Roxana Akhmetova, M.A. in Political Studies, M.Sc. Candidate in Migration Studies at the University of Oxford

Driven by interest in migration issues, Roxana cited Gillian Sorensen, Member of the Board of the International Rescue Committee, as the most interesting presenter. She chose Sorensen because of her interest in how the UN deals with political leaders, to encourage support for refugees and asylum seekers. “Ms. Sorensen stressed the idea that while every country faces internal issues like poverty and unemployment, welcoming refugees is not only a humanitarian and legal obligation, but also an investment that can yield substantial economic dividends,” said Roxana.

 

Lobarkhon Ibragimova, M.A. Candidate in Political Studies

Lobarkhon confirmed the program’s highlights were high-caliber speakers who covered a wide range of global issues. “I was particularly impressed by Sofia Borges. Because of her professionalism, Ms. Borges served not only as Permanent Representative of her country, she was also appointed to several executive positions within the UN,” noted Lobarkhon. She said she liked this program due to its international and multilingual environment supported by forward-looking students and professionals from all over the globe.

“The organization’s location in such a dynamic cosmopolitan city like New York reminds me of the UN’s diverse and inclusive nature, and also the value of time – we can’t afford to waste in order to build a better future,” she further noted.

Colin Ijebor, M.A. Candidate in Political Studies

Interested in artificial intelligence (AI), Colin emphasized the importance of cutting-edge technology in solving global challenges. Colin said, “AI and its bourgeoning parts can support about 76 per cent of the 17 goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In combating issues like climate change, renewable energy and sustainable industrial practices, AI-enabled tools can help deliver more precise data insights to better aid the formation of intelligence-based policies and regulations that accurately reflect the current state of affairs across nation borders”.

Josh Lieberman, Juris Doctor Candidate at the Robson Hall Faculty of Law

Josh noted William Wagner, Senior Policy Advisor for the US to the UN, as his favourite speaker. Wagner raised the topic of why American government constantly appoints high-profile Ambassadors as its permanent representatives. “Mr. Wagner explained that the US views this position as an opportunity to have a close connection between the US President and the UN. Conversely, other countries assign their ‘best and brightest’ to this position. Both methods bring an element of success in their own unique ways”, said Josh.

Alex Menjivar, graduate of Master of City Planning and Policy Analyst with Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation

Alex focused on the advantages of a bottom-up implementation approach, which includes local institutions in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Alex noted that “Minh-Thu Pham, Executive Director of Global Policy at UN Foundation, spoke on how the Millennium Development Goals showed that implementing global goals from top-down approach was not achievable because of exclusion of local actors that have local ground knowledge and expertise. It is essential to establish a partnership with local governments, private agencies and NGOs in order to make progress on SDGs.”

Thanks to support from Manitoba Chair of Global Governance Studies, these graduate students with research interest in Politics, International Relations, Law and City Planning had a chance to meet prominent practitioners working in multilateral diplomacy and also attend the UN Security Council meeting.

Since she started attending the annual event as a University of Toronto law student in 2004, Gunn has become a leading Indigenous legal academic in Canada working on the particular subject of advocating implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Gunn wrote and produced Understanding and Implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: An Introductory Handbookin 2011, in partnership with the Indigenous Bar Association and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law.  

Sponsored this year by the Centre of International Governance Innovation(CIGI), the panel Gunn organized was titled “Protecting Indigenous Lands: Braiding Together International, Indigenous and Domestic Law”. Panelists besides Gunn, who is also a CIGI Fellow, included Christina Grey, a CIGI research associate, Cheryl Knockwood, the Membertou First Nation Governance Coordinator, and Risa Schwartz, a lawyer advising First Nations on International Trade. As mentioned in the event abstract, the discussion focused on approaches to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People that would lead to greater protection of Indigenous peoples’ lands. Specific issues the panelists considered included “challenges to land rights faced by the Mi’kmaw community of Elsipogtog in Canada by fracking, challenges and opportunities to protect land rights through international trade agreements, and the need to bring in a gendered analysis when discussing sustainable development of Indigenous peoples’ lands” (abstract).

All of these topics built off the recent CIGI publication UNDRIP Implementation:Braiding International, Domestic and Indigenous Laws. As the event abstract summarized, this document proposes that “Braiding together international, domestic and Indigenous law promotes encourages a shift from domestic law being used to dominate Indigenous peoples toward equal weight given to all three legal systems. There is strength in unity, and so by braiding together all three legal systems, all systems are strengthened and supported.”

Gunn estimated that about 25 UNPFII delegates attended the event, including representatives from the Sámi people of Northern Europe, Indigenous women from Nicaragua, several Indigenous chiefs from Canada, and advocates, allies and lawyers from Canada. The panelists fielded questions from the audience, which in turn gave some excellent feedback, Gunn said, that will help her develop the paper she presented further. Her paper in particular looked at the need to include a gender perspective when taking action to protect land, because men and women in Indigenous communities have different roles, responsibilities and laws that they hold and carry out. Gunn said she came away from the panel discussion with new perspectives and a sense of new interconnections to consider when going forward with her research. “It was good to exchange these ideas” she said, “and see the issues from four different perspectives.”

As a professor of courses like “Advocating for the Rights of Indigenous People in International Law”, Gunn has invited law students at Robson Hall to attend in the past, including those who have worked with her on actual cases. “They’re always welcome to come,” she said, but the ability of students to attend often depends on funding.

“This is definitely an area of legal research that is picking up momentum and interest,” Gunn said. “It’s been growing over the past 15 years. Where once it seemed that there was less interest in the area of International Indigenous Rights Advocacy, people are now calling me almost weekly to give presentations.”

At the end of this year’s UNPFII session, Gunn said a select group of academic experts from around the world including herself, were invited to be part of an independent and informal academic network that would support the work of the UNPFII.  By attending the UNPFII, Gunn is able to connect with people, to develop future collaborations and to inform ongoing research. “There’s going to be a lot of work going forward,” said Gunn.