Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Marte Hellema
A water refill app to engage people for systemic climate action - the story of Robin Lewis
By Marte Hellema, Youth Co:Lab Long before Robin Lewis started mymizu, he was on a path of making a difference through working on humanitarian relief and climate policy issues. But there was always something brewing. A desire to do more. With the creation of mymizu, he and his co-founder, Mariko McTier did just that. Create a community of change for a world with cleaner oceans, heathier ecosystems and because of that, happier people. 2011 was a big turning point for Robin.
La falta de acción sobre la igualdad de género pone en riesgo los ODS
Si no hay un cambio fundamental y transformador en la manera en que se trata la igualdad de género como parte de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible, toda la agenda de los ODS está en riesgo. Foto: EPA/EPA Jarome Favre La desigualdad de género tiene un costo para y en todo el mundo, no solo para las mujeres y las niñas, sino también para sus familias, comunidades y sociedades en general.
Inaction on gender equality puts SDGs at risk
If there is no fundamental and transformational change in how gender equality is addressed as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the entire SDG agenda is at risk. Photo: EPA/EPA Jarome Favre Gender inequality comes at a cost to and across the world, not just for women and girls, but for their families, communities, and societies at large.
Creating effective new coalitions in tough political times
To avoid sinking to the lowest common denominator, activist coalitions must play to individual strengths and find an effective strategic convener. Imagine a country’s Olympics team getting all mixed up. The swimmers end up in the sprint and the cyclists are handed javelins. There’s a wrestler on a horse and a gymnast with a tennis racket. I’m no sports guru—but I still think that’s no recipe for success.
Indonesia at a threshold: reinventing the human rights movement
Combined with growing fundamentalism and sectarianism, Indonesia once again is in dire need of a human rights movement for change. For much of the last century, Indonesia was considered a pariah state, isolated from the rest of the world due to its horrendous human rights track record. This changed in 1998, in great part thanks to the efforts of the Indonesian human rights movement, but now the country is at a threshold once again.
Don’t ditch the “local” when scrambling to “go global”
We cannot afford to globalize human rights at the expense of local context. To be sustainable and effective, local activists must lead and adapt human rights initiatives to their specific circumstances. Last year, I argued that expansion southwards by northern human rights organizations should complement, not supplant, existing initiatives.
Turning anger into positive energy for gender equality in sport
Women footballers face discrimination, harassment, and funding challenges every day. But what is more powerful—listing all the problems, or using hope and optimism to outline a potential future? Photo: Ailura/Wikimedia I am angry. As a female footballer I have lived more than twenty years of terrible pitches, second-rate referees, outsized hand-me down football kits, harassment, fights over funding and opportunities, minimal column inches and misogyny disguised as “banter”.
Bumeranes múltiples: nuevos modelos para la abogacía global de derechos humanos
El campo de los derechos humanos globales se está transformado y los activistas están inventando nuevos modelos de colaboración menos jerárquicos, incluyendo redes virtuales y globales y “bumeranes múltiples”. El campo de los humanos atraviesa momentos de incertidumbre. Nuevos trabajos académicos debaten asuntos fundamentales, preguntándose si no habremos entrado al “fin” de los derechos humanos. Las ONG y los activistas sienten que el piso sobre el que pisan se está moviendo.
In Asia, freedom of speech is critical in the fight for human rights
Protecting freedom of speech, assembly and association in Asia is the lynchpin to protecting all human rights. Reflecting on the human rights situation in Asia has become a dismal exercise. While it is difficult to give exact numbers—since many cases go unreported—based on our meetings and interviews with human rights workers on the ground, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings seem to be on the rise.
When internationalization causes more harm than good
Focusing on the practicalities of internationalization neglects a vital and thorny question: is going global really in the interests of all rights groups? Beyond a small club of human rights elites, identifying the organizations that should and could enlist as part of a global movement—sharing organizational identities, voicing consistent messages, and campaigning through the same channels—is difficult. Why?
