Aminta Menjivar Maldonado

Aminta Menjivar Maldonado is a doctoral student at the University of Arizona with a concentration in American Indian Studies and a sub-concentration in Law. She also holds a Master’s degree in Development Practice and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In addition to her studies, she is involved at the James E. Rogers College of Law’s Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy program through her position as the External Administrative Assistant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Mr. José Francisco Calí Tzay.

Aminta’s interests lie on water and territorial rights, but most importantly, she cares about the rights of the environment and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. As a citizen of El Salvador, she understands how governments and transnational business interests can hinder the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Hence, her goal is to write a dissertation that can be used by Indigenous Peoples to protect their territories from extractive exploitation. Pivotally, she aims to use her skills to seek a bridge between Indigenous Peoples and governments as there is often distrust between the two entities. The world is going through many changes today, not least of which is climate change. A bridge between the interests of Indigenous Peoples and governments is necessary in order to achieve sustainable solutions to climate change and secure the rights of Indigenous Peoples along the way.