Erity Teave Hey

Erity Teave Hey is a Rapa Nui leader with more than two decades of experience in indigenous governance, human rights, and international advocacy.

Since 2001, she has participated in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, representing Rapa Nui and contributing to global discussions on indigenous rights, self-determination, and sustainable development.

She served multiple terms as Vice President of the Rapa Nui Parliament and has held leadership roles focused on human rights representation, territorial governance, and institutional development.

Erity is the founder of MANA KARU, an initiative dedicated to restoring coffee cultivation on Rapa Nui as a sustainable and climate-resilient economic model.

Her international experience includes collaboration with United Nations platforms, participation in global research initiatives on indigenous food systems and climate resilience, and representation of the Pacific region in international forums, including COP28 and COP30, for which she was elected Pacific Knowledge Holder by the UN Pacific Region.

Her work bridges ancestral knowledge with modern systems, advancing community-led development grounded in cultural identity, sustainability, and global equity.

Erity has been a strong participant in the process leading to the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which was adopted on September 13, 2007. The Declaration establishes minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous peoples worldwide, affirming their rights to self-determination, cultural integrity, equality, and connection to their traditional lands and knowledge systems.

Mauru Uru