A People’s Diplomacy Training in Timor-Leste Empowers Human Rights Defenders from Southeast Asia and the Pacific

“With the sharing, exchanging of ideas, and support from other participants, I feel a strong commitment in myself to take action against discrimination and fight for women's rights as human rights.

Mariny Oy, Women Peace Makers (Cambodia)

 

From August 12th to 24th, the Diplomacy Training Program affiliated with the University of New South Wales in Sydney joined forces with the Global Campus of Human Rights to co-organize the 32^nd edition of the Annual Human Rights and People’s Diplomacy Training in Timor-Leste.

Founded by Peace Nobel Laureate and Timorese President José Ramos-Horta in 1989, the annual training is one of the most established and prestigious human rights education courses in the Asia-Pacific. An innovative format defined by a highly practical and hands-on methodology, the programme has so far trained over 3500 human rights advocates from over 50 countries and three generations. In the words of President Ramos-Horta “the programme remains unique with its participatory approach, combined with its realistic introduction to the complexities of international politics that impact on human rights defenders”.

 

After having travelled the region in its past editions, the annual training symbolically returned to Timor-Leste in 2024 hoping to make of it its permanent home, thanks to the special partnership with the Global Campus and the Human Rights Centre of the National University in Dili (HRC-UNTL), which was also founded under the patronage of JRH in August 2019.

The training was organized as a residential and itinerant summer school-like activity taking place in Dili and its outskirts, involving 28 participants representing 14 countries from the ASEAN, Pacific islands, Australia and Timor-Leste.

 

During two intense weeks of classes, workshops, hands-on activities and field visits, students had the opportunity to learn about human rights standards, UN special procedures, sustainable development, lobbying and advocacy technicques, solidarity and movement building thanks to leading experts and practitioners, among them Noam Peleg, Surya Deva, Ian Martin and Bella Galhos. The programme also included special sessions on peace and human rights supported by GC Asia Pacific scholars from Mahidol University, and on human rights diplomacy with President Horta himself, and the EU Ambassador Marc Fiedrich.

The joint organization of the training in Timor-Leste in tandem with the UNTL Human Rights Centre, the youngest member of the GC network, was meant as a key opportunity to support its consolidation, internationalization and integration in the regional human rights education fora, and in the context of the multiannual GC-UNTL cooperation agreement.

 

The 32nd annual programme was made possible thanks to the funding by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on the GC side, and by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy on the DTP side. In the occasion of the closing and diploma ceremony, Hon. Giorgio Silli, Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation addressed the authorities and participants with a video message, stating: “The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly believes in the role of diplomacy and the protection of human rights. The promotion of universal human rights fundamental freedom, gender equality and sustainable development, as well as the respect of the ruled based international order and international law, including humanitarian law, are at the core of the agenda of the G7 presidency. Itay is also actively engaged in strengthening its relations with ASEAN and Pacific countries while implementing the EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific. Our approach is inspired by incisiveness and collaboration with our partners in the area as well as with the regional organizations like ASEAN and PIF, which we support in their endeavours to promote peace, stability and inclusive sustainable development”.

 

This project is part of the GC Capacity Development programme. For more information contact the programme manager Adriano Remiddi at adriano.remiddi@gchumanrights.org