Sophie Chao

Forest Peoples Programme

Social anthropologist and human rights activist Sophie Chao is Project Officer at international human rights NGO Forest Peoples Programme, an organisation which works with forest peoples in South America, Africa, and Asia, to help them secure their rights and negotiate with governments and companies as to how economic development and conservation are best achieved on their lands. Sophie’s areas of research and advocacy include indigenous peoples’ rights, international human rights law, land tenure and acquisition, and agri-business expansion. Sophie is currently based in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is also pursuing an LLM in Law through the UK’s Open University.