The Importance of Women (4)

Yeshing Juliana Upún Yos is a Mayan Kaqchikel woman from Guatemala. She is beginning her career in law and is an advocate of Indigenous Peoples and women rights. Her focus has been on the collective rights of Indigenous... [ view full abstract ]

Yeshing Juliana Upún Yos is a Mayan Kaqchikel woman from Guatemala. She is beginning her career in law and is an advocate of Indigenous Peoples and women rights. Her focus has been on the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially as they relate to natural resources and sustainable development, with a focus on biodiversity conservation based on traditional knowledge. In addition, she has worked on the following issues- Mayan Peoples rights and Maya Women rights; Maya development, communal management of lands and bio-cultural territories, forests, biodiversity and management of collective areas by indigenous people; the Kaqchikel Volcanic Chain; and climate change. Ms. Yeshing is currently a coordinator for Indigenous Peoples Rights of Sotzil Association based in Guatemala. Sotzil has undertaken numerous technical and political activities relating to indigenous peoples and their collective rights at a local, national, regional and international level. Her experiences demonstrate her commitment to indigenous peoples, their spirituality, traditional knowledge, language, culture, and identity.