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Across the globe and across time, one of the most egregious historical dynamics has been the consistent denial of basic rights for indigenous peoples. On September 13, 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The fact that this nonbinding declaration took over 20 years to negotiate underscores both the importance of the Declaration’s adoption, as well as the extreme complexity of the challenges facing over 370 million people around the globe.

On Nov. 17 and 18, 2011, the Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID) at º£½ÇÉçÇø will host an international conference to examine the challenge of respecting the rights of indigenous peoples. The conference will bring together representatives of indigenous peoples from Africa, Latin America and North America, and key actors at the national and international levels in an effort to find practical solutions to problems of poverty, exclusion and victimization faced by indigenous peoples everywhere.

Esteemed panelists include: Robert Watts, Vice-President and Senior Partner, First Peoples Group; and Willie Littlechild, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and member of the UN’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

• WHO:   The Institute for the Study of International  Development
• WHAT:  International Conference: The Challenge of Respecting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
• WHEN:   Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, 3 – 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• WHERE: Nov. 17: º£½ÇÉçÇø, Faculty Club Ballroom, 3450 McTavish St.; Nov. 18: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Maxwell Cummings Auditorium, 1379 Sherbrooke St. West

On site translation will allow the speakers to be heard in Spanish, French and English.

Conference Program: /isid/events/conf2011.