Myrna Cunningham

Myrna Cunningham is a medical surgeon, public health worker, activist and linked to political-social processes for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and women. With more than 40 years of experience of accompaniment and studies on autonomy processes, discriminations suffered by indigenous peoples, especially on women and young people, and the establishment of strategies and programs that facilitate access to intercultural education, health and, the establishment of processes of indigenous and multiethnic self-government. Member of the Miskitu indigenous community of the Waspam, located on the banks of the Wangki River in Nicaragua.

After studying to become a Primary Education Teacher, she returned to her home community to work as a teacher. She went out again to study medicine and surgery at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, being the first Miskitu woman doctor. She returned to work at the Missionary Hospital of the Moravian Church as a general practitioner and later as a surgeon; work that she combined with public health activities in the Río Coco communities from 1973 to 1979, when she went to work in the Ministry of Health at national level in the area of planning and research. Between 1981 and 1990, she worked as regional health officer and governor of the North Caribbean Coast Region, participating in the establishment of the current autonomy regime for Indigenous Peoples and ethnic communities. Between 1990 and 1996 she was an elected member of the National Assembly of Nicaragua and the Autonomous Regional Council of the North Caribbean Coast.

With extensive experience on the rights of indigenous peoples. She has been an activist for individual and collective rights of women and men of indigenous peoples in her country and globally and in 1992 she coordinated the Continental 500 Years of Indigenous, Black and Popular Resistance. Campaign.

In 1994 she was one of the founders and rector for 8 years of the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN), one of the first Latin American experiences of indigenous, intercultural, higher education with a gender approach, which has served as a model for the continent. She worked in the same line as a promoter of the Regional Autonomous Education System (SEAR), and the autonomous intercultural health systema Chair (CII) of the Intercultural Indigenous University, promoted by FILAC, made up of indigenous wisdom holders from 18 countries of Latin America. She teaches courses at the UII, UNAM in Mexico, Columbia University in NY and Carlos III University in Madrid on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

She has been Secretary General of the Inter-American Indigenous Institute, lecturer and consultant for different multilateral, bilateral, governmental and non-governmental organizations on indigenous and intercultural health, education, territory, environment and natural resources, racial discrimination, international human rights mechanisms and instruments, among others.

She is currently Chair of the Land Tenure Facility, Pawanka Fund, Indigenous Peoples Facility- IPAF at IFAD and the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean- FILAC; Member of the Boards of Directors of The Hunger Project and Nia Tero; member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Islamic Development Bank, Freshwater life, the International Forum of Indigenous Women-FIMI, the UN World Food Summit and the 15th World Forest Congress.

She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for women's rights and development-AWID, the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research CATIE, the Center for the autonomy and development of Indigenous Peoples, CADPI, the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Group of 10 to support the TFM on STI for the SDGs (IATT) at the UN, the Global Fund for Women and the International Fund for Persons with Disabilities. She is currently focal point for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Major Group of Indigenous Peoples for the SDGs at the UN and the Steering Committee of Indigenous Peoples for the work with IFAD.

She was member of the Permanent Forum on indigenous issues at the UN from 2011 to 2013, which she chaired from 2011 to 2012, in 2014 she was Advisor to the President of the United Nations General Assembly for the UN World Conference of Indigenous Peoples. and FAO Goodwill Ambassador for the International Year of Family Farming.

She has been awarded for her work by PAHO/WHO, the Ibero-American Center for Human Rights, MADRE, UNAM, FIMI, CUNY University, CSW-NGO, among others.