Professor Bessa Antunes will discuss the current status of indigenous peoples’ rights as construed by South American constitutional courts, with emphasis on the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF). He will situate those rights within the context of human rights, environment, and indigenous peoples in Brazil.

Dr. Bessa Antunes is an Associate Professor of Environmental Law at Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) (Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro), serves as President of the Environmental Law Commission of the Brazilian Lawyers Institute (Instituto dos Advogados Brasileiros - IAB), and is a member of the World Environmental Law Commission of the IUCN.