-Australian gold mining giant OceanaGold's claim that El Salvador interfered with its profits when the government pulled the plug on a proposed gold mine

South Asians for Human Rights: “Stop Rampal coal power plant!”, Bangladesh

Corporate Crime: New principles will help governments and law enforcement tackle corporate abuse

Dutch companies producing garments in India often pay less than minimum wage

Oxfam: Community-Based Human Rights Impact Assessment Initiative

Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Joint Stakeholders’ Submission on the Situation of Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia

New UN manual gives more say to Indigenous peoples in development projects that affect them

Migrant Workers’ Rights

New DTP Monthly Migrant Workers Rights e-Bulletin. Issue No 3 is now available here

Parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia condemn the conviction of migrant workers’ rights advocate Andy Hall on charges of criminal defamation for his research into conditions for migrant workers in Thailand.

UN official unveils draft principles on protecting human rights of refugees and migrants

Fifa threatened with lawsuit in Swiss courts for complicity in mistreatment of migrant workers in Qatar

Women’s rights Kuwait NGO Abolish 153 announces findings of survey on violence against women

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UN Women is five years old. Here is the new 2015-2016 Annual Report

APWLD: Global goals on women’s rights are a pale imitation of promises made in Beijing

International Womens' Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific argues for a separate legally binding treaty on violence against women with its separate monitoring body

separate monitoring body

The Human Rights Council has appointed Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary from the Philippines as the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons

Ban Ki-moon appoints high-ranking official to combat reprisals against human rights defenders

Economic, social and cultural rights: UN experts outline States’ legal obligations to respect and protect defenders

The WHO and OHCHR call on civil society organizations, agencies and partners to provide inputs to a High-Level Working Group of Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents by 6 November

Front Line Defenders has announced that Andrew Anderson has been appointed as the organization’s new Executive Director

Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association: “Failure to protect

freedom of assembly & association can exacerbate global inequality”

The Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights are five years old

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities invites organizations to complete a questionnaire on the provision of support to persons with disabilities

Development New Framework to build resilience to climate change and disasters in the Pacific Islands

OHCHR: Frequently Asked Questions on the Right to Development

UPR Thailand Government unwilling to address systematic human rights violations in its second periodic review

Stakeholders submission third cycle deadlines: Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea 23/03/2017; United Arab Emirates 23/06/2017; Bangladesh 21/09/2017

ASEAN leaders failing dismally on human rights, say campaigners

Australia The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has considered the list of issue for Australia

HRLC to UN Human Rights Council: Border Force Act positions Australia alongside coterie of human rights abusing states

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders report at the end of his first fact-finding visit and recommends that Australia should urgently review the Border Force Act’s secrecy provisions (Note:

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The Australian Government has since the Rapporteur’s visit freed doctors and nurses to speak about Australia’s detention regime)

HRW: Australia’s parliament should withdraw or substantially revise a draft law that would empower judges to detain terrorism offenders after they served their sentence

Bangladesh Odhikar: Allegation of torture to a school boy after detaining him at Jessore Kotowali Police Station

Odhikar publishes a monthly Human Rights Monitoring Report of human rights violations in Bangladesh

Burma/Myanmar Release Detained Interfaith Activists

NGO Statement: Save Rohingya from annihilation

Aid Blocked to Rakhine State

China Daughter of disappeared human rights defender calls for better scrutiny of China from the Human Rights

Council

Indonesia/West Papua Human Rights Working Group deplores passage of chemical castration law

Indonesia President Jokowi Defends LGBT Rights

Malaysia HRW: The Malaysian authorities should end their relentless prosecution of rights activist Lena Hendry for her

role in showing a documentary film without censorship board approval

Front Line: Reversal of decision to acquit human rights defender Lena Hendry

The Malaysian Human Rights Commission, SUHAKAM calls for inquests following deaths at immigration detention centres

ASEAN parliamentarians condemn sentencing of Malaysian MP Tian Chua

Maldives Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative: Maldives decision aimed at stifling democracy

Pakistan AHRC: Stop prison executions of the mentally ill on death row

List of issues considered by the UN Committee on ESC Rights

Philippines Death Squads in the Philippines have started assassinating worker organizers

President Duterte's "war on drugs" leaves civilians at risk of extrajudicial killing and potential mass atrocity crimes

The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, tells President Rodrigo Duterte to be careful with "the use of language" that could lead to "crimes against humanity."

Amnesty International : Duterte’s 100 days of carnage

Sri Lanka

The UN Committee on ESC Rights has considered the list of issues for Sri Lanka

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Thailand FIDH: Free Somyot, arbitrarily detained for 2,000 days

Somchai Homlaor, a member of the DTP International Advisory Council is interviewed on the 40th anniversary of the Oct 6, 1976 massacre

Thailand authorities shut down Amnesty International torture talk with threats of arrest

Vietnam HRW: Drop Charges and Free Land Rights Activist Can Thi Theu

Front Line: Physical assault on human rights defender Mr Nguyen Bac Truyen on his way to Australian Embassy

UN Human Rights Chief urges Viet Nam to halt crackdown on bloggers and rights defenders

FIDH and Vietnam Committee on Human Rights: End ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent

October 2016 E Newsletter compiled, edited and designed by André Frankovits and Patrick Earle

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