Global Studies Guest Speakers: Luis Alberto Macas Ambuludí
Dr. Luis Alberto Macas Ambuludí, an indigenous person from Saraguro Canton, Loja (one of the Quichua nationalities of the Andean highlands of Ecuador), has struggled for human rights for more than 30 years. Dr. Macas has worked to form alliances among indigenous people from across the Americas and beyond. His activities have involved dialogues about the value of free trade agreements for the people of Ecuador and for indigenous peoples in the Americas. His vast range of accomplishments include the successful promotion of educational reform incorporating bilingualism for indigenous peoples into the national educational system; political rights in which indigenous peoples have become major players in the national and global political stage; and environmental rights, in which indigenous peoples have successfully made land claims.
Dr. Macas holds a degree in linguistics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuatoriana (Ecuadorian Catholic University) in Quito and a law degree from the Universidad Central (Central University) in Quito. He is a co-founder a number of institutions that promote the rights of and opportunities for indigenous people in Latin America. These include the Instituto Científico de Culturas Indigenas (ICCI) (Scientific Institute of Indigenous Cultures), the Universidad Intercultural de Nacionalidades y Pueblos Indigenas (UINPI Amautai Wasi) (Intercultural University of Nationalities and Indigenous Peoples), and Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). He is currently serving as the President of UINPI and Director of ICCI. As a political actor, Dr. Macas is a leader in the Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik-Nuevo País indigenous political party, through which he was the first indigenous person ever elected as a national congressional representative to the Ecuadoran legislature (1996-1998). Dr. Macas also served as Ecuador's first indigenous minister of agriculture (2003).
In 1994, Dr. Macas received the international Goldman Environmental Prize for his work on indigenous land claims in the Amazonian region of Ecuador.
Read more about Mr. Macas and the Goldman Environmental Prize at http://www.goldmanprize.org/node/127
Photo credit: Ecuador Photos