Raoul Wallenberg Institute

Empowering IDPs and Refugees through Collaboration 🌍 On September 25, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, together with the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine and the Polish Legal Clinics Foundation, hosted the workshop “Enhancing Support for IDPs and Refugees: The Power of an Interdisciplinary Approach.” The event brought together experts from across fields to explore how interdisciplinary collaboration can create impactful solutions for IDPs and refugees. From strengthening local advocacy in Ukraine to providing holistic support in Sweden, the discussions highlighted the power of working together for displaced communities. Click the link below to discover more insights from the workshop:

Launch meeting for the "Effective Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making in the EU and Eastern Partnership" project On September 25, 2024, we had the honor of hosting the launch of the project "Effective Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making in the EU and Eastern Partnership" funded by the Swedish Institute (Svenska institutet) in Yerevan, bringing together key stakeholders and environmental advocates from Armenia, Georgia, and Sweden. The event started with welcome remarks from Klas Waldenström, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Armenia, and Hanna Johnsson, Country Director at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Armenia. Their words set the stage for a powerful discussion on the importance of public participation in environmental matters across our regions. During the project presentation, Arthur Grigoryan (Eco Right NGO), Kety Gujaraidze (Green Alternative NGO), and Claudia Ituarte-Lima (RWI) outlined the project's goals: addressing systemic gaps in public participation in mining and industrial projects, particularly in Armenia, Georgia, and Sweden. These insights sparked meaningful dialogue about legal reforms and methodologies for ensuring that rights-holders have a say in environmental decisions. The event culminated in an engaging discussion, where participants shared feedback and explored potential synergies with other ongoing initiatives. The lively exchange highlighted a shared commitment to making environmental decision-making more inclusive, transparent, and effective.

Last week, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), in collaboration with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ), successfully hosted a Regional Judicial Dialogue. The event brought together 29 judges and legal professionals from six ASEAN countries—Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, and the Philippines—to share insights, lessons, and best practices on developing and applying procedural rules for environmental and climate change cases. During the opening session, Georgina Lloyd Rivera from UNEP underscored the pressing challenges of the triple planetary crisis: biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. She highlighted the staggering statistic that 7 million hectares of forest are lost annually, and over 1 million species are on the brink of extinction—an extinction rate 10-100 times higher than at any point in the past 10 million years. In light of these challenges, the role of environmental rule of law is critical, offering tools to strengthen enforcement and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. One key takeaway from the dialogue was the diversity in legal approaches to handling environmental cases across ASEAN countries. While Indonesia and the Philippines have dedicated environmental rules of procedure, countries like Thailand and Malaysia rely on general rules or procedural provisions within their environmental legal and policy frameworks. Meanwhile, Cambodia and Laos are actively working to develop approaches that align with their legal traditions and environmental realities. The dialogue also saw strong support for RWI’s initiative to develop a regional handbook that will document case studies and best practices for developing and applying environmental procedural rules across the ASEAN region. This effort will begin with a roundtable in Jakarta, scheduled for the first quarter of 2025. Stay tuned for more updates! Special thanks to our colleagues at the RWI Jakarta office—Victor Bernard, Windi A. Imam and Wulan Tangkudung— for leading this judicial dialogue, as well as our valued partners at the International Commission of Jurists, Caleen Obias and Melissa Upreti. Special thanks to our donors, Sida's Dr Le Thanh Forsberg and USAID's Sulma Warne, for their unwavering support. We also want to acknowledge the incredible contributions of our speakers and moderators, Patti Moore, Sallie Yang (UNEP), Briony Eales (ADB), Jedsada Taweekan (WWF), and Rika Fajrini (Kyoto University), whose insights made this event truly impactful. Lastly, we extend our appreciation to the participating judges and legal professionals for their active engagement and commitment to making this dialogue a success.

We are looking for our next Country Director in Armenia! The country director will lead and manage our operations in Armenia. This role is pivotal in ensuring the strategic development, coordination, and efficient management of the Yerevan Office, contributing to the success of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s initiatives in the region. The Country Director will oversee key activities, ensuring alignment with the Institute's global priorities while enhancing the impact and quality of RWI’s work. Apply: https://lnkd.in/d8z957bA Deadline to apply: 27 October.

