Joan is an indigenous activist from the Cordillera with more than 20 years of working on indigenous issues from the grassroots to the international level. Her expertise includes areas like human rights, sustainable development, the environment, climate change, and additionally the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

She was the General Secretary of the Asia Indigenous People Pact (AIPP) From September 2008 to December 2016. She was appointed as indigenous expert of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2014-2016) by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by UN Environment in September 2018. She was awarded the Champions of the Earth; Lifetime time Achievement award by UN Environment

Raymond brings with him more than 30 years of experience on human rights/indigenous peoples’ rights and development. He has served in human rights organizations and indigenous peoples’ organizations with varying responsibilities and advocacies: from organization, project management and strategic communications to climate change, rights and sustainable, self-determined development

Heather is a Nakota and Cree woman from the Okanese First Nation in Canada. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Indigenous Studies and is currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Public Policy (MPP). Her experience extends in the areas of; communications/journalism,  research and public policy. She is passionate about advocating for Indigenous rights and has spent her youth as an advocate on many levels both provincially and nationally. An avid storyteller and researcher, Heather enjoys reading and writing.

Alma Sinumlag is an indigenous person from the Kalinga people of Cordillera, Philippines. She has several years of experience in documenting and communicating Indigenous Peoples’ realities and struggles in the Philippines. She is a researcher with extensive experience in qualitative research on various topics including community health, Indigenous Peoples’ struggles and aspirations on self-determined development, and Indigenous Women’s perspectives on resource governance. She is also a cultural worker who advocates for the protection of cultural heritage through arts-based education and public awareness. 

Ms. Cristina Coc is one of the key organizers and co-spokesperson for the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association,  and a dedicated activist for the conservation of the environments and rights of indigenous peoples of Southern Belize.  Ms. Coc is a Maya woman from southern Belize, who brings a wealth of knowledge of these communities, fluency in Q’eqchi’, and experience in community mobilizing. Over the last 20 years, she and other Maya Leaders have worked to defend land tenure rights of the Maya people of southern Belize, negotiate with the Government of Belize, and build capacity among local Maya. This led to a long chain of court rulings affirming Maya Land tenure rights which culminated in the Consent Order of the Caribbean Court of Justice in April 2015. Ms. Coc is a young woman, but in this work, she has accumulated vast experience. She has felt the cold reality of discrimination. She has negotiated complicated and contentious issues at the highest level. Most importantly, she has gained the respect of the Q’eqchi’ and Mopan villagers of Toledo. 

Wara Iris Ruiz Condori is aymara indigenous young woman of Los Andes, Bolivia. She is a project coordinator in the field of climate change and biodiversity advocacy. She is leading empowerment of indigenous young women in Bolivia and the rights for her lands. Also she is leading a movement of enviromental journalism and food systems in Bolivia that fights for the right of acces to information.

Raissa Madaki is a young Cameroonian with strong communication capacities in both in English and French. For the past years, her works have been focused on promoting the rights of indigenous peoples across Africa. She has created a good communication network within the IPs in Africa where she have been participating in number of events. She has also been very active in the promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and also participating in different climate change events such as COP27 and COP28. She joined IPRI (International Peoples Right International) as Regional Documentation and Advocacy Focal Point for Africa. She is really excited and determined to carry out her duty with a lot of passion.

Jo Ann L. Guillao is a Kankanaey-Kalanguya from the province of Benguet in the Cordillera Region of the Philippines. After working with the government for some years, she found passion in doing research and evidence-based advocacy with non-government organizations. She is currently the Project Coordinator of the Working Group for Indigenous Peoples and Frontline Defenders Stream under the Nature Crime Alliance. When not working, she likes to experiment recipes in the kitchen.

Carlos is an experienced professional specializing in indigenous rights and international cooperation. He has collaborated with various international agencies and indigenous organizations across Guatemala and Central America. As a consultant and legal adviser, Carlos provides expert guidance on accessing international human rights protection systems. His work includes preparing reports, studies, and evaluations for United Nations agencies such as UNHCR, UNDP, and OHCHR. With a deep understanding of indigenous issues, he also advises diplomatic missions and international organizations on cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, ensuring that their voices are represented in global discussions.

Aisa Kristine L. Daguitan, a Certified Public Accountant, is the Finance and Accounting Officer of the Indigenous Peoples Rights International Inc. She joined the organization in 2020 and is responsible for budgetary control and management to ensure effective and efficient utilization of resources in line with financial management and accounting policies and procedures. She is a children’s and indigenous peoples' rights advocate and prior to joining IPRI, she worked for eight years as an accountant, auditor, and consultant for various nonprofit organizations. 

Born in a hñähñú family, Adazahira Chávez is a journalist and communications specialist based in Mexico. For 20 years, she has worked closely with victims of serious human rights violations, indigenous peoples defending their territories, women, and trade unionists, always in autonomous initiatives and NGOs. 

Novelyne is an indigenous person who belongs to the Kankanaey of Mountain Province, Philippines. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Banking and Finance and she worked in the bank for years before joining IPRI.

Natalia is a Mexican communication specialist focused on human rights. She has worked with indigenous communities defending their territories, linguistic revitalization, intercultural education, and accompanying processes of labor rights defense with women.

Joyce is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Her work background is on customer relations, secretarial and clerical jobs.

Patricia Borraz has more than 30 years’ experience on indigenous peoples’ rights, particularly within the context of indigenous participation at the United Nations processes. She has worked for several support NGOs and indigenous organizations, and was assistant to the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz.

Fergus MacKay is Senior Legal Counsel. He has litigated several cases before United Nations treaty bodies, the International Labour Organization, and the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights, including Saramaka People (2007) and Kaliña and Lokono Peoples (2015). He also previously served as an expert advisor to the Organization of American States concerning its American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and as a member of the advisory panel to the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Review.