This event will explore challenges and opportunities used by Indigenous peoples and their allies to secure the right to self-determination and environmental justice in a time of global environmental crisis. The panel will feature leading activists in Indigenous rights movements, who will draw on their experiences and knowledge to share insights into how Indigenous communities are mobilising to advocate for their rights and to call for good global governance on environmental issues that respects the rights of Indigenous peoples. This panel event will be followed by a reception.
Our speakers will consider critical questions facing Indigenous communities and leaders globally, including:
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How are Indigenous peoples showing leadership in addressing the impacts of the global environmental crisis?
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What risks do Indigenous peoples face in advocating for their rights and how are they mitigating these risks?
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How do Indigenous peoples work with other allies, including other marginalised groups, in advocating on common interests? How can pluralism strengthen these efforts?
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How do the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples connect with their efforts to advocate on environmental justices issues?
Chair:
Ms. Meredith Preston McGhie, Secretary General, Global Centre for Pluralism, Canada
Speakers:
- Ms. Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil, Ayuujk linguist, writer, translator, and Indigenous human rights activist, Mexico
- Mr. Gam Shimray, Secretary General, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Thailand
- Mr. Chris Chapman, Researcher/Adviser on Indigenous Rights, Amnesty International-International Secretariat, UK
Organisers:
This event is co-organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and the Environmental Humanities Hub at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in cooperation with the Global Centre for Pluralism.
Biographies of speakers:
Mr. Gam Shimray
Gam A. Shimray, a Naga from North-East India, is the Secretary General of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, a regional Indigenous rights organization with membership across 14 countries in Asia. He is a human rights activist who has been defending and promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples for the past 30 years. His work has been mainly dedicated to advancing self-governance of Indigenous Peoples and democratic decentralization which intersects with creating a pluralistic society in Asia. He has also held several important positions at the national and regional levels in the field of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Gam A. Shimray, a Naga from North-East India, is the Secretary General of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, a regional Indigenous rights organization with membership across 14 countries in Asia. He is a human rights activist who has been defending and promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples for the past 30 years. His work has been mainly dedicated to advancing self-governance of Indigenous Peoples and democratic decentralization which intersects with creating a pluralistic society in Asia. He has also held several important positions at the national and regional levels in the field of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
Ms. Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil
Born in Ayutla Mixe, Oaxaca, Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil is an Ayuujk linguist, writer, translator, and human-rights activist. She works with Ayuujk, Spanish and English languages. She is a member of COLMIX, a collective of young Mixe people who carry out research on Mixe language, history, and culture. In February 2019, she was invited to the ordinary session of the 14th Legislature in the Chamber of Deputies within the framework of the International Year of Indigenous Languages to give a speech in Mixe, in which she spoke about the condition of Mexico’s Indigenous languages. She has written for a variety of media in Mexico, including Letras Libres, Nexos, and Revista de la Universidad de México.
Born in Ayutla Mixe, Oaxaca, Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil is an Ayuujk linguist, writer, translator, and human-rights activist. She works with Ayuujk, Spanish and English languages. She is a member of COLMIX, a collective of young Mixe people who carry out research on Mixe language, history, and culture. In February 2019, she was invited to the ordinary session of the 14th Legislature in the Chamber of Deputies within the framework of the International Year of Indigenous Languages to give a speech in Mixe, in which she spoke about the condition of Mexico’s Indigenous languages. She has written for a variety of media in Mexico, including Letras Libres, Nexos, and Revista de la Universidad de México.
Mr. Chris Chapman
Chris Chapman is the Advisor/Research on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights for Amnesty International, International Secretariat. He develops research projects on the human rights situation of indigenous peoples, and support Amnesty teams and country sections with indigenous rights expertise, within the Gender, Sexuality and Identities team.
Chris Chapman is the Advisor/Research on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights for Amnesty International, International Secretariat. He develops research projects on the human rights situation of indigenous peoples, and support Amnesty teams and country sections with indigenous rights expertise, within the Gender, Sexuality and Identities team.
Ms. Meredith Preston McGhie
Meredith Preston McGhie provides strategic leadership for the Global Centre for Plurailism since joining as Secretary General in 2019. She represents the Centre as an ambassador of pluralism to develop strong relationships with community leaders, governments, civil society and other institutions. In previous work, she has devoted more than 20 years to addressing conflict and instability in Africa and Asia. From working with the Naga in Northeast India and indigenous communities on the Thai-Myanmar border, to supporting UN efforts in Kosovo, Northern Iraq and several African countries, her work has straddled frontline negotiation, policy and diplomacy with leading institutions such as the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and the United Nations in Sudan and South Sudan.
Meredith Preston McGhie provides strategic leadership for the Global Centre for Plurailism since joining as Secretary General in 2019. She represents the Centre as an ambassador of pluralism to develop strong relationships with community leaders, governments, civil society and other institutions. In previous work, she has devoted more than 20 years to addressing conflict and instability in Africa and Asia. From working with the Naga in Northeast India and indigenous communities on the Thai-Myanmar border, to supporting UN efforts in Kosovo, Northern Iraq and several African countries, her work has straddled frontline negotiation, policy and diplomacy with leading institutions such as the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and the United Nations in Sudan and South Sudan.