Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program

08/19/2026

Join us on Wednesday, August 26 for a Sunrise Ceremony - celebrating the new academic year and our U of A community. Enjoy the early morning with a 6:00 a.m. blessing, followed by breakfast at NASA. Mark your calendars, we hope to see you there!
🗓️ August 26, 2026 | 6-8 a.m., hold till 9:00 a.m. for a leisurely breakfast
📍 UA Mall & Room 201 @ NASA

08/19/2026

08/19/2026

Gila River Health Care isn’t just trying to recruit more doctors. It’s investing $25 million to help train them at home.

GRHC is partnering with the University of Arizona to establish what the partners say will be the nation’s first MD-granting medical school branch located on the lands of a sovereign tribal nation.

Beginning in 2027, students in a three-year accelerated primary care program will spend the second half of medical school training at Gila River Health Care. The partners are also exploring residency programs that could extend that pipeline from medical school through residency and ultimately into practice.

It’s a significant workforce strategy in a health system where the need is acute: Indian Health Service reported a 38% physician vacancy rate in fiscal 2024.

The bigger idea: Instead of competing indefinitely for a scarce pool of physicians, Gila River is investing in the infrastructure to help build its own.

Tribal Business News has this story: https://bit.ly/4ihmmM8

08/18/2026

Please join us on September 2 at 10 am to meet our 2026 Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Awards recipients!

Full a full story on this year's cohort visit Haury website: https://haury.arizona.edu/news/haury-program-announces-2026-indigenous-resilience-graduate-research-award-recipients

08/13/2026

Join us in welcoming our new students, who bring with them not only exceptional talent, but also diverse perspectives and rich life experiences that will deepen and strengthen the Arizona Law and IPLP community!

Abby Carpenter joins us from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She is a member of the Mohawk Nation, belonging to the Bear Clan.

Abby’s experience spans from government to higher education to her community. Her work focuses on strategic reconciliation initiatives, Indigenous procurement, braiding Indigenous laws into policy development, advancing Indigenous rights and systemic and institutional change.

“I was drawn to the IPLP program for its leadership in Indigenous Law and Policy. It builds on my experience while expanding my knowledge internationally, with the goal of using that knowledge to advocate for and advance the rights and self-determination of Indigenous People and Nations.”

08/13/2026

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development Working Paper Series. This new series provides a dynamic forum for the circulation of working papers produced by scholars, leaders, and community members. We welcome submissions that explore a wide range of topics related to Indigenous Peoples, including Self-Determination, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Political Institution Building, Property Rights and Legal Institutions, Natural Resources and Conservation, Social and Economic Outcomes, and Data Creation and Collection. Our goal is to showcase novel and innovative ideas that contribute to the advancement of Indigenous governance and development. Learn more and submit here: https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/working-papers

The mission of the HKS Project on Indigenous Governance and Development is to conduct and promote collaborative research, learning, and teaching that improves the political, social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of all Indigenous Peoples, nations, and communities. Our efforts are dedicated to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and the rights to self-determination and self-governance. Please note that there is a terms of service document and privacy statement that you’ll have to agree to. Please review these documents prior to submission.

We invite you to submit your working papers to our series and join us in fostering research and dialogue in this vital field. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

08/12/2026

Join us in welcoming our new students, who bring with them not only exceptional talent, but also diverse perspectives and rich life experiences that will deepen and strengthen the Arizona Law and IPLP community!

Carson Kiburo is a member of the Endorois Indigenous community of Kenya. He brings significant experience and leadership as an Indigenous human rights advocate and researcher, serving as External Legal Advisor, Africa Region Team to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNSRRIP) and as Director of the Jamii Asilia Centre in Kenya.

“In my capacity as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Jamii Asilia Centre, I promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Kenya. Concurrently, I provide external legal counsel to the UNSRRIP. This research encompasses Indigenous rights, international human rights legislation, and biocultural land rights, mirroring the framework used in my study of the Endorois’ land dispute. It has shown the extensive journey international standards take before affecting Indigenous rights holders, which has motivated me to pursue an LL.M. and return to my work as a more effective advocate.”

08/10/2026

Haury Program Announces 2026 Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Award Recipients Aug. 7, 2026 Image The Agnese Nelms Haury Program has selected eleven University of Arizona graduate students to receive its 2026 Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Awards, supporting research and degree comp...

08/10/2026

IPLP SJD candidate Ljavaus Guo recently presented her research at the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association's Fifteenth Annual Conference, held July 22-24 in Wallmapu, Chile (the ancestral and historical territory of the Indigenous Mapuche nation).

Reflecting on the experience, Guo notes that “NAISA showed me that an academic conference can be more than a place to present research. It can bring scholars and Indigenous communities together in reciprocal relationships that support Indigenous rights, self-determination, and nation-building. Climate policy is never only about science or economics. For Indigenous peoples, it is also about who governs the land, whose knowledge shapes the rules, and who has the authority to decide the future of their communities.”

Read on for a guest article written by Guo reflecting on her experience ▶

Climate policy is never only about science or economics. For Indigenous Peoples, it is also about who governs the land, whose knowledge shapes the rules, and who has the authority to decide the future of their communities.