文/ Tracy Schorn
2017年3月6日
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基思米. Harper is a partner at the law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & 斯托克顿澳博app事务所. He was, from June 2014 to January 2017, the U.S. 联合国驻日内瓦人权理事会大使和常驻代表. 在此之前，他是一名澳博app，以代表印第安部落和印第安人个人而闻名. 他是俄克拉何马州切罗基族的成员，也是联邦承认的印第安部落中第一位担任美国大使的成员.S. 大使.
在担任联合国人权大使之后，你最近又回到了平民生活. 那是什么样的经历?
作为一名代表，为我们的国家和奥巴马总统服务，处理我深切关心的问题，这是最大的荣誉和谦卑. 事实是，美国.S. does in multilateral institutions such as the U.N. can have a profound impact both on the institution and in the outcomes. 当然, 我们的目标始终是确保我们对现实生活中与人们息息相关的问题产生影响.
你真的有义务把事情做好，尤其是当你代表美国的时候. 我们是, as President Obama has said repeatedly, the indispensable nation to resolving international challenges. Our allies and partners care a lot about where we stand. 当美国领导的时候, others will generally follow and this is essential, especially in areas such as human rights.
Can you give some examples of matters you worked on while in Geneva?
我为我们的团队和合作伙伴感到最自豪的一件事是我们为解决针对LGBTI人群的暴力和歧视所做的努力. In 2014, working with countries in all regions of the world, but with tremendous leadership from our Latin American partners, 我们起草了一项决议，研究这个社区成员持续面临的歧视和暴力. We built on that success and last year appointed a U.N. 专家, 尽管反对声浪很大, 就针对LGBTI人士的暴力和歧视问题进行研究，并定期向理事会报告. For the first time in the United Nations system, 有人会每天关注这些问题，挑战国家暴力和歧视. We now have an independent fact finder.
我们还更加关注最恶劣的人权状况, 包括在伊朗, 叙利亚, 朝鲜, 布隆迪, 和南苏丹. 我们在解决土著人民问题方面取得了重大进展, 包括定期研究对土著妇女和女孩的暴力行为祸害，并加强土著人民权利问题专家机制的权力.
Before your 大使ship, you were most well known for winning a $3.4 billion settlement in the class action lawsuit Cobell v. 萨拉查, 在该案中，美国原住民原告指控美国对500多名受害者的信托基金管理不善,000名印第安人. Can you tell us a bit more about that case?
这是可以追溯到19世纪的关于资金管理不善的历史性不公正事件, 自然资源, and lands held in trust status by the federal government. [主要原告]Elouise Cobell是一个顽强的斗士，也是这个案件背后的真正引擎. She came into our office [at the Native American Rights Fund] in 1996. Cobell wanted to challenge that mismanagement in federal court.
Whenever you have a movement of such legal or political significance, you need a sort of iconic figure that people can galvanize around. 她就是那个领袖. 但我也认为这个故事中的另一个伟大人物是罗伊斯·兰伯斯法官. Now I will concede that when we first pulled his name, with his conservative background, 我有点担心. 但事实证明，他实际上是一个准备以一种我认为罕见的方式对政府负责的人. 因此，我们非常荣幸能与这两位杰出的美国人一起工作, along with a team of other lawyers.
[The case] took quite a long time. 我记得我们提交诉讼的确切日期是1996年6月10日，我们在2009年签署了和解协议. 然后我想奥巴马总统在2010年签署了《澳博app下载网》.
[Editor’s note: The settlement had three parts: a $1.4 billion payment to individual plaintiffs included in the class action; a fund of $1.90亿元回购自愿出售的分割土地权益，并恢复保留土地, strengthening their land base; and a $60 million scholarship fund to be funded from the land sales, named the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund.]
露易丝真正想要的是为年轻一代建立一个奖学金基金. So we included a $60 million scholarship fund. Unfortunately, Elouise passed away shortly after the act was passed. 这样一个悲惨的故事. 但我们应该记住的是，毫无疑问，这一结果证明了她的勇气和坚韧.
谁是你的榜样?
(劳伦斯W. 美国的皮尔斯.S. (第二巡回上诉法院)教会了我勤奋的重要性, of making sure you get things right, of being open minded and having fidelity to the law.
但我发现最重要的人，作为导师，是我的客户. I had the honor to represent Billy Frank Jr. and the Frank’s Landing Indian Community. 比利是西北太平洋地区伟大条约捕鱼权案的斗士. 他是那种具有超凡魅力和非凡力量的杰出人物. He worked closely with, among others, Hank Adams. 他们基本上是条约捕鱼战的缔造者之一.
最终, 最高法院支持他们的条约捕鱼权，这改变了华盛顿州地区部落的经济. Billy and his ancestors had been fishing in these areas, such as the Nisqually River for generations, 现在他们因无证捕鱼而被州官员逮捕.
从他那里我学到了坚定和坚定的重要性，即使面对巨大的障碍也要做好战斗的准备. And the importance of your story. 在现场的人能比澳博app更好地表达不公正。, because they can tell you the story of how it impacts their life.
Is there anything in common with being a litigator and a diplomat?
Absolutely, there are many similarities. A diplomat, like a litigator’s principal job, is to persuade. 第一个最重要的相似点是确保你有一个强有力的叙述. If you want to succeed in diplomacy, you have to have a good narrative. 诉讼也是一样. 当然, 赢得一场官司, 是的, you have to know whatever the applicable legal rules and laws are, 但你需要能够说服(人们)，你所寻求的结果是公正的. 打动人的是你的故事. This is as true in diplomacy as it is in litigation.
接下来是什么? How does it feel to be back at Kilpatrick?
It feels very much like coming home. 我期待着回去代表客户处理我所热衷的问题, including core challenges facing tribal communities: water rights, 狩猎问题, 主权问题, 等. 与印度国家合作让我兴奋的是，部落可以成为创新和经济发展的巨大引擎, 同时保留那些对他们的社区有意义的东西. I also look forward to continuing to do work internationally. But no doubt, I’m excited to be back.
You can follow 基思·哈珀 on 推特 at @AmbHarper.
