A University of Colorado law professor has been appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to be the North American representative on the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Kristen Carpenter is the associate dean for research and the Council Tree Professor of Law at CU and focuses on the legal claims of indigenous peoples.

Carpenter was appointed on Friday after the U.N. Human Rights Council’s 34th session in Geneva, according to a news release from CU. She will be one of seven regional members and join experts from Africa, Asia, the Arctic, Europe, South America and the Pacific.

“I would like to acknowledge the generations of advocates who have advanced indigenous peoples’ concerns at the United Nations,” Carpenter said in a statement. “It is because of their work that I now have the opportunity work with the other members of the Expert Mechanism and the Office of the High Commissioner toward realizing indigenous peoples’ rights. I hope especially to highlight the experiences and needs of traditional cultural practitioners, and to help to ensure a place for indigenous lifeways in the rapidly changing world around us.”

The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was established by the U.N. in 2007 and is tasked with providing expertise and advice on the rights of indigenous peoples. The group meets once a year, usually in July.

Mitchell Byars: 303-473-1329, byarsm@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars.