NEW YORK — On April 17, 18, and 19 the Columbia University Institute for the Study of Human Rights will hold a three-day seminar titled “Indigenous Women Leaders at Columbia.” The seminar, to be held on the Columbia University campus in Manhattan, New York City, is part of the 6th annual Global Leadership School of Indigenous Women program.
Beginning in February 2019, twenty-one Indigenous women leaders from around the world have been participating in the 6th 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 2019, 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, face-to-face classes, a rights monitoring process through FIMI’s virtual platform, and attendance to the 18th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) which will be held in New York on April 22 to May 3, 2019.
“Indigenous Women Leaders at Columbia” is also an integral component of the 6th 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.
During the seminar, approximately 30-minute long lectures will be given on the topics by professors, after which two participants will act as respondents and then engage in a discussion with the presenters and the fellow participants. Moreover, the seminar will also provide time for participant panels regarding their own proposed advocacy plans. There will be Spanish and English interpretation throughout the course of the seminar.
Some of the topics included on the schedule of the three-day seminar include: the achievement of Women Indigenous Rights Movements at the international level; historical dialogue and memory projects related to Indigenous women’s rights; and native food sovereignty. There will also be practical discussions designed to empower the participants to utilize the UN human rights mechanisms for their benefit, such as: on various sections of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; on how to better improve Indigenous women participation in international fora such as the UNPFII; on how the UNPFII works and the power of advocacy therein.
The Seminar is closed. However, human rights and law students that may wish to attend can reach out to: Prof. Elsa Stamatopoulou, es3054@columbia.edu.
