Elsa Stamatopoulou

Elsa Stamatopoulou stands as a distinguished figure in human rights and indigenous peoples' advocacy, marked by her remarkable 31-year career at the United Nations across Vienna, Geneva, and New York. Joining Columbia University in 2011, she made history as the first Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2003 and pioneered groundbreaking academic initiatives, including the first-ever course on Indigenous Peoples' rights in 2011 and the inaugural course on cultural rights in 2016. Her extensive service includes 22 years dedicated to human rights and eight years exclusively focused on Indigenous Peoples' rights, with indigenous issues being part of her portfolio since 1983. As Director of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Program at Columbia's Institute for the Study of Human Rights, she established the International Summer program on Indigenous Peoples Rights and Policy in 2013. Her academic contributions extend beyond teaching to prolific writing on human rights, particularly in indigenous and cultural rights, while her expertise has been recognized through numerous awards and honors, including being named one of the UN's 80 Leading Women from 1945-2016. Throughout her career, Stamatopoulou has consistently worked to advance indigenous peoples' rights and cultural preservation, making lasting contributions to both academic discourse and practical advocacy in these crucial fields.