Centre for Human Security and Social Change

Youth Activism in the Pacific The DFAT-funded Women Leading and Influencing initiative recently hosted an online Learning & Networking event exploring youth activism in the Pacific.

Dr Aidan Craney facilitated an online workshop hosted by the Australia Awards Women Leading and Influencing Initiative.
A repeated theme was the need to recognise young people not just as beneficiaries of development initiatives, but as crucial partners.

Read the summary paper: shorturl.at/QEffh

The Centre for Human Security and Social Change Director Lisa Denney will speak on this webinar on 10 September:

Navigating Crisis with Insight: Why the future of development cooperation needs political economy analysis

Register here: asiafoundation.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

⚠️ New from CHSSC – Aug 2025 Newsletter: shifting power in INGOs, women’s leadership in the Pacific, Vanuatu report launch, the future of aid, upcoming events + more. Read here: mailchi.mp/f03711a17d6f...
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International & Comparative Law Cluster 2025 Annual Lecture Join La Trobe Law School at our annual lecture, delivered by UN Special Rapporteur, Professor Ben Saul.

Join the International & Comparative Law Cluster’s 2025 Annual Lecture delivered by UN Special Rapporteur Professor Ben Saul. His lecture will explore the challenges facing international law today.

Claiming agency and creating change: shifting power in international non-government organisations Historical criticisms of self-interest among international non-government organisations (INGOs) have recently gone further, suggesting INGOs are neo-colonial in nature. To address these concerns an...

In response to criticism they are self-interested and neo-colonial in nature, INGOs are pursuing localisation. CHSSC's Dr Glenn Bond and co-authors draw on a multi-year case study to explore how power relations and interests shape these day-to-day practices.

shorturl.at/MPjTm

The Intel • Development cooperation needs to be reinvented. Is radical simplification the answer?

Have a read of our own Centre Director, Lisa Denney, responding to Development Intelligence Lab’s Intel question this week.

“It is likely that radical simplification has a role to play in some of what future development cooperation looks like – but not all of it”

shorturl.at/a74fz

The Future of Aid in the Asia-Pacific Register on Humanitix - The Future of Aid in the Asia-Pacific hosted by La Trobe Asia. La Trobe University City Campus, 360 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3008, Australia. Thursday 14th August 2025. Find e...

Curious about the future of aid in the Asia Pacific? Join us on 14 August when CHSSC, together with La Trobe Asia, will host a discussion on the role of multilateralism, Australian INGOs & decolonisation in the Asia-Pacific. Register for either in person attendance or livestream: shorturl.at/1nGsm

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⚠️ See the latest news from CHSSC - June 2025: shorturl.at/U7mf1 ⚠️

In this Newsletter

➡️ Lowitja Institute International Health and Wellbeing Conference

➡️ Integrating climate resilience into development programming.

➡️ Evaluation of the INKLUSI program in Indonesia

...and more!

We are pleased to share the CHSSC’s Annual Report 2024. The report draws on several of our projects in Indigenous Australia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific highlight how embedding evidence and learning in development programs leads to better development practice and outcomes.

shorturl.at/wyowC

Centre for Human Security and Social Change La Trobe University Institute for Human Security and Social Change.

➡️ Contributing to the development of a Pacific Youth Development Framework on behalf of the Pacific Commission (p.28)

For more information about these and other CHSSC research and evaluation projects, please visit our website: shorturl.at/ltCG5

Accountability Ecosystems in the Pacific Project description - Research on Accountability Ecosystems in the Pacific for UNDP.

➡️ Undertaking a UNDP-funded political economy analysis of accountability ecosystems in the Pacific (p. 28). More information: shorturl.at/ptdv3

➡️ Preventing gender-based violence in Timor-Leste through UNFPA-funded research and training (p. 14)

Tracking and learning WETT Supporting tracking and learning with the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust

Our featured projects include:

➡️ Supporting Aboriginal-led tracking and learning with the Walpiri Education and Training Trust (p. 6). More information: shorturl.at/1zge4

We’re very pleased that four of our projects have been featured in La Trobe University’s 2024 Impact for Sustainable Development Report.

The report showcases the university’s transformative contributions to global and local challenges: shorturl.at/2BAzi

The Emergent Nature of Ethics in Research: A Pacific Researcher’s Experience - Development Studies Association of Australia By: Vani Nailumu, Research Coordinator, Balance of Power (a DFAT-funded multi-country initiative working to increase the legitimacy of women’s leadership in the Pacific). Engaging and reflecting on th...

Emergent ethics? A Pacific approach to research ethics requires continual negotiation.

