San Juan County Commissioner Mark Maryboy, a Navajo, has been invited to speak before the 10th session of the United Nations' Working Group on Indigenous Populations. The group will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, July 20-30.
Maryboy has been a critic of both the Navajo tribal government and state and local government in their treatment of Utah Navajos, particularly in the lack of health care, education and roads.The Utah portion of the Navajo Reservation remains among the most poverty-stricken anywhere in the United States, despite sitting on huge oil reserves.
"It is a tremendous honor to speak before the United Nations," Maryboy said. "It is another chance for Utah Navajos to have their voices heard."