DTP has focused capacity building on the rights of Indigenous Peoples since its first course in 1990. Since 2004, DTP has developed and delivered an annual Asia-Pacific regional capacity building program on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The programs build knowledge of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how to engage effectively with UN mechanisms such as UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The courses bring advocates together to address issues such as land rights and conflict, the right to healthy environment, the climate emergency, sustainable development, business and human rights and Indigenous knowledge systems. There is a focus on the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and a human rights based approach to development.