Read more from Vani Nailumu from Balance of Power here:https://www.developmentstudies.asn.au/2025/06/27/the-emergent-nature-of-ethics-in-research-a-pacific-researchers-experience/

This week, the Lajamanu Good Life Project presented at the Lowitja Conference. Glenda Wayne, Raelene Jigili and Mildred Spencer, supported by Alex Gyles, shared Warlpiri ways of assessing impact—how Yapa define and pursue a good life. The project is a 5-year partnership with CLC. 🔗 shorturl.at/FpkCZ

Lis Jackson & Thushara Dibley travelled to Jakarta to meet research partners, Saraswati & Cakra Wikara Indonesia, for the INKLUSI project. This was the first time face-to-face since 2022!

After reflecting on what we all have learnt in the project, we spent the week identifying stories of change.

May-June 2025 Newsletter Bringing you the latest news and updates on all things TWP this June!

Why does accountability work look the same everywhere despite different contexts? In this newsletter Lisa Denney and Glenn Bond reflect on findings from their Political Economy of Accountability Ecosystems report

➡️ Read it here: shorturl.at/pHmcY

#tvi #llcap #pngauspartnership #localleadership #coalitions… | The Voice Inc. In March, TVI hosted its' first learning dialogue with five other organisations supporting coalitions and collective action in PNG and the region. The learning dialogue provided an avenue for the ...

Our partners The Voice Inc. in PNG have shared a fascinating read out from their first Learning Event on what helps coalitions succeed.

www.linkedin.com/posts/the-vo...

The four political economy fields of development programming - Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre Political economy analysis should encompass the aid allocation and distribution process, not just partner-country dynamics, say Mark Moran and Lisa Denney.

How many political economy fields do you see? Centre Director Lisa Denney and Mark Moran reflect on the multiple layers of political economy at play in Australian aid programs.

devpolicy.org/the-four-pol...

Unpacking the local impacts of foreign interests in Timor-Leste - Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre Jostling foreign actors must better understand local political dynamics if they are to achieve intended local impacts, say Rajalingam, Denney and Soares.

How do foreign interests actually play out on the ground? In Timor-Leste, aid and investment don’t land neatly: they’re reshaped by local politics, power networks and community responses.

➡️ Read the new blog here: devpolicy.org/unpacking-th...

⚠️ JOB OPENING⚠️

Join the Central Land Council as a Community Development Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator based in Alice Springs. Help monitor and strengthen Aboriginal-led development initiatives across Central Australia.

Closing Date: 22 May 2025

➡️ More info: shorturl.at/7bIsd

The Warlpiri-led Yitaki-maninjaku, warririnin-jaku, payirninjaku manu pina-jarrinjaku (YWPP) project - grounded in community - was recently featured in Practice Insights Magazine. This project sits under the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust (WETT)

Read it here: shorturl.at/3KNHZ

The Northern Land Council is hiring a for a Community Planning & Development Manager.

The role requires providing strategic and operational leadership to grow the impact of the NLC’s Community Planning & Development program

Apply here ➡️ shorturl.at/a0wM1

⚠️ See the latest news from CHSSC - April 2025 ⚠️ mailchi.mp/bdfd7cdb9b30...

@socialchangeltu.bsky.social is delighted to announce that David Poulton has joined our Advisory Committee.

David is a Senior Consultant within Alinea International and co-founder as well as President of the Association of First Nations Australians in Development (AFNAD).

Local impacts of foreign interests in Timor-Leste  - XCEPT Timor-Leste, one of the world’s newest and smallest nations, is marked by visible signs of foreign engagement—from international donor-funded infrastructure projects to oil and gas rigs operated by in...

New Report: Local impacts of foreign interests in Timor-Leste

In Timor-Leste, foreign influence shapes daily life, with impacts on police reform, infrastructure, and more, explored by Denney, Rajalingam, and Soares in this report.

www.xcept-research.org/publication/...

From disability identity to disability activism: leadership journeys of persons with disabilities in Indonesia This paper examines the leadership journeys of disability leaders in Indonesia, a country with a growing disability movement. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 55 disability leaders, the paper ex...

Research by Eka Liu & Lis Jackson in Disability & Society highlights the importance of #DisabilityLeadership. Based on interviews with 55 leaders in Indonesia, it explores how identity shapes leadership & offers recommendations to support disability leadership.

Read it here now: shorturl.at/wdy75

This synthesis report under the UNDP’s EU-funded Vaka Pasifika project sets out the key political economy constraints and opportunities that needed to shape locally-relevant accountability support drawing on 6 Pacific country studies.

👉 Download the report here: shorturl.at/AUTTG