El final de la tiranía: la sociedad civil de Sudáfrica se defiende
En Sudáfrica han vuelto a surgir poderosas coaliciones de la sociedad civil, que utilizan el litigio, la movilización social y la incorporación de fuerzas políticas diversas. Foto: EFE/Kim Ludbrook Los activistas de la sociedad civil en Sudáfrica han abordado por primera vez los temas de la construcción del Estado y, lo que es más sorprendente, la administración pública.
Membangun Masyarakat Ekonomi ASEAN yang Ramah Hak Asasi Manusia
Masyarakat Ekonomi ASEAN harus memasukkan aturan hak asasi manusia ke dalam rencana implementasinya sebelum menggabungkan pasar Asia Tenggara yang besar. “Masyarakat Ekonomi” kumpulan Negara-Negara Asia Tenggara (ASEAN) memasuki tenggat waktu implementasinya pada Desember 2015.
Indonesia di Ambang Batas: Menemukan Kembali Gerakan Hak Asasi Manusia
Dengan meningkatnya fundamentalisme dan sektarianisme saat ini, Indonesia sangat membutuhkan gerakan Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) sekali lagi demi terciptanya perubahan. Selama sebagian besar di abad terakhir ini, Indonesia dianggap sebagai negara yang terpinggirkan (pariah state), terisolasi dari negara-negara lain karena memiliki rekam jejak yang buruk terkait hak asasi manusia.
Agama sebagai permainan politik: meningkatnya intoleransi di Indonesia
Intolerasi agama di Indonesia yang meningkat berasal dari suatu pakta politik antara mantan presiden, Bambang Yudhoyono, dan kelompok Muslim dengan tingkat toleransi rendah di negara itu. Presiden yang baru, Joko Widodo, harus menghentikan kekerasan itu sebelum terlambat. Di Indonesia, intoleransi agama oleh sebagian Muslim Sunni telah meningkat. Populasi dari negara berpenduduk 250 juta orang, sekitar 87% Muslim, dengan Muslim Sunni sekitar 99% dari populasi itu.
Intoleransi Makin Berkembang di Indonesia
Meski Indonesia dikenal sebagai negara mayoritas Muslim moderat namun belakangan banyak militan Muslim Sunni menyerang berbagai minoritas agama. Konstitusi Indonesia melindungi kebebasan beragama namun massa Sunni menguasai jalanan; pemerintah nyaris tak melakukan apapun guna hentikan kekerasan tersebut. Hak asasi manusia dan agama bisa saling mendukung; ia jelas dalam debat openGlobalRights yang masih berlangsung.
Pemenang dan yang terpinggirkan: bagaimana anggaran untuk hak asasi manusia dapat membantu kaum tidak mampu
Riset terkini mengungkapkan kemungkinan dampak dari kesepakatan internasional terhadap perpajakan dan pengeluaran pemerintah. Berdasarkan pada kampanye CSO di seluruh dunia, hukum hak asasi manusia—bersama dengan analisis anggaran—dapat menjadi alat yang ampuh untuk mendorong pemerintah untuk menyadari bagaimana kebijakan mereka memengaruhi kaum tidak mampu. Anggaran pemerintah bersifat politis.
To implement Agenda 2030 in Africa, people must be at the centre
Increasing threats to citizens’ freedoms will derail the sustainable development goals. The aspirational vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “leave no one behind”. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets are a demonstration of the global community’s urgency to eradicate poverty and significantly minimise inequality.
In Myanmar, polls are the beginning of a larger conversation
Many activists in Myanmar (Burma) are very skeptical of public opinion polling. But these polls are a key starting point for a larger conversation on democracy. In Myanmar (Burma), the tentative steps towards democracy since 2010 have brought with them some of the tools that dominate most Western democracies, including public opinion polls.
Multiple boomerangs: new models of global human rights advocacy
The global human rights field is being transformed, and activists are inventing new, less hierarchical models of collaboration, including global virtual networks and “multiple boomerangs.” Human rights actors are in uncertain times. New scholarship is debating foundational issues, wondering whether we have now entered the human rights “endtimes ”. NGOs and activists sense the landscape is shifting under their feet.
