Two recent contributions of Mariam:

  • She contributed to the: « Elaboration of CEDAW General Recommendation No. 39 on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls », a Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women by the Human Rights Clinic of the University of Miami School of Law (2021), in collaboration with the International Forum of Indigenous Women (FIMI).
  • Member of Global Advisory Board of the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender Justice and Peace, Indigenous women led initiative supported by Columbia University and Harvard Center.

Mariam grew up with Tuareg women and men including her sisters that have been continuously engaged for the protection and wellbeing of their people. They created the Tinhinan Sahel association in 1994, whose aim is to contribute to the development of the nomadic women in Sahel region, mainly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Mariam has continuously participated in the association since its creation. For example, she worked at the nutrition task force with the World Food Nutrition to assess the malnutrition level among nomadic displaced peoples (Tuareg and Peul) in Burkina Faso in 2007 due to flooding. She has been participating and facilitating several capacity building activities on human rights instruments (ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and tribal peoples) and contribute to Tinhinan statements and publications mainly related to health and well -being but also to peace, development and human rights. She also speak on behalf of the organization and mainly for Tuareg women in several meetings (UNFPII, FAO, HLPF, etc.) and processes.

In 2016, in order to continue her community engagement, while contributing to Tinhinan Sahel, Mariam co-founded with women in Canada an organization with the same name which goal is to build bridges among Indigenous Peoples-settlers and immigrants through education and culture sharing.

Mariam’s has in her heart not only her two regions’ women (Sahel-Canada) but all Indigenous women. This is why she stood up to keep Indigenous women in the work of the UNFPII and has been an ally for Indigenous women in various international spaces, including Commission on Status of women, Indigenous women media zone, High Level Political Forum on the Sustainable development Goals, the Women Deliver, the International Conference on Population Development.