The 2021 Program (17 May-4 June) is cosponsored by Columbia’s Institute for the Study
of Human Rights and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race and enjoys the
collaboration of the University of British Columbia and the University of Auckland.
Thirty-one participants from 18 countries are participating in this year’s Program, which
is taking place in a remote format this time.
This is an immersion program and participants are expected to devote about four hours
daily to the program. The course encourages team learning and synergy by creating a
community atmosphere among participants. The online components will consist of
synchronous and asynchronous lectures; discussions with lecturers; discussions among
participants; participant panels; a virtual platform for contacts among participants; and
one-on-one mentorship sessions with instructors.
There will be 24 lectures and workshops in a three-week period, including sessions with
officials of a Native American Nation and sessions with UN officials. In addition, there
will be 8 participants’ panels. The program provides an overview and analysis of the
major questions in indigenous affairs today, as they have emerged globally in the last
decades, culminating in the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples and efforts towards its implementation.
