CREST Participates in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

CREST Research Scientist, Dr. Vartika Chandra Saman and CREST Faculty Affiliate at NY City College of Technology, Prof. Smita Ekka Dewan attended the 23rd Session of the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII 23). The theme of the event was ‘Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Self-determination in the Context of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Emphasizing the Voices of Indigenous Youth.

This event included several UN and other organizations from across the world, representing their work on indigenous communities on economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health, and human rights on April 25, 2025 and a human rights dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples: annual review of progress on the implementation of general recommendation on April 27, 2025. 

Drs. Saman and Dewan attended both these sessions where country representatives on indigenous issues and accredited non-governmental organizations that work on issues affecting indigenous people made statements at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous peoples 2025. 

The experience was informative, Drs. Saman and Dewan said, “We were able to hear impact statements and testimonials on a variety of issues including climate and environmental justice as well as meet and have a conversation with staff from The Minority Rights Group, based out of the United Kingdom, who are working on traditional ecological knowledge as it relates to water resources. We hope to learn from their ongoing research in Kenya and explore future collaborations”, said Drs. Dewan and Saman.