Statement of Identity and Purpose

The Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is an independent, non-governmental organisation providing human rights education, which seeks to advance human rights and empower civil society in the Asia Pacific region through quality education and training, and the building of skills and capacity in non-governmental organisations.


The DTP was founded in 1989 by Professor Jose Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate and representative of East Timor at the UN for more than fifteen years. Since January 1990, the DTP has conducted 'Annual Training' sessions of three-four weeks in Bangkok, Manila, Darwin and Sydney, as well as 'In-Country' training sessions of one to two weeks duration in Australia, Fiji, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand. The DTP has trained over 900 human rights defenders from 30 countries.

The DTP is affiliated with the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales. It trains human rights defenders working for non-governmental organisations in international human rights law and procedures and in the skills of "peoples' diplomacy", which are strategic advocacy, lobbying, working with the media and using new information technologies.

DTP adopts an applied human rights focus and a rigorous academic method, as well as providing innovative and practical skills-based training. It aims to address and respect the experiences and aspirations of participants, to engage different cultural and religious perspectives, and, through human rights education, to promote the concept of people-centred, sustainable development. It is solely an educational institution, has no sectarian or political affiliations, and is not an advocacy organisation.

DTP has counted participants from over 30 countries or constituencies including Indigenous Australia, Assam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Bougainville, Cambodia, Canada, El Salvador, East Timor, Fiji, French Polynesia, India, Indonesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nepal, Malaysia, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Tibet, Tokelau, Tonga, Vietnam, Western Samoa. Please click here to see some DTP alumni.

Founder and Patron

His Excellency Dr. José Ramos-Horta

Board of Directors

Emeritus Professor Paul Redmond (Chair) BA LLB LLM - Faculty of Law, UNSW
Mr Philip Chung BEc LLB– Executive Director, Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII)
Associate Professor Andrea Durbach, Director, Australian Human Rights Centre, UNSW
Ms Olga Havnen – Manager, Indigenous Health Program, Fred Hollows Foundation
Emeritus Professor Garth Nettheim LLB MA AO – Faculty of Law, UNSW
Dr John Pace BA LLD – Former Secretary, UN Commision on Human Rights, Geneva
Dr Sarah Pritchard BA LLB LLM – Barrister at Law
Ms Louise Sylvan BA MPA – Deputy Chair, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
Roewen Wishart, Development Manager, Australian Bush Heritage Fund
Professor Andrew Byrnes, Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, UNSW


Secretariat
Executive Director: Mr Patrick Earle
Administration: Siouxzi Connor
Programs: Deborah Raphael
Interns: Larkin Robson
POSITIONS VACANT

Diplomacy Training Program
Faculty of Law
University of New South Wales Sydney 2052

tel: + (61 2) 9385 3549
fax: + (61 2) 9385 1778

email: dtp@unsw.edu.au

Advisory Committee
International

Dr Philip Alston, Professor of International Law, New York University, NY USA
Mr Jose Campino, Office of Political Affairs, UN, NY
Ms Vicki Tauli-Corpuz, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Philippines Dr. Clarence Dias, President, International Center for Law in Development, New York
Mr Basil Fernando, Executive Director, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong
Dr Hendardi, Executive Director, PBHI, Indonesia
Mr Somchai Homloar, Former Sec. General, Forum Asia, Bangkok
Prof. Vitit Muntabhorn, UN Special Rapporteur on Korea
Mr Ravi Nair, Director, South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, New Delhi
Mr Michael O’Flaherty, United Nations Human Rights Committee
Mr Lopeti Senituli, Director, Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement, Tonga
Hon. Motarilavoa Hildi Lini, Director, Pacific Concerns Resource Centre, Fiji

Australia
Prof. Hiliary Charlesworth, Director, Centre for International Public Law, Australian National University, Canberra
Prof. Julian Disney, Social Justice Project, UNSW, and former President, International Council on Social Welfare
Mr Mick Dodson, Chairperson, Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra
Dr. Elizabeth Evatt, Commissioner International Committee of Jurists
Prof. Marcia Langton, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Melbourne
Mr Pat Walsh, UN Administration, East Timor, former Human Rights Director, Australian Council for Overseas Aid


Regional Partners
Major regional partners

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia) (Thailand)
Asian Regional Resource Centre for Human Rights Education (Bangkok)
Migrant Forum Asia

In-country partners
Asian Human Rights Commission (Hong Kong)
Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (Fiji)
Pacific Island Association of NGOs (Vanuatu)
Philippines Association for Inter-Cultural Development
South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (India)
Peace and Democracy Foundation, Timor Leste
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees(WARBE)
RMMRU, University of Dhaka
Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC)
Aliran
Pusat Komas
Australian Human Rights Centre
CIMW, Indonesia