Training

Communities in the Mekong region face unique challenges related to development. The EarthRights School Mekong serves activists from across the region–many from rural and Indigenous communities–allowing them to learn from local and international experts in the environmental and human rights fields. With the support of our alumni network, many of these students go on to lead their communities in fighting human rights and environmental abuses.

EarthRights provides Indigenous defenders in Latin America with legal and campaigning seminars aimed at addressing the specific challenges they face in their region. Through these seminars, defenders have the opportunity to share information and expertise with one another and learn from each other and regional and international experts. See more.

An annual program for lawyers in the Mekong region, the Mekong Legal Advocacy Institute provides a forum for junior lawyers and campaigners to share skills and experience and to learn from senior public interest lawyers. It also provides lawyers with a platform to coordinate actions on regional environmental and social issues. See more.

EarthRights also offers additional trainings for communities in the Amazon and Mekong regions affected by development projects–tailored to their most urgent advocacy and legal needs. These sessions cover a range of issues, including Environmental Impact Assessments, fact-finding, and natural resource-mapping, among others.

The LEAD approach requires developing trust with frontline communities to understand their perspectives, opinions, and concerns. When that trust exists, the LEAD strategies mobilize the power and knowledge that communities already possess and give them tools to defend their rights. See more.