Call for Application
The Commissioned Research Project 2023
Human Rights and Environment in Southeast Asia
I. General InformationSHAPE-SEA (Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research/ Education in ASEAN/Southeast Asia) was borne out of a desire by Southeast Asian human rights and peace scholars to establish ways to develop or strengthen the capacities and knowledge of fellow academics working in the region. It is a joint program of the ASEAN University Network- Human Rights Education Theme (AUN-HRE) and the Southeast Asian Human Rights Studies Network (SEAHRN) supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).SHAPE-SEA’s vision is to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights and peace in Southeast Asia/ASEAN through education and research. It also supports research efforts on human rights and peace in Southeast Asia. One of the increasing capacity programs is conducting commissioned research to respond to various critical issues in the region involving scholars and experts in our networks.After long discussions with different partners this year, SHAPE-SEA decided that Human Rights and Environment in Southeast Asia to be our research topic. The selection is based on the current international, regional, and regional development, which requires immediate actions to respond to global environmental challenges, including climate change. One way to do so is to view the environment and climate change from a human rights perspective.Protection of the environment has been recognised as a human right, particularly in the right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. The human rights framework provides an unassailable moral and legal justification for immediate and urgent action to protect the environment for the benefit of all persons. On the other side, Environmental sustainability and promoting, protecting, and fulfilling human rights are complementary objectives at the core of sustainable development. This right has been adopted as constitutional right in at least 150 states and recognised in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD). It is further included in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and ASEAN-UN Plan of Action (2021-2025).Fulfilling this right requires ensuring a safe and stable climate, conserving biodiversity and ecosystems, a non-toxic environment, participation, access to information, and justice in environmental matters. It is a necessary enabling condition for effectively enjoying human rights enshrined in treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).Discussing human rights and the environment will not limit to how citizen ™s rights and obligations to environmental sustainability but moreover, it ™s including how States’ obligations to prevent the adverse impacts of environmental degradation on the enjoyment of human rights and also how businesses are responsible for respecting human rights, doing no harm, and exercising due diligence in carrying out their activities.Talking about human rights and the environment has become crucial in Southeast Asia. All countries in South East Asia suffer from environmental degradation and challenges. Natural resources are slowly being eroded along with the depletion of natural resources guided by a growth paradigm. Moreover, the depletion of biodiversity and tropical forests and the destruction of peatlands are more apparent, causing much damage and impacting people and their lifestyles. It is complicated because people are unaware of what is happening; therefore, it is essential to ensure that more people are aware of this issue. This book attempts to respond to this challenge by providing literature that students and stakeholders can use to clearly understand the nexus between the environment and human rights and their implications.II. Research Scope and Focus Individual applicants should select a specific area where the intersection between human rights and the environment in Southeast Asia is unexplored or understudied and provide further analysis of the chosen area. Topics may include (but are not limited to)
- Gender and environment
- Transboundary damages and liability
- State Responsibility and Climate Change
- Business Accountability
- Vulnerable groups and environments include indigenous people, children, women, disabled groups, etc.
- Technology and environments
- Climate Change
- Migration and Conflict
III. Commissioned Writers EligibilitySHAPE-SEA is seeking academic experts with the ability to conduct a short-term study and produce an original and well-researched academic paper of 8,000-12,000 with the following qualifications:
- Applicants should have the expertise and extensive credentials relating to the research theme.
- All applicants should be researchers and academics affiliated with an academic institution in Southeast Asia
- Selected individual researchers are given 10 to 12 months for data collection, writing, and editing.
- Applicants should submit a mini proposal, CV, and letter of reference
- Applicants should have expertise and extensive credentials relating to the research theme.
- Applicants will submit information on their research work, academic tasks, the time needed to complete the project, and financial information, including bank details.
- Successful applicants will receive 60.000 THB as his/her fee, inclusive of any related research expenses, which will be sent to the institutional bank account. Therefore, the application should prepare a research budget plan.
IV. Expected Result and OutputAll candidates will follow the rigorous selection process by the independent selection committee consisting of experts in this field to ensure the academic quality of the research fellow. Each successful candidate will be assigned to write a book chapter with the guidance of the selected editor. All book chapters will be compiled to be a book.V. Criteria of Mini Proposal Application AssessmentTo examine the capacity of each applicant to conduct the project, an independent selection committee will be established consisting of experts with expertise in environment, human rights, and/or methodology. The committee is assigned to select the editor/lead research and research team members/writers. To do so, the selection committee will be paying particular attention to a highly qualified Mini Proposal which consists of the following:
- Title;
- Name and Affiliate of Researcher/s;
- Brief Description of the Study;
- Research Rationale and Questions;
- Risk Analysis;
- Methodology, Hypothesis;
- Human Rights and/or Peace Impact Assessment;
- Timeframe;
- Short Literature Review;
- Expected Outputs;
- List of bibliography of related work.
IV. Deadline
Applicants must download and complete the “Commissioned Research mini proposal 2023” form below, send it including a proposed budget, and an example of an academic paper/report (maximum 5 pages) relevant to the theme to the SHAPE-SEA Research Committee at https://bit.ly/438yLqC by 26 August 2023.VII. Process and Timeline
| Procedures | Timeline |
| Application Deadline | 26 August 2023 |
| Mini Proposal and Due Diligence | 27 August – 8 September 2023 |
| Final Selection | 10 September – 25 September 2023 |
| Announcement of shortlisted applicants | 30 September 2023 |
| Commissioned Research Team Meetings and contracting | 15 October 2023 |
For any inquiries contact us at: leony.shapesea@gmail.com, or research.shapesea@gmail.com Human Rights and the Environment: UNDG Guidance Note on Human Rights for Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams , 2017, UNSDG, https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/Human-Rights-and-the-Environment.pdf, accessed 8 May 2023. Human Rights, the Environment and Gender Equality , 2022, OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Final_HumanRightsEnvironmentGenderEqualityKM.pdf, accessed 8 May 2023. Article 28(f) of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Ibid., Mario Ivan Lopez, Pancaroba Tropika: Perubahan Lingkungan Hidup di Asia Tenggara, (Yogyakarta: Insist Press, 2021).
