Photo: un.org UNPFII 2023
Incomindios is delighted to announce the 2023 Incomindios UN Youth Scholarship team. Follow these three exceptional Indigenous scholars and advocates attending the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. This year's theme is "Indigenous Peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health, and climate change: a rights-based approach."
We invite you to join us in supporting these delegates as they share their stories and experiences at the UN. Launched in 2019, the Incomindios UN Youth scholarship aims to provide funding and support for Indigenous scholars and advocates to attend as delegates to the United Nations Permanent Forum every year.
To learn more about this program and how you can support it/apply personally/recommend someone, please visit our website here:
María Tzuc Dzib
Mayan / Yucatán / México
“The struggle for Mother Earth is the mother of all struggles!”
María Tzuc Dzib is a Mayan activist from the Yucatán peninsula, originally from the Tizimín community. She is an audiovisual documentary filmmaker with a Masters in Anthropological Sciences from the University of Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa. Maria is a member of the Indigenous Futures network, whose work consists of building communication and creating the narratives that best shape the future protection of Indigenous territories. In 2020, Maria worked as a sound designer and editor in the documentary series, "Maaya Ko'olelo'ob-Strength and Wisdom" which portrays the voices and lives of three Mayan women from Yucatán who resist through art, linguistics, and their work in ‘the milpa’. The milpa is a sustainable farming system used by Mayans for centuries. It is especially common in the Yucatán peninsula, which Maria credits as “noble and important work” which her grandparents dedicated their lives to promoting. Marias’ resolute belief of the audiovisual tool as a means that contributes to the strengthening, recovery and preservation of culture, as well as to the transmission of history and knowledge to generations, reinstates the importance of the tool in the preservation of Indigenous culture. Maria looks forward to attending UNPFII, which will provide contact with many other Indigenous activists and hope to the collective of Indigenous voices who continue the fight for their territory.
Jermani Ojeda-Ludena
Runa (Quechua) / Apurímac Region / Perú
“For me, UNPFII is a space and opportunity to continue working for the future for our people, but in connection and collaboration with organisations and fellow Indigenous from around the world.”
We are thrilled to introduce Jermani Ojeda-Ludena, our esteemed 2023 Incomindios-Lippuner scholar. Jermani is a highly regarded Quechua Indigenous scholar and a proud member of the Quechua community in the Apurimac region of Peru. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures / Department of Spanish and Portuguese / at the University of Texas in Austin. Jermani is a passionate advocate for the preservation of the Quechua language, culture, territories, and communities.
For Jermani, the UNPFII provides an excellent platform to engage in discussions and propose effective solutions to address the critical issues affecting global Indigenous communities. He strongly believes in the significance of amplifying Indigenous voices to make them heard through their own voice guiding policy makers and both governmental and non-governmental organisations. As a Runa / Quechua person hailing from a land-based Andean community, Jermani aims to share his struggles and resurgence experiences, using his Indigenous language as a powerful tool to preserve Indigenous knowledge. As an Indigenous scholar, he anticipates that the 2023 UNPFII will offer invaluable insights into issues confronting Indigenous peoples in their current endeavours.
Jermani's primary objective for attending the forum is to connect with a wider Indigenous network to discuss the current challenges confronting Indigenous communities and their territories. He also hopes to form meaningful connections and discover opportunities and possibilities for continued collaboration in organising future events that promote the visibility of Quechua and other Indigenous communities. Jermani views the UNPFII as a vital space and opportunity to advance the future of Indigenous people through collaboration with organisations and fellow Indigenous activists worldwide.
Flavio Ayuso
Mayan / Yucatán / México
“At UNPFII, I aim to share more about the negative impacts of the “Tren Maya”megaproject, how it’s a mechanism of territorial dispossession and its socio-environmental impacts on Mayan communities. I look forward to connecting with others who are defending their territory and environment, building bridges to us and our communities.”
Flavio Ayuso is a Mayan Indigenous scholar and activist hailing from the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. He is an ardent defender of agrarian rights and is committed to safeguarding the human and environmental rights of Indigenous peoples. Currently pursuing a degree in sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Flavio is focused on protecting the Ejidos communities on the Yucatán peninsula, who are facing the risk of displacement due to various megaprojects, including pig farms and wind energy industries.
While supporting the shift towards green energy, Flavio advocates that firms and states must operate with full compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) with respect to the Indigenous communities and their territories. Flavio's exceptional academic and social activism achievements have been recognized. Flavio was the esteemed 2022 Incomindios Lippuner scholar. He has participated in UN events virtually during the pandemic. He is now attending the UNPFII 2023 in New York City in person, as a member of the Incomindios UN Youth Scholarship team.
We extend our gratitude to these exceptional delegates for their important work and wish them a fulfilling and enriching experience at the forum. Please follow us to find out more. To support, here is a link to our donation page: donate.*
*We kindly request that if you make a donation to support this project, please indicate clearly on your transfer that the donation is intended for the "Incomindios UN Youth Scholarship." This will ensure that your contribution is allocated correctly and directly supports Indigenous advocates and their communities.
Thank you for considering a donation to this continued work!
Author: Olivia Ronan
Editorial: Lowri Harris and Alicia Kroemer
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