Jannie Lasimbang

Jannie Lasimbang is Kadazan, an indigenous community from Sabah in Malaysia graduated in Medical Biochemistry. She has more than 40 years of indigenous rights related work experience at the national, regional and international level. Jannie is a currently serving on the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Kapayan and she has served as Sabah Assistant Minister of Law and Native Affairs. She also holds several posts in her political party: Democratic Action Party, namely as the Sabah Women Chief, National Women Executive Committee member, and Central Executive Committee member.  Before joining politics, Jannie had served as a member of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and as Malaysian Human Rights Commissioner.  She also coordinated the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and the Indigenous Women Biodiversity Network. Jannie participated in international negotiations of the Convention of Biological Diversity and International Union for Conservation of Nature. She was Secretary General and Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Programme Coordinator of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia. She also worked for many years as a grassroot trainer and community organizer at Partners of Community Organization and PACOS Trust in Sabah.