Current Mandate Holder
José Francisco Calí Tzay
Francisco Cali Tzay was appointed Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples in March 2020 and took up the role on 1 May 2020. A Mayan Cakchiquel from Guatemala, he has represented indigenous peoples at the United Nations since the early 1980s, addressing human rights violations against the Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala and around the world.
UNSRRIP Calí Tzay’s Role at University of Arizona
Law Students at University of Arizona Law have the unparalleled opportunity to work on Indigenous human rights issues under the supervision of UN Special Rapporteur Calí Tzay. Seanna Howard, Director of the International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop, and her clinic students, provide assistance to Calí Tzay, working on a wide range of research and advocacy projects to support his UN mandate.
Calí Tzay’s role as UN Special Rapporteur is the highest-ranking independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council with primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of the human rights of Indigenous peoples. Calí Tzay's responsibilities for the three-year post include reporting to the U.N. about global human rights standards for Indigenous peoples, advising the UN and States about best practices to promote these standards, developing studies and reports related to protecting Indigenous peoples' human rights, and responding to specific allegations involving the violation of Indigenous peoples' human rights.
Meetings with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
The Special Rapporteur is available for individual meetings with representatives of indigenous peoples and organisations several times a year in Geneva, in the margins of the Human Rights Council session in September, and of the Expert Mechanism for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in June or July, and in New York in the margins of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Representatives of indigenous peoples and organisations may request a meeting with him with regard to matters that fall within his mandate, including allegations of human rights violations.
Requests for a meeting with the Special Rapporteur
Requests for a meeting should be sent to indigenous@ohchr.org, and be accompanied by written information on the issues to be presented to the Special Rapporteur, or relate to written information previously submitted to him. All requests should also state the names of the persons who will be attending the meeting.
Please send your meeting request within a month before the week preceding the start of the UNPFII, EMRIP or HRC session. Requests cannot always be accommodated.
Mr. Francisco Calí Tzay
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples,
OHCHR-UNOG, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Email: indigenous@ohchr.org