Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot appointed United Nations representative on rights of Indigenous Peoples

The UBC professor was not only the first person in her family to attend university but she was also the first to go on to earn her master’s degree and PhD before eventually becoming a faculty member.

Today, Dr. Lightfoot continued the tradition when she was named the North American member on the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The announcement marks the first time an Indigenous woman from Canada has been appointed to the prestigious position.

“I am incredibly grateful and humbled by this opportunity to help advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world through this work for the UN Expert Mechanism,” says Lightfoot. “I’m also honoured to be following in the footsteps of my predecessor, Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild.”

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