Bio: Aleksei Tsykarev is Chair of the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples and Civic Diplomacy «Young Karelia», an NGO under special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. A lifetime activist for the rights of indigenous peoples in Russia, Mr. Tsykarev previously led the International Youth Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples and has served as an independent expert in several United Nations capacities. He is a former Member and Chairperson-Rapporteur of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has also served on the Steering Committee for the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.
Mr. Tsykarev holds a Master of Linguistics, and his academic publications focus on indigenous peoples’ rights, particularly in the areas of language and culture. He has provided expertise and consultancy for the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). He performs as a guest lecturer and speaker on international human rights standards in universities and institutions across Russia, Europe, North America and Asia. He is a leader of the Karelian people in Russia and has been entrusted to serve in its representative body – the Council of Commissioners of the Karelian Congress, and to represent his people in the World Congress of Finno- Ugric Peoples. Mr. Tsykarev is a member in advisory councils under ministries and ombudsman offices in Russia.