Indigenous Rights and Conservation
Youth Summit Track
A free, fully online track for youth (16–35) on the human rights impacts of conservation—and Indigenous-led alternatives rooted in self-determination and Indigenous knowledge.
March 25-27, 2026
Overview
Join the Virtual Global Youth Summit for Human Rights (March 25–27, 2026) and participate in our track: Indigenous Rights and Green Colonialism, led by the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program (IPLP) and the Indigenous Peoples & Protected Areas Initiative at the University of Arizona.
This track explores how conservation initiatives—including the creation/expansion of protected areas and REDD+ projects—can harm Indigenous Peoples through:
- displacement from ancestral lands
- restrictions on access to forests and natural resources
- loss of livelihoods
- violations of cultural and spiritual rights
At the same time, participants will learn from Indigenous-led strategies of resistance, protection, renewal, and stewardship, and from community-based solutions advancing sustainability on Indigenous terms.
Dates and time
March 25–27, 2026
7:00–9:00 AM Arizona time (Tucson / MST)
You can check your local time here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Examples of corresponding times
- Kenya (EAT): 5:00–7:00 PM
- Peru / Colombia (PET/COT): 9:00–11:00 AM
- Bolivia: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
- Central Europe (CET): 3:00–5:00 PM (please verify local daylight saving rules)
Day 1 — March 25, 2026
Theme: Indigenous rights, conservation harms, and “green colonialism”
Guest speakers:
- Prof. Robert A. Williams, Jr. (University of Arizona)
Robert A. Williams, Jr. is Regents Professor and E. Thomas Sullivan Professor of Law at the University of Arizona and Faculty of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program (IPLP) - Elaine Porokwa (University of Arizona)
Session focus: A rights-based framing of conservation impacts on Indigenous Peoples, grounded in Indigenous human rights and legal advocacy.
Day 2 — March 26, 2026
Theme: Indigenous women-led conservation initiatives
Guest speakers:
- Sarah “Bestang” Dekdeken (Philippines)
Sarah “Bestang” Dekdeken is Secretary General of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) and a long-time Indigenous activist from the Cordillera region in the Philippines (Kankanaey-Igorot), advocating against destructive projects affecting Indigenous lands and communities. - Valiana Alejandra Aguilar Hernández (Mexico)
Valiana Alejandra Aguilar Hernández is Maya from Sinanché, Yucatán (Mexico) and works with community initiatives focused on agroecology, food sovereignty, and strengthening Indigenous women’s leadership and collective action. - Milka Chepkorir (Kenya)
Milka Chepkorir, a Sengwer Indigenous leader from Kenya’s Cherang’any Hills, advances community land rights, gender inclusion, and Indigenous knowledge revitalization, while serving in regional advocacy roles with RRI and partners.
Session focus: Indigenous women’s leadership in territorial stewardship, community governance, and rights-based approaches to conservation and sustainability.
Day 3 — March 27, 2026
Theme: Community digital storytelling as advocacy (tools, ethics, and practice)
Guest speakers:
- nDigiDreams team (community digital storytelling facilitators)
nDigiDreams facilitates digital storytelling and has supported the creation of 1,500+ digital stories, creating supportive, community-centered spaces for participants to share their lives and build connection through story.
Session focus: How digital storytelling can support community priorities and strengthen advocacy—while creating respectful spaces for lived experience, culture, and community voice.
Registration
Who can join
Youth ages 16–35 (students, community youth leaders, emerging advocates, and youth from Indigenous communities are especially encouraged).
Free and fully online.
What you’ll do
During the Summit sessions, you’ll join interactive discussions and skill-building activities. After the Summit, this track continues with optional four additional weekly capacity-building sessions (also fully online and free). Participants will work in groups to develop a final project documenting a specific Indigenous-led initiative grounded in Indigenous knowledge and contributing to conservation and sustainability.
Final group project (creative formats welcome)
Final projects may be shared through the University of Arizona Protected Areas & Indigenous Rights website (indigenous.arizona.edu)
Possible formats include:
- community documentary video
- podcast
- song
- poster
- other creative or community-led formats
We will provide guidance, examples, and support throughout the process.
What you’ll gain
By participating, youth will:
- better understand the human rights impacts of conservation initiatives on Indigenous Peoples
- learn from Indigenous-led alternatives rooted in territorial stewardship and self-determination
- strengthen skills in collaborative research, documentation, and storytelling
- help amplify community-based solutions and Indigenous knowledge systems