From 23 April to 4 May 2012, the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya,
conducted an official visit to the United States to examine the
situation of indigenous peoples in the country. This visit
follows the formal endorsement by the United States, on December
16, 2010, of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, a groundbreaking instrument that was adopted
by the UN General Assembly in 2007. As part of the Special
Rapporteur's visit, on April 26 - 27, 2012, the University of
Arizona, in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights, hosted a conference, titled
"The Significance of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples: A Conference and Consultation with the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples." The
conference provided the Special Rapporteur the opportunity to
hear from representatives of indigenous peoples and
organizations from throughout the country,