This project is a component of the Supporting the Rules based order in Southeast Asia project that is run by the Department of Political and Social Change at the Australian National University. The project is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The project team for the civil society activism and human rights protection component involves: Professor Bina D’Costa, Dr Lia Kent, Dr Ruji Auethavornpipat, Dr Meabh Cryan, Dr Mathew Davies, Mr Hunter Marston, Dr Maria Tanyag and Dr Than Tun. The key aim is to consider is how, and under what circumstances, change is brought about by civil society engagement with international human rights fora and discourses. The project is giving particular attention to the following themes:

• The extent to which COVID-19 is exacerbating inequalities in Southeast Asia and the impact of the pandemic on civil society.
• How civil society actors are protecting vulnerable communities from violence, exploitation abuse and how they are working to counter state violence.
• The extent to which, why, and how, civil society actors engage with international and regional human rights institutions and international human rights norms to pursue their goals.

The project has produced several policy briefs published by New Mandala.