From 2001-2008, Rodolfo Stavenhagen served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He has been Assistant-Director General for Social Sciences and their Applications at UNESCO, and is currently Vice-President of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. In Mexico, he founded the General Directorate for Popular Cultures in the Ministry of Public Education, and the Mexican Academy of Human Rights. Dr. Stavenhagen is also the author of numerous books and articles in English, Spanish and French. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at El Colegio de México.