On our activities in Asia

The Raoul Wallenberg Institute has been a steady presence in the region for 30 years. In 1996, we initiated our first cooperation through human rights training for high-level Chinese justice officials. Since then, our footprint has expanded from niche technical training to a comprehensive regional strategy, evolving alongside the shifting political and environmental landscapes of the Asia-Pacific.

The Regional Hub: Indonesia & Beyond

While RWI operates through offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Phnom Penh, the Jakarta office serves as our Regional Hub. Having begun operations in Indonesia in 1999 and formally establishing the Jakarta office in 2005 via an MoU with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the office has transformed from a bilateral program focus into a strategic center for the broader mission.

The office spearheads RWI’s engagement with ASEAN, particularly through its consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). A primary focus of this partnership has been the development and operationalization of the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment, alongside thematic work on climate change and human mobility, human rights cities and business and human rights.

Ongoing Initiatives & Strategic Partnerships

RWI is executing several regional and bilateral programs supported by Sweden (Sida), the United Kingdom (FCDO), Australia, and Norway.

1. Regional Asia Pacific Programme 2 (RAPP 2)

Building on the success of its predecessor, RAPP 2 (2024–2026) focuses on advancing just transitions to climate-resilient and nature-positive societies through three main pillars: Climate Change & Human Mobility, Access to Environmental Justice, and Business, Human Rights, & the Environment. For more information, please visit the Regional Asia Pacific Programme 2.

2. Regional Guidebook on Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases

Supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), this initiative follows RWI’s successful support for the revision of the Philippines’ Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases by developing a comprehensive Regional Guidebook. For more information, please visit the Regional Guidebook project page.

3. EASE Project: Baseline Study on Procedural Environmental Rights

This study, supported by the Norway Mission to ASEAN, is designed to provide the evidence base necessary to operationalize the ASEAN Environmental Rights Declaration through a Regional Plan of Action. The research centers on the three pillars of environmental procedural rights—access to information, public participation, and access to justice—with a specific emphasis on the vulnerabilities and rights of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Human Rights Defenders. For more information, please visit the EASE project page.

4. Bangkok Human Rights Cities Project

Supported by the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, this project leverages RWI’s decade-long experience in local governance to support the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority’s (BMA) goal of becoming a human rights city. For more information, please visit the Bangkok Human Rights City project page.

For more information, please contact:

Windi Arini

Windi Arini

Regional Director, Asia Pacific (a.i.), Jakarta Office

E-mail: windi.arini@rwi.lu.se

Windi is currently the Regional Director for Asia Pacific (a.i.). She works from the Jakarta office and contributes to regional initiatives across Southeast Asia that strengthen access to justice, climate resilience, and rights-based local governance. Her work includes advancing RWI’s engagement with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and supporting the development of regional tools on environmental adjudication.

Windi first joined RWI as a Programme Officer, where she focused on localising human rights in the context of the SDGs. She worked closely with local governments, academic institutions, and CSOs to help shape inclusive, rights-based policies—efforts that continue to inform RWI’s work on human rights cities today.

She graduated from Atma Jaya Catholic University (Faculty of Law) in 2010 and began her career at a law office where she led capacity-building programmes on international humanitarian law and human rights for the Indonesian military. After earning her master’s degree in Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Oslo, she served nearly four years as a Human Rights Officer at the ASEAN Secretariat. There, she provided technical and project support to AICHR and ASEAN-IPR across a range of thematic areas, including women and children’s rights, business and human rights, and the rights of persons with disabilities.

When not in the office, Windi enjoys reading, traveling, and is especially fond of spicy food.