What are your stories of hope? These are very challenging times around the globe. To keep going, with our heads up and eyes forward, it’s vital to share good news stories to see the glimmers of hope we are walking steadily toward, and the hope that is already taking root in our communities today.
In this newsletter we’d like to share stories of hope and encouragement from our team and partners all over the world of how our human rights data work is making a difference: strengthening the work of change-makers, getting people talking about much-needed action, and improving people’s lives.
The global response to our 2025 data, released in June, has been the strongest in our ten-year history. People are hungry for reliable information and we are glad to provide it.
Times are tough for everyone in the human rights world but we are moving forwards and are tremendously encouraged to be making progress in several new areas of human rights measurement, including child rights, digital rights, disability rights, labour rights, and women's rights, among others. Please get in touch with us if you want to know more or be involved in this growing work.
We've received strong interest from several countries in Latin America, throughout Africa, and East Asia, and are currently exploring partnerships with key stakeholders in those regions to expand the survey. There's still time to include more countries in the 2026 cycle depending on available funding. We're especially interested in countries with high user demand. If that describes your country and you know someone who could be an excellent volunteer Ambassador, please submit a request here.
We have lots to tell you this month! Feel free to make yourself a cup of tea and read on.
Yours in service and solidarity,
Thalia, Melissa, and the HRMI team.
Read our 2025 impact stories
This year, our new data sparked vital conversations among policymakers, educational institutions, and media outlets across three key countries.
Since launching our latest 2025 data on the Rights Tracker in June, the HRMI Engagement team has been busy around the globe hosting dynamic webinars and in-person events to share insights and initiate important dialogues. Here's a look at what we've been up to this past quarter:
Mexico and Venezuela data launch webinar
On 10 July, HRMI hosted a closed, Spanish-language launch webinar to present our latest data on Mexico and Venezuela. Led by our Co-Executive Director, Melissa del Aguila, and co-organised with our ambassadors from both countries, the event brought together civil society representatives and activists working on the ground.
To protect participants' safety, the session was not recorded.
You can explore the new data on Mexico and Venezuela on our Rights Tracker.
China's transnational repression data launch webinar
On 18 July, HRMI launched our latest data on China in a powerful webinar moderated by our East Asia Engagement Lead, Kar Wai Patrick Poon. The event featured an expert panel of human rights activists who shared firsthand insights and advocacy priorities related to China’s transnational repression. Our panellists included:
Zhou Fengsuo (Executive Director of Human Rights in China)
Rushan Abbas (Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of World Uyghur Congress)
Chemi Lhamo (Tibetan activist and community organiser)
Sophie Richardson (Co-Executive Director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders and former China Director of Human Rights Watch)
Dorjee Tseten (Member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Asia Program Manager, Tibet Action Institute)
Jewher Ilham (Uyghur author and advocate)
Watch the full recording on HRMI’s YouTube channel here.
Have a look at our new data on China’s transnational repression on our Rights Tracker here.
Malaysia data launch
On 18 July, in collaboration with Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), we hosted an in-person event in Kuala Lumpur to launch our latest data on Malaysia. Led by our Southeast Asia Engagement Lead, Keshia Mahmood, the event brought together 20 human rights activists to explore how HRMI’s data can support their advocacy efforts, both locally and on the international stage.
The event hosted representatives from civil society organisations working on issues such as media freedom, the death penalty, women’s rights, citizenship rights, and more.
Explore our latest data on Malaysia on the Rights Tracker here.
Zimbabwe data launch
On 7 August, our East and Southern Africa Engagement Lead, Nkosi Sibanda, hosted a Zimbabwe Data Workshop attended by 28 key stakeholders. The gathering brought together representatives from national civil society and diplomatic communities, including the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (NHRI), the Governance Advisor at the British Embassy, the Head of the Political Section at the Embassy of Sweden, and the Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (representing a coalition of 21 human rights CSOs).
Also in attendance were Dr Arnold Tsunga (former Director of the International Commission of Jurists and Chief of Party at the National Democratic Institute), Hon. Allan Markham Ngadziore (Member of Parliament), the Executive Director of Amnesty International Zimbabwe, and other senior figures from national and regional institutions.
The conversations sparked powerful insights, and we are excited to build on this momentum in future engagements in Zimbabwe.
Have a look at our data on Zimbabwe on our Rights Tracker here.
Sri Lanka data launch
On 19 August, our Sri Lanka Engagement Consultant, Damith Chandimal, hosted a launch event to present HRMI’s latest data on Sri Lanka.
The discussion explored the impact of repressive laws on ethnic minorities, the ongoing practices of child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) within the Muslim community, and the threats faced by Muslim women activists. Participants also highlighted the lack of attention to civil and political rights issues affecting people with disabilities, as well as critical knowledge and data gaps concerning marginalised communities, among many other pressing concerns.
Explore our latest data on Sri Lanka on our Rights Tracker here.
Eswatini/Swaziland data launch
On 27 August, our East and Southern Africa Engagement Lead, Nkosi, ran a webinar on our latest data on Eswatini/Swaziland and the current challenges facing the country. Speakers included HRMI’s Eswatini/Swaziland Country Ambassador, Velaphi Mamba, and our Co-Executive Director, Thalia Kehoe Rowden.
