61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council Side Event on Data Sovereignty and the Right to Development for Indigenous Peoples

Written By Marianne B

Date: March 3, 2026, 14:00 - 15:00 CET

Location: Room 3, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

Hosted by: United Nations Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, IBI Crosscultural Working Group

This side event is jointly organised by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (EMRTD) and the IBI Crosscultural Working Group. This event will examine how Indigenous Data Sovereignty contributes to the realisation of the Right to Development of Indigenous Peoples in the context of emerging technologies. It will explore the risks posed by data extraction, artificial intelligence, neurotechnology and other digital innovations when Indigenous governance systems, knowledge frameworks and consent processes are excluded.

View the Concept Note here: (PDF)

Moderator: Ms. Pia Oberoi, Chief, Right to Development Section, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Panelists

  • H.E. Ambassador Francisca Méndez Escobar, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva

  • Prof. Minerva Rivas Velarde, Lead, Disability and Health Lab, Geneva School of Health Science, The Institute for Ethics, History, and the Humanities, University of Geneva, and Coordinator of Europe and Central Asia of the Disability Data Initiative: Data Sovereignty models of e-consent and governance for Indigenous Peoples

  • Ms. Klentiana Mahmutaj, Chair, HRC Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development

  • Prof. Hervé Chneiweiss, Director of the Neuroscience-Paris Seine-lBPS Laboratory ICNRS INSERM Sorbonne University: Data Sovereignty and the Right to Development for Indigenous Peoples

  • Mr. Ghazali Ohorella, Human Rights/Legal Counsel, International Indian Treaty Council (IITC)

Registration and Access
Participants without a UN grounds pass are required to register in advance in order to obtain access to the Palais des Nations:
Access badge registration: https://indico.un.org/event/1022637/registrations/25283/
Participants holding a valid UN grounds pass do not need to register.

Marianne B
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