Dion Lorenz L. Romano is a lawyer advocating for the rights of the indigenous people and the environment. He has more than 10 years of experience in program management, research, and has been practicing law for four years. He finished Mass Communications, Cum Laude, at the Universidad de Sta. Isabel, and pursued his law degree at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Dion worked for two years at the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines (OVP) as Program Officer of the Angat Buhay Program, the flagship poverty-alleviation program of the OVP, and he later on joined the Legal Unit when he passed the 2017 Bar Examinations. After his stint at the OVP, Dion managed several research and training projects at the Ateneo School of Government focused on the transition of the Bangsamoro Government. More recently, Dion served as lawyer at the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center representing indigenous people communities in asserting their rights to ancestral land and in protecting the environment. 

Dion joins the GHD program as Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. Scholar.  In GHD, Dion intends to study the climate crisis, renewable energy, and how it impacts human development. He envisions human development through structural reforms in the law, government policies, and stricter accountability mechanisms for transnational corporations. 

Summer Internship Experience

Development and Disruption: A Push for Accountability in International Finance Institutions

During the summer, I worked with Accountability Counsel, an organization that amplifies the voice of communities affected by international finance institutions through community-driven and policy-level strategies to access justice. 

In particular, I was able to accomplish the following:

1. Collaborated and facilitated a side session in the UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum- Asia Pacific held on 6-9 June 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.* The side session unpacked the tools and strategies for CSOs and affected communities to hold development finance institutions accountable. 

2. Led the writing of a report** on finance inflows from development banks to Southeast Asia and the propensity of complaints from communities affected by these projects. The first draft of the report has been completed, but is a continuing project that I could carry over as a potential capstone project with an opportunity for a deeper quantitative and qualitative analysis.

3. Prepared briefers and memorandum on certain development issues, particularly the impact of black sand mining projects in Indonesia and the passage of Cambodia’s Environmental Code.

Overall, my summer work experience in Accountability Counsel was worthwhile. It made me realize that I could marry my law profession and development- pushing for more responsible and accountable development organizations.

*Photos are sourced from UN BHR - Asia Pacific Website and official Flicker Account

**Note: The data presented here are excerpt from the report I wrote, collected from publicly available sources (ie. AC’s Accountability Console and IAP’s Early Warning System), and in no way confidential in nature.

Why GHD?

I was attracted to GHD because of its harmonious blend of academic rigor and hands-on experiences, including a summer internship abroad, a DC internship, and a capstone project. GHD places a significant emphasis on ethical considerations in international development, providing students with valuable opportunities to delve into ethical issues through organized retreats. Personally, GHD has empowered me to explore my specialization independently and discover my niche—the intersection between law and international development.