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Sonia Molodecky, LLB

Co-Founder & President

Sonia is a Canadian lawyer with more than 15 years’ experience working in international business, law and community engagement.

Sonia worked in natural resource law at two of Canada’s largest law firms as founder and National Chair of her firm’s Latin American Services Group. Sonia has worked for the Public Defender’s Office in Argentina, for the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine, where she worked as legal advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine developing and implementing democratic governance and anti-corruption policies and legal frameworks, and for the President of the Commission of Human Rights and Justice in Mexico to implement the Commission’s mandate around human rights, as they affected indigenous communities.

Sonia actively participates as a speaker around the world on topics related to meaningful community engagement, economic development, sustainability, the power of partnerships and the benefits of informed, empowered and engaged communities. Sonia works actively with the board, Aboriginal Advisors, staff and partners around the world to further the organization’s mission.

Sonia is fluent in English, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Global Indigenous Trust

Our Vision

Our vision is a global network of healthy, vibrant, thriving communities and people, living their true potential.

info@globalindigenoustrust.org
1801 – 1 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5E1W7

Instagram post 2172162447471980417_1434995279 Friendly reminder on this snowy day to look deeper for the beauty, harmony and interconnections all around us. “See that blade grass, look at that tree, and everything you see. Everything on this Earth is alive and lives. It is you that has to live in harmony with that blade of grass. Please be careful where you step.” – Theresa Day #redxtalks Toronto
Instagram post 2169965057050534042_1434995279 Thank you @ccab_national for the post, and participating in our conversation last week about the up and coming Indigenous economy in Peru! A very great conversation indeed on their opportunities and challenges – and of course, great to hear from about what is happening with Aboriginal business in Canada. • Thank you to HudBay and @ccab_National for joining us with these Peruvian community leaders.
Instagram post 2166939078744899015_1434995279 CGEN Forum 2019: Bridging Worldview's to Build Healthy Communities by Centre for Global Engineering - University of Toronto was a huge success earlier this week! Thank you to all who came! GIDT is partnered with the Centre for Global Engineering (CGEN) @uoftengineering to help with high-impact research projects and initiatives for community development across the world, through the Reconciliation Through Engineering Initiative (RTEI), a new initiative at CGEN. RTEI seeks to bring together Indigenous knowledge and the expertise of faculty members at the University in the spirit of co-learning to address some of the most pressing infrastructure challenges faced by Indigenous communities across Canada. This event aimed at examining the significant opportunity for a harmonization between Traditional Knowledge and Western Science to produce holistic, long-term solutions to community and infrastructure development. Indigenous Peoples have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. As keepers and practitioners of Traditional Knowledge, they have adapted to naturally changing landscapes and environments with resilience and innovation. Today, many Indigenous communities across Canada face unique barriers to food security, clean water, suitable housing, healthcare as well as reliable energy, transportation and communications systems. At the same time, climate change exacerbates these challenges. The 2019 CGEN Forum, was an experiential journey towards building research collaborations grounded in sustainability, reciprocity and an understanding of Indigenous ways of communicating and knowing. Beginning with a traditional ceremony led by an Elder, there will be an exploration of Indigenous Peoples’ history on Turtle Island, the legacy of research partnerships with Indigenous communities, the strengths and teachings of Traditional Knowledge and a demonstration of its fundamental role within a collaborative research methodology. The event will feature guest talks and panelists including leading Indigenous researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators who are at the forefront of this Two-Eyed Seeing approach to science and engineering. #indigenousknowledge #2👀ing
Instagram post 2166306714320906001_1434995279 The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, was introduced in the B.C. legislature last week to drumming, singing, prayers and the Lekwungen Dancers. This adoption of #undrip is another step in healing and transformation into Canadian legislature, that will hopefully to continually spread across government, and industry in Canada. B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration). It includes 46 articles covering all facets of human rights of Indigenous peoples such as: culture identity religion language health education community The UN Declaration emphasizes the Indigenous peoples' rights to live in dignity, to maintain and strengthen Indigenous institutions, cultures and traditions and to pursue self-determined development, in keeping with Indigenous needs and aspirations. The UN Declaration has been adopted by 148 nations, including the Government of Canada. B.C.’s Implementation of the UN Declaration The provincial government introduced legislation in October 2019 to implement the UN Declaration, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission confirms as the framework for reconciliation. The B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act aims to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous peoples while introducing better transparency and predictability in the work we do together. The Province worked with the First Nations Leadership Council (BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit and Union of BC Indian Chiefs), who have been directed by First Nations Chiefs of B.C., to develop the legislation. If passed, the legislation sets out a process to align B.C.’s laws with the UN Declaration. It will mandate government to bring provincial laws into harmony with the UN Declaration. It will require development of an action plan to achieve this alignment over time – providing transparency and accountability. And it will require regular reporting to the legislature to monitor progress. #indigenousrights
Instagram post 2162582712894906560_1434995279 “Indigenous Knowledge: it is intensely local, but at the same time, it is universal.” - Sacred Ecology Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also called by other names including Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, (hereafter, TEK) refers to the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment. One estimate says that while Indigenous peoples only comprise some 4 or 5 percent of the world’s population, they use almost a quarter of the world’s land surface and manage 11 percent of its forests. “In doing so, they maintain 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity in, or adjacent to, 85 percent of the world’s protected areas,” 🙌💕 Photo: by Luisa Rivera/ YaleE360 #traditionalknowledge #traditionalecologicalknowledge #sustainabledevelopment #holisticworldview
Instagram post 2162006912877541691_1434995279 Did you know the the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is one of the longest running democracie’s in the world? Founded on Peace. The premise of the Kainere’ko:wa was to embrace other nations wishing to live in peace and participate in this democratic union. The Haudenosaunee confederacy (People of the long house) was founded by the prophet known as the Peacemaker with the help of Aionwatha, more commonly known as Hiawatha. The exact date of the joining of the nations is unknown and said to be time immemoriall making it one of the first and longest lasting participatory democracies in the world. For the Haudenosaunee, law, society and nature are equal partners and each plays an important role. The confederacy, made up of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas was intended as a way to unite the nations and create a peaceful means of decision making. Through the confederacy, each of the nations of the Haudenosaunee are united by a common goal to live in harmony. Each nation maintains it own council with Chiefs chosen by the Clan Mother and deals with its own internal affairs but allows the Grand Council to deal with issues affecting the nations within the confederacy. The Haudenosaunee symbol of the long house, provided by the Peacemaker, is recognized in traditional geographic locations. Upon confederation each nation took on a role within the metaphorical longhouse with the Onondaga being the Keepers of the Fire. The Mohawk, Seneca and Onondaga acted as the Elder Brothers of the confederacy while the Cayuga and Oneida were the Younger Brothers within Grand Council. The main meeting place was and still exists today on Onondaga territory. Often described as the oldest, participatory democracy on Earth, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s constitution is believed to be a model for the American Constitution. What makes it stand out as unique to other systems around the world is its blending of law and values. The Peacemaker was sent by the Creator to spread the Kariwiio or good mind. With the help of Aiionwatha, the Peacemaker taught the laws of peace to the Haudenosaunee. #indigenouswisdom #wampum #democracy #longhouseconfederacy #sixnations #peace #harmony
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© 2019 Global Indigenous Development Trust

  • Who We Are
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Our Projects
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners
    • Building a Nation Case Study
    • Events
    • In the Media
  • Work with Us
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Global Indigenous Development Trust