Napaġiak Dalee Sambo Dorough
Napaġiak Dalee Sambo Dorough – (Inuit-Alaska) holds a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law (2002) and a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University (1991). Dr. Dorough is currently an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Department of Political Science at University of Alaska Anchorage; former Chairperson and Expert Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (2010-2016); Member of the Board of Trustees of UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations; co-Chair of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; former Member of ILA Committee on Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and Member of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Advisory Committee on UN Issues.
Dr. Dorough has a long history of direct involvement in the discussion, debate, and negotiation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). She was an active participant in this work from 1985 up to adoption of the UNDRIP by the UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007. Dr. Dorough was also a direct participant in the two-year revision process of International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 107, which resulted in the adoption of Convention No. 169 Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention on June 27, 1989 by the ILO. She specializes in public international law, international human rights law, international relations, and Alaska Native self-determination. In addition, she has experience in the administration, management and coordination of statewide, national and international organizations as well as estimating and oversight of federal, state and private construction contracts.
Dr. Dorough’s recent publications include “The Rights, Interests and Role of the Arctic Council Permanent Participants” R. Beckman, T. Henriksen, K. Kraabel, E.J. Molenaar and J.A. Roach (eds) Governance of Arctic Shipping. Balancing Rights and Interests of Arctic States and User States (Brill: 2017); E/C.19/2016/4 Study on how States exploit weak procedural rules in international organizations to devalue the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and other international human rights law, co-authored with Edward John, member of the Forum, May 9, 2016 at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/unpfii-sessions-2/unpfii-fifteenth-session.html; and the Human Rights chapter of the UN publication State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/sowip.html.
Honors and awards include Fulbright Scholarship Award 1995-1996; Patricia Roberts Harris Scholarship for Public Service 1989 and 1990; Bill Edmunds Award 1989; Reebok Human Rights Award 1988; and additional memberships include Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force; American Branch of the International Law Association; and the Shared Societies Working Group on Sustainable Development.
Dr. Dorough lives in Anchorage, AK with her husband, Luke Dorough (Waccamaw Siouan). Their 23-year old daughter, Hannah, is embarking upon a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Film Adaptation in the UK.