Taking the battle for civic space online
As online spaces become increasingly restricted, human rights activists must stay aware of the risks and benefits of technological developments. What happens online can have very real consequences offline. For some people, these consequences might seem minor, even though content is easily taken out of context or manipulated. But for human rights activists trying to claim freedom of expression and civic space, the risks are very serious and at times can be fatal.
Injustice continues: Cambodian court extends detention of two journalists
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) has condemned the continued detention, which has now exceeded six months, of two former Radio Free Asia (RFA) journalists, Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, since their arrest on November 14, 2017. They appeared again in court on Wednesday to review their ongoing detention. On Friday, the verdict of that review was announced: They received an extension of another six months.
Can the rest of Asia learn from the elections in Malaysia?
On May 9, Malaysia held its 14th general elections. On the eve of the vote, the general consensus was that even though the campaign for free and fair elections was in full force, sitting prime minster Najib Razak would likely gain a third term. At the end of the day, however, voters were left in a state of surprise and shock. After 61 years in power, ever since the country gained its independence in 1957, Barisan Nasional was out.
Is being the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights an Impossible Job?
Flickr/ Ministry of Foreign Relations of Peru -(CC BY-SA 2.0- Some Rights Reserved) Mr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights until December 2017. David Petrasek’s recent article on the early departure of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, provides an extremely timely insight into the under-the-surface tensions and dynamics that help explain Zeid’s decision to step down.
The activist balance: being both globally connected and locally rooted
Forum Asia (All rights reserved) Activists participating of the workshop “Future of Human Rights and Democracy in Asia”, held in Thailand on July 2015 In the last several decades, the human rights movement in Asia has gone through a roller coaster of ups and downs that have included growth, hopes, threats and challenges. Recent years have been characterised by a crackdown on activists and shrinking space for civil society, which have forced the human rights movement to adapt and evolve.
Indonesia at a threshold: reinventing the human rights movement
Combined with growing fundamentalism and sectarianism, Indonesia once again is in dire need of a human rights movement for change. For much of the last century, Indonesia was considered a pariah state, isolated from the rest of the world due to its horrendous human rights track record. This changed in 1998, in great part thanks to the efforts of the Indonesian human rights movement, but now the country is at a threshold once again.
Taking the battle for civic space online
What happens online can have very real consequences offline. For some people, these consequences might seem minor, even though content is easily taken out of context or manipulated. But for human rights activists trying to claim freedom of expression and civic space, the risks are very serious and at times can be fatal.
In Asia, freedom of speech is critical in the fight for human rights
Reflecting on the human rights situation in Asia has become a dismal exercise. While it is difficult to give exact numbers—since many cases go unreported—based on our meetings and interviews with human rights workers on the ground, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings seem to be on the rise. In addition, modern day slavery, inhumane treatment of refugees and the return of authoritarian and repressive regimes are common across the region.
Making the ASEAN Economic Community human rights-friendly
The ASEAN Economic Community should insert human rights rules into its implementation plan before integrating the vast Southeast Asian market. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) “Economic Community” just ran headlong into its December 2015 implementation deadline.
In Myanmar, polls are the beginning of a larger conversation
Many activists in Myanmar (Burma) are very skeptical of public opinion polling. But these polls are a key starting point for a larger conversation on democracy. In Myanmar (Burma), the tentative steps towards democracy since 2010 have brought with them some of the tools that dominate most Western democracies, including public opinion polls.
Religion as a political game: rising intolerance in Indonesia
Indonesia’s rising religious intolerance stems from a political pact struck between former president Bambang Yudhoyono and the country’s least tolerant Muslim groups. The new president, Joko Widodo, must stop the violence before it’s too late. In Indonesia, religious intolerance on the part of some Sunni Muslims is on the rise. The country’s population of 250 million people is approximately 87% Muslim, with Sunni Muslims making up about 99% of that population.
Winners and losers: how budgeting for human rights can help the poor
Recent research reveals the impact that international covenants could have on government taxation and expenditures. Based on civil society organization (CSO) campaigns around the world, human rights law—coupled with budget analysis—can be a powerful tool to hold governments to account for how their policies affect the poor. Government budgets are political.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Marte
Contact Marte, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack