Before 22-year-old Indigenous model Quannah Chasinghorse began taking over the fashion world, the Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota star cultivated a platform for her activism work as a young woman. Today, Chasinghorse continues to use her voice to address climate and land issues affecting Indigenous communities—so it was only natural that she was invited as a special guest to attend the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held last week in New York City.

Serving as the UN’s primary global gathering on Indigenous peoples’s rights, the model was invited to be a part of the Gwich’in Steering Committee delegation—serving as a voice for the needs and rights of the Gwich’in community in particular.

“What brought me to the UN was my responsibility as a daughter, granddaughter, and future ancestor of Gwich’in,” Chasinghorse tells Vogue. “I’ve grown up watching my mother and grandmother fight to protect our sacred lands, and I carry that responsibility forward. I came to the UN because Indigenous voices belong in these spaces—because for too long, we’ve been silenced or pushed aside.”

During the busy week of gatherings, meetings, and panels, Chasinghorse touched on a variety of topics including land rights, climate change, and the harm of extractive industries such as mining and oil pipelines. “I spoke about the urgent need to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the Gwich’in people hold sacred connection to the Porcupine Caribou Herd, and the land where life begins, says Chasinghorse. “Protecting these places is about protecting our future and honoring the sacred relationships our peoples have upheld for generations.”

The model also delivered remarks during a special agenda, titled The Rights of Indigenous Women. “Women are often the backbone of our communities and frontline defenders of Mother Earth,” says Chasinghorse, “yet we face challenges like gender-based violence and the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women.”

Autumn Peltier and Quannah Chasinghorse at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Photo: Keri Oberly