Noelí Pocaterra

Noelí Pocaterra is a Venezuelan politician and prominent advocate for indigenous rights. A member of the Wayúu ethnic group, she has served multiple terms as a deputy in the National Assembly of Venezuela and was a member of the 1999 and 2017 National Constituent Assemblies. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in securing constitutional protections for indigenous communities, including the creation of the Permanent Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, she previously led the Socio-Anthropological Department at the University of Zulia for 25 years.