For security reasons, the event was not recorded.
Following this, in September, our Eswatini/Swaziland Ambassador, Velaphi Mamba, convened a large group of human rights defenders in exile, now living in South Africa, to meet with visiting HRMI team members, Thalia and Nkosi.
Together, they explored how HRMI's new human rights measurement data could be useful in the struggle for improved respect for people's rights. We particularly thank Velaphi and Philile Khumalo for organising the event, and for the valuable input from representatives of several significant organisations including the Multi Stakeholder Forum, Young Women of Africa, Swaziland People's Liberation Movement, Swazi Lives Matter, Swaziland Transport, Communication and Allied Workers Union, and more.
Have a look at our data on Eswatini/Swaziland at our Rights Tracker here.
香港人權狀況 (Hong Kong data launch webinar – Cantonese)
On 27 June, our Global Engagement Lead, Aditi, Methodology, Research, and Design Lead, K. Chad Clay, Civil and Political Rights Metrics Lead, Matthew Rains, and Co-Founder and Economic and Social Rights Lead, Susan Randolph, led an informative and interactive knowledge-sharing session with the UN Innovation and Analytics Hub. Participants included the Chief of the Hub as well as staff supporting the UN Committee on Economic and Social Rights.
In July, Nkosi participated in the Climate Leadership Innovation Conference in Morocco. The event was dedicated to empowering and educating young leaders driving global climate action. Nkosi presented HRMI’s data on the human impact of climate change, highlighting the voices and experiences of those most affected.
In July, Stephen Bagwell from our Economic and Social Rights Metrics team co-authored an article on the widening gap between rich and poor Americans and collective labour rights in the United States. Read it here.
On 22 August, Aditi led a briefing for The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) on our data and methodology. The Commission intends on creating monitoring and tracking indicators, especially for economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCRs), and are keen on further engagements with HRMI and other stakeholders to continue this work.
Throughout September, the HRMI team took part in the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) briefings on the human rights situation in the Russian Federation, Colombia, Chile, the Netherlands, Zimbabwe, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. We submitted comprehensive written inputs for each country and briefed the Committee on our key findings, identified data trends, and recommended questions to be asked of the States Parties under review.
On 17 September, our Sri Lanka Engagement Lead, Damith, represented HRMI at the Asia Democracy Assembly (ADA) South Asia Democracy Subregional Consultation. During the event, Damith delivered a presentation on the state of democracy in Sri Lanka, highlighting HRMI’s data on at-risk and marginalised groups within the country.
In September, Thalia and Nkosi held a series of meetings throughout South Africa, including visiting researchers at the University of Pretoria's Centre for Human Rights, Stellenbosch University's Institute for Life Course Health Research and its Disability Research Hub. They also met with civil society partners from Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Digihub Africa, the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, and more. The meetings yielded many helpful insights into how HRMI data can be used, improved, and expanded, and we look forward to deepened engagement in South Africa and the wider region in the near future.
In September, HRMI’s Co-Executive Director, Melissa, and Methodology, Research, and Design Lead, Chad, took part in the International Access to Justice Forum in New York City, hosted by NYU School of Law and Fordham University Law School. Chad delivered a presentation on measuring collective legal empowerment, contributing to vital conversations about advancing equitable access to justice.
HRMI data in action
Our impact is resonating worldwide. We’re excited to share some recent highlights where our data has played a key role in advancing advocacy efforts for fairer and more equitable policies and practices:
Check out our Media Page on our website for more information and many more examples.
Staff updates
A warm welcome to the staff who’ve joined us recently. Say hello to our new team members*:
Anonymous, Security Lead
Anonymous, Executive Assistant
Damia Bakh, Project Coordinator
Rami Alhames, Translation Coordinator
We’ve had two new wonderful interns join us. We are incredibly happy to also be working with Natasha Henderson and Nilesh Sharma from Victoria University of Wellington!
We would also like to congratulate Aditi for moving into her new position as Global Engagement Lead at HRMI. We’re so thrilled to see her shine in this next chapter!
*To protect their safety and security, some of our team members choose to remain fully or partially anonymous due to the potential risks they face in their countries.
Support our work
HRMI is doing impactful work with very limited resources, and we are delighted to see the global coverage, recognition, and use that our data is getting. Building on our people power and expertise, HRMI is poised to scale its global and thematic reach.
Our aim is to measure every country’s performance of every human right in international law.
But we cannot do this alone. We need sustained operational funding to increase our resiliency and strengthen our capacity to ensure the continuity of the Rights Tracker, HRMI’s ground-breaking digital public good.
If you can help with suggestions of potential funders or by making a small donation to HRMI yourself, please get in touch by replying to this email or visiting our donations page.
Please keep in touch!
Thanks for your interest in HRMI. You are also most welcome to follow us on LinkedIn, BlueSkyFacebook, YouTube and X to keep up to date in between newsletters.
Please also feel free to contact us directly with feedback, ideas, and requests. We're here to help
Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), PO Box 24390, Wellington, New Zealand
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