*CALL FOR PROPOSALS* The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) and the SASNET - Swedish South Asian Studies Network are pleased to announce the upcoming international conference "Advancing Human Rights in Afghanistan: Between Rule and Agency", to be organized in Lund, Sweden, on November 14-15, 2024. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] by October 6, 2024. Deadline is 24.00 CET.

We’re thrilled to share the success of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) Executive Director Peter Lundberg's recent visit to Yerevan, focused on expanding collaborations and advancing human rights across Armenia. Throughout the visit, the team engaged in impactful discussions with key stakeholders, reinforcing RWI’s commitment to human rights initiatives. Productive meetings with UNDP in Armenia on the "Fostering Responsiveness, Effectiveness, Transparency, and Inclusiveness of Armenian Parliament (FORSETI)" project, and the Academy of Justice, where we discussed integrating human rights into judicial training programs. We explored new avenues of cooperation with the EU Delegation, Embassy of the Netherlands, Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia, and the Council of Europe Information Office in Armenia, with a focus on justice reform and the rights of detainees and displaced persons. A roundtable with Armenian civil society organizations provided valuable insights on access to justice and non-discrimination challenges. A major milestone was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yerevan State University (YSU), paving the way for deeper collaboration on human rights education, legal clinics, and training workshops. A meeting with the American University of Armenia also opened new doors for future collaboration. RWI’s emphasized continued efforts to enhance training for penitentiary and probation staff through our partnership with the Center for Implementation of Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes (CILERP). The visit also included fruitful discussions with UNODC, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee , the Human Rights Defender’s Office, and the Embassy of Sweden in Armenia — RWI’s main financial donor in Armenia through Swedish Development Cooperation. We’re excited to continue building on these partnerships and advancing human rights efforts in Armenia.

Before the AHRI Conference 2024, participants shared their hopes for impactful discussions, meaningful connections, and actionable insights. And guess what? They were right! Every expectation was exceeded as we explored new frontiers in human rights, deepened our understanding, and left empowered to make a difference. Here’s a look back at how the conference delivered on every promise. Alejandro Fuentes Jessica M. Almqvist Zoi Savvidou #RWI #AHRI2024 #HumanRights

In today’s interconnected world, lawfare has become a significant tool in warfare, where local conflicts can lead to profound global consequences. As military actions increasingly intertwine with legal strategies, states leverage international law to gain legitimacy, undermine their opponents, and shape public opinion. This complex interplay illustrates how local disputes can escalate into broader geopolitical issues. Read the article, written by Dan Kuwali, LL.D.

Call for Master Class in International Law & Human Rights! Read more about it below:

We are pleased to announce that the edited volume Climate-Related Human Mobility in Asia and the Pacific: Interdisciplinary Rights-Based Approaches has been officially published by Springer! This book, which is also part of Springer’s SDGs series, is available as open access and can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/ehWV5y-N This publication is the culmination of the Asia Pacific Conference on the Climate Change, Human Mobility, and Human Rights Nexus, hosted by the RWI Regional Asia Pacific Office in 2022. It brings together 13 papers, based on abstracts presented during the conference. The volume is edited by Matthew Scott, in collaboration with Stellina Jolly and Nafees Ahmad from our partner institution, South Asian University, India. The book explores how climate change is reshaping human mobility, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, emphasizing the importance of integrating these dynamics into government planning and policy-making through rights-based approaches. It calls for enhanced funding, infrastructure development, and institutional capacity to address climate-related human mobility in line with international obligations. A distinctive feature of this book is that all contributing authors are from the Asia Pacific region, representing 10 countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, including under-researched nations such as Bhutan and Papua New Guinea. These authors are members of the Asia Pacific Academic Network on Disaster Displacement (APANDD), a network we have cultivated since 2020 to amplify the Asia Pacific perspectives on climate-related mobility.