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Erika-Irene Daes

Curriculum Vitae of Dr., Drhc, Mrs. Erika-Irene Daes
  • Visiting Professor of International Law and International Relations
  • Doctor of Law (Ph.D.) Athens University
  • Doctor of Law Honoris Causa, School of Law University of Saskatchewan – Canada
  • Doctor of Law Honoris Causa, School of Law – University of Tromso – Norway
  • Honorary Member of the Institute of International Public Law and International Relations, Thessaloniki (Greece)
  • Honorary Member of the Athens Bar and ex-Advocate of the Supreme Court of Greece
  • Independent Expert-member of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 1976 – April 2002
  • Special Rapporteur of the U.N. Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 1980-2004
  • Chairperson (1985 and 1986), Vice-Chairperson (2000 to August 2001) and Rapporteur (1978) of the U.N. Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
  • Chairperson and Rapporteur of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations since 1984 to April 2002: First woman to be elected and re-elected of a U.N. Body continually for 18 years.
  • Honorary Life Member of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations. First time in its history the U.N. Sub-Commission has unanimously adopted a decision appointing one of its member for life in recognition of her valuable work related to particular to her contribution of the physical and cultural survival of the world’s indigenous peoples.
  • Principal Drafter of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 1987-1993, and of the first draft Declaration on the Rights and Responsibility of individuals and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
  • Member of the Advisory Group of the Voluntary Fund on the Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 1999-2002
  • Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and member of the Joint Inspection Unit of the U.N. System, 1986-1991. She was in the U.N. history the first woman elected by the U.N. General Assembly to be member of the Joint Inspection Unit of the U.N. system (1986-1991).
  • Visiting Professor of the European University Institute (Florence, Italy), 1980-1985.
  • Extraordinary Envoy of Greece to a number of States, including the Federates States of Micronesia, 1998.
  • Visiting Professor of the St. Thomas University – School of Law (Miami, Florida), Fall 1999 up to 2003
  • Vice-Chairperson to the 5th Committee of the 54th session of the U. N. General Assembly.
  • Representative of Greece to the 5th Committee of the 53rd, 54th, 55th, 56th, 57, 58 and 59th sessions of the U.N. General Assembly
  • Representative of Greece to the Conferences on Human Dimension of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe: a) in Copenhagen 1990 and b) on Moscow 1991
  • Expert of the Greek Delegation to the Technical Meeting of Experts on Minorities, of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Geneva 1992
  • Organizer and lecturer, in collaboration with the former Director General of the U.N. Office in Geneva, Ambassador I. Martenson, the Training Courses on Administration of Justice, at the University of Moscow on the basis of an invitation by the Government of Russia Federation, Moscow, Nov. 1988
  • Participant in the Working Group of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, considering matters related to the Administration of Justice, sessions 1999 to 2001
  • Founding member of the establishment of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
  • Representative of Greece to the 3rd, 4th, 5th Committees of the 21st session of the U.N. General Assembly and then to 30th up to 61 sessions of the U.N. G.A.
  • Representative of Greece to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th sessions of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
  • Representative of Greece to a number of sessions of the General Conference of UNESCO
  • Representative of Greece to the 59th session of the ECOSOC, New York, 2005
  • Member of the Greek Delegation to the 1st, 2nd. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th sessions of the Human Rights Council (Geneva).
  • United Nations Missions: Special representative of the Secretary General or the Sub-Commission to: Guatemala, Mexico, United States, etc.
  • Visits to Countries in her capacity as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, at the invitation of Governments: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greenland, New Zealand, Egypt, Russian Federation, China, Japan, Iran, Kenya, Norway, Panama, Senegal, Sweden, United States, Brazil including Amazonia, Chili etc.
  • Teaching and Lectures on subjects of International Law, including United Nations Law etc, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, Peacekeeping and Peacemaking, World Affairs, Globalization, Environmental Law. Also on subjects relating to the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Minorities, International Relations, etc.
  • Teaching and Lectures delivered at the Universities: Greek Diplomatic Academy, the Institute of International Public Law and International Relations (Thessaloniki), United Nations University at Tokyo (Japan), Harvard University, European University Institute (Florence), Russian Diplomatic Academy, Minnesota, Iowa, St. Thomas University, Miami, Melbourne University, etc.
  • Author of a number of books, articles, reports and U.N. studies, translated into all the official U.N. languages. Mention should be made to her article on “Indigenous Peoples”, published in the Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, 2nd vol., Dinah L. Shelton Editor in Chief, Macmillan Reference USA, Thomson Gale, 2005. pp. 508-516.
  • Recipient of the United Nations Human Rights award, 1993. She is the first woman in Europe, awarded by the U.N. General Assembly, the U.N. Human Rights award for outstanding achievements in the field of Human Rights.
  • Honorary Distinction (decoration): The “Great Commander of the Order of Phoenix” awarded by the President of the Republic of Greece, September 2002.
  • Award bestowed to her in recognition of the contribution to the evolution of International Las and International Relations, by the Greek Society of International Law and International Relations, in 2004.