NEW YORK — The first two weeks of April the Columbia University Institute for the Study of Human Rights (through its Indigenous Peoples Rights Program) held an online three-day seminar titled “Indigenous Women Leaders at Columbia.” The virtual seminar is part of the 7th annual Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women program.
Beginning in February 2020, twenty-seven Indigenous women leaders from around the world have been participating in the 7th annual Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women of the International Indigenous Women’s Forum, also known as FIMI (Foro Internacional de Mujeres Indígenas).
FIMI is a global network of Indigenous women leaders that strives to articulate local, national, and regional organizations across Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Arctic, and the Pacific. Its mission is to organize and bring together Indigenous women leaders from around the world so they can coordinate agendas, find solidarity, and achieve their goals. It also strives to better include Indigenous women leaders in international decision-making processes, including United Nations negotiations, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples (UNPFII), and in world conferences on Indigenous peoples.
The Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women program, which will run through May 2020, consists of a variety of components designed to focus on cultivating an understanding of international human rights and international advocacy skills. Some of the program components include online classes and a rights monitoring process through FIMI’s virtual platform.
“Indigenous Women Leaders at Columbia” is also an integral component of the 7th annual Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women program. The seminar, hosted by the Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR)/Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Program, aims to provide a complementary human rights curriculum to the planned FIMI program, so as to give the participating Indigenous women leaders an opportunity to explore a broader context of human rights topics and advocacy.
The Institute for the Study of Human Rights is grateful for Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute collaboration for this program.
