The British Coalition for East Timor (BCET) is a group of NGOs, individuals and small organizations that are committed since 1992 to help East Timor with human rights, its independence and general peace. They use diverse techniques to influence the United Kingdom's policy on East Timor such as organizing public information events and lobbying parliamentarians and government officials.

The Canada-Asia Working Group is an interchurch coalition mandated by ecumenical churches and religious organizations to work on human rights and justice issues linking Canada and partners in the Asian region.

CCEVI was formed in the wake of violence against Chinese-Indonesians in May 1998. The 1998 protests that toppled Suharto also included a welling-up of anti-Chinese violence. This inspired investigations and advocacy by Indonesian human rights groups, as well as the mobilization of the Chinese-Indonesian community in several cities in Canada. Toronto community members formed a group called “Canadians Concerned about Ethnic Violence in Indonesia” (CCEVI), then broadened their critique beyond the treatment of Chinese-Indonesians to include all aspects of ethnic discrimination and human rights. CCEVI was able to influence immigration decisions and make human rights more of a concern.

East Timor (Timor-Leste) was invaded in 1975 by Indonesia and occupied by the Indonesian armed forces until 1999, with widespread resulting human rights violations. The East Timor Alert Network (ETAN/Canada) was founded in 1986 to raise awareness about the situation of East Timor and to change Canadian government policy, which accepted Indonesian rule.

The Department of External Affairs was formed in 1908 to represent Canada outside its borders. It later absorbed trade and development functions on behalf of the Canadian government. Full information on Global Affairs Canada web site, international.gc.ca.

These document are drawn from the department's files at Library and Archives Canada (LAC), where they make up Record Group 25.

IETP was formed as the East Timor Action Committee in Ottawa in 1983. It subsequently moved to Peterborough, Ontario, and shared office space with the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) at Trent University.

Note provided by the organization, original at http://pacificpeoplespartnership.org/history/

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership: Four decades of Pacific action

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has been a guest upon Lekwungen territory for over forty years.

Our organization was born during a time of widespread social concern over nuclear testing in the Pacific. A small group of North Americans were motivated to act in solidarity with Pacific Island communities. They came together in 1975 to establish the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF), which would one day be known as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.

A Canadian solidarity partner of the Independent and Nuclear Free Pacific Movement, SPPF’s relationships in the South Pacific accelerated with anti-nuclear activism, Indigenous empowerment movements, and the beginnings of environmental networking. SPPF carved out its niche at the forefront of a movement toward placing Indigenous community knowledge and leadership at the centre of development efforts. The organization also helped cultivate Canadian awareness of the complexity and cultural diversity of the South Pacific.

It was no small undertaking to raise the profile of Pacific issues. Most Pacific Island states had slowly achieved their independence only to find themselves either entirely ignored by the international community after WWII. Canadian foreign policy makers generally assumed there were no problems in the South Pacific—or, if there were, Australia and New Zealand would handle them. Over time, SPPF demonstrated that Pacific issues warranted more Canadian attention and that Canadians could have a positive impact in the region.

SPPF became just what it set out to be—the Canadian organization superbly knowledgeable about and connected with the Pacific Islands.

At the same time, SPPF was also situated in the territories of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. Over many years, the remarkable similarities between the pressures on Indigenous communities in the North and South Pacific became increasingly apparent.

SPPF embarked on a creative new initiative: Indigenous youth internships in the Pacific Islands. At the same time, SPPF was also working with Indigenous communities in Papua, the Indonesian-administered half of the island of New Guinea. This shift in focus beyond the South Pacific fuelled much soul-searching about the work SPPF was being called to do.

After much reflection, the more inclusive name Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) was unveiled, embracing our unique emerging role as a leader in North-South Indigenous linking. Since then, many cross-cultural exchanges of artists and youth have helped articulate a wider and more participatory vision in the development of Indigenous Pacific communities.

PPP’s forty year history is a testament to our strong vision and commitment to making an impact with our Indigenous partners. In many ways, the South Pacific is still forgotten in an increasingly globalized world. Yet with rising sea levels and climate change, this region needs the world’s attention now more than ever.

And so, as the only Canadian NGO dedicated to the peoples of the South Pacific, PPP is more committed than ever to keeping these islands on the map.

The International Work Group for Indigenous Peoples represents both a non-political or religious institution that works to provide support for Indigenous and ethnic groups globally.

The East Timor News Agency was founded by Roger East as an independent news service. Roger East was executed by an Indonesian firing squad on December 8, 1975.

The Free East Timor Coalition was founded September 14, 1997 in Whaingaroa (Raglan), New Zealand. It served as a national coalition for East Timor solidarity groups around Aotearoa (New Zealand). Its founding members hailed from six solidarity groups based in the following areas: Whangārei, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), Ōtautahi (Christchurch), and Ōtepoti (Dunedin). It was at the Coalition's founding meeting on September 14, 1997 that members decided to jointly publish the Nettalk newsletter on a quarterly basis. Activists also pooled their resources and experience to streamline and maximize the impact of solidarity efforts. The Coalition, in turn, financed the printing and distribution of newsletters, national and international communication costs, some speaking tour costs, meetings with Government and administrative costs.

One of two solidarity groups formed in France, active 1980s-90s.
Key figure: Bruno Kahn