Dr. Anton Treuer, professor of languages and Indigenous studies at Bemidji State University, has been appointed to the United Nations’ Technical Working Group for the High-Level Dialogue on Energy.
The dialogue will work to promote the implementation of global energy-related goals relating to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and inclusive energy transitions. This assembly will also discuss sustainable efforts in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other environmental efforts toward clean energy and building sustainable communities.
“I’m excited to elevate awareness of Indigenous environmental issues within the broader context of climate change policy and environmental stewardship,” Treuer said. “Indigenous people have a lot to teach the rest of the world. And we live in and protect a lot of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems. I’m also looking forward to working with some of the brightest minds on the planet on one of the most important endeavors of our time.”
As mandated by the United Nations General Assembly, the High-level Dialogue on Energy will be convened by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the summit level in New York in September 2021.
An internationally renowned expert on cultural and language preservation, Treuer has authored 19 books and is a professor in the Department of Languages and Indigenous Studies at Bemidji State University. His book, “Ojibwe in Minnesota,” was named Minnesota’s Best Read by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in 2010. He edited “Awesiinyensag: Dibaajimowinan Ji-gikinoo’amaageng,” an Ojibwe-language children’s book that was named Minnesota’s Best Read for 2011. And In 2012, he won the Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History for his book, “The Assassination of Hole in the Day.”
At BSU, Treuer teaches courses on Ojibwe language, culture, history and literature. Before joining the BSU faculty, Treuer spent four years as an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Treuer is a member of the Minnesota State Arts Board and has served on the boards for the White Earth Land Recovery Project and the Sanford/MeritCare health system. He has received dozens of awards and fellowships from organizations including the American Philosophical Society, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bush Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
Treuer has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and holds master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota.