PHILIPPINES

Vicky is an indigenous activist from the Kankana-ey Igorot people of the Cordillera Region in the Philippines. She is a social development consultant, civic leader, human rights expert, public servant, and an advocate of women’s rights.

As an indigenous leader, she actively engaged in the drafting and adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. She served as the chairperson of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues from 2005 to 2010, and as the chairperson-rapporteur of the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. She was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from 2014 to 2020.

Vicky is the founder and current executive director of Tebtebba Foundation (Indigenous Peoples’ International Center for Policy Research and Education). She has founded and managed various NGOs that are involved in social awareness raising, climate change, and advancement of indigenous peoples’ and women’s rights.