Australia Awards Fellowship strengthens human rights leadership in Laos
The Commission delivered an Australia Awards Fellowship in early 2026 focused on advancing the rights of women and people with disabilities in Laos. Funded by DFAT, the Fellowship built on the Commission’s long standing technical cooperation on human rights in Laos.
In February and March 2026, the Commission delivered an Australia Awards Fellowship focused on advancing the rights of women and people with disabilities for emerging human rights leaders from Laos.
Laos has made important commitments to promote gender equality and the rights of persons with disabilities, reflected in its laws, policies and collaboration with development partners. At the same time, a range of social, institutional and resourcing factors continue to affect how far these commitments translate into everyday realities for women and people with disabilities.
Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Fellowship built on the Commission’s long standing technical cooperation on human rights in Laos. The program aimed to strengthen the knowledge, skills and professional networks of government and civil society leaders engaged in human rights work.
The Commission hosted a 2-week study tour and training program in Australia, supported by Professor John Tobin from the University of Melbourne Law School. Fellows participated in sessions delivered by Professor Tobin and Commission experts on sex discrimination, disability discrimination, advocacy, media engagement, education and complaints handling. They also visited a range of government agencies and community organisations working to promote women’s rights and disability inclusion, including the Parliament of Victoria, the Victorian Office of the Public Advocate, NSW Police, The Orange Door family violence service, and Jigsaw, which supports employment pathways for people with disabilities.
The program concluded with a workshop in Laos, where Fellows presented research projects applying their learning to real world human rights challenges in their own work.
Fellows reported increased knowledge of human rights and greater confidence using rights-based approaches in their roles. The Fellowship also strengthened relationships across government and civil society, laying the groundwork for future collaboration on priority human rights issues in Laos.
By delivering training that connects international human rights law to practical, rights based approaches, the Commission is contributing to a stronger culture of human rights practice across the region.
