The Southeast Asian region faces significant challenges from climate change and transboundary environmental harm, impacting human rights and livelihoods across borders. Severe weather events, haze pollution, and environmental degradation have highlighted the need for stronger legal responses to address these pressing issues.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI), in collaboration with leading institutions across Southeast Asia, has developed a Case Repository to serve as a vital resource for legal practitioners, civil society, justice sector actors, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), and the public. This repository features an in-depth analysis of twelve landmark cases from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, addressing climate change and transboundary harm, including pollution of rivers and air.
By examining trends and themes, the repository offers insights into how environmental harm exacerbates human rights violations, such as unequal access to health and justice, with disproportionate impacts on women, children, and vulnerable communities. It highlights lessons learned, gaps in legal frameworks, and opportunities for future litigation efforts.
For the case study framework, RWI’s FIRE Framework was employed to structure the questions asked to national partners, ensuring the analysis identifies whether decisions comply with human rights and gender equality standards. National partners were specifically asked to evaluate whether the courts or litigants addressed discrimination patterns and causes of inequality that led to the disproportionate harm suffered by victims due to environmental harm and/or climate change.
Partners Involved:
• International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
• Ateneo De Naga University, Philippines
• Djokosoetono Research Centre, University of Indonesia
• Thailand Institute of Justice
• AmerBon Advocates, Malaysia
Get in Touch With
Windi Arini
Windi is currently the Country Director (a.i.) in Indonesia. She manages activities on localizing human rights in the context of SDGs in Asia Pacific and RWIs engagement with young people in the region. Her multidimensional role also allows her to oversee the national programmes in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
She graduated from Atma Jaya Catholic University (Faculty of Law) in 2010 and dedicated the following years working at a law firm targeting capacity building for the Indonesian military. As a committed and passionate young professional, she taught foundational knowledge on international humanitarian law to the Indonesian military.
After obtaining her master’s degree in Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Oslo, she spent almost 4 years as a human rights officer at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. She worked on various thematic areas including children and women’s rights, business human rights, as well as the rights of persons with disabilities. She provided technical support and managed projects for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR).
When Windi is not in the office, she enjoys reading, traveling, and is very fond of spicy food.