Roberto has a distinguished and diverse background in policy and program development and human rights advocacy, including a specialization on the rights of Indigenous peoples. He has more than 25 years of experience actively engaging the United Nations system in thematic areas such as sustainable development; climate change, the Information Society, and the Organization of American States, among others. He has served on the staff of the International Indian Treaty Council and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as been a consultant for UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, PBS, and other notable institutions.

A published writer, an accomplished artist and musician, he has an educational background in communications and cultural studies. In 2013, Roberto was awarded an honorary doctor of philosophy in humanities degree from Kayiwa International University, Kampala, Uganda.