Kuvassa vasemmalta Saamelaiskäräjien sosiaali- ja terveyssihteeri Anne Länsman-Magga ja WHO:n pääjohtaja Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Kuva: Anu Rantalaiho.

The WHO has approved a resolution on the health of Indigenous Peoples – the Sámi Parliament participated in the preparation of the resolution

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved a resolution on the health of Indigenous Peoples at its Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly in Geneva on 27 May 2023. This marks the first resolution by the WHO that has been approved with regard to Indigenous Peoples. The Sámi Parliament took part in the preparation of the resolution.

Kuvassa vasemmalta Saamelaiskäräjien sosiaali- ja terveyssihteeri Anne Länsman-Magga ja WHO:n pääjohtaja Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Kuva: Anu Rantalaiho.
From the left: Anne Länsman-Magga, the Social Affairs and Health Secretary of the Sámi Parliamen and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO. Photo: Anu Rantalaiho.

Finland’s national address supported the approval of the resolution

In its own address, Finland highlighted the significance of services that are in people’s own language and in accordance with their culture, and especially of mental health services. Climate change will also impact the Sámi people in many different ways.

Finland also emphasised in its address that Indigenous Peoples must be engaged in decision-making and discussion. According to the Finnish address, knowledge production should also be carried out together with Indigenous Peoples.

Further information:

Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President
040 687 3394
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi 

Anne Länsman-Magga
Social Affairs and Health Secretary
040 182 9998
anne.lansman-magga@samediggi.fi

Inka-Saara Arttijeff
Secretary for International Affairs
050 574 7629
inka.saara.arttijeff@samediggi.fi

The Sámi Parliamentary Council appeals to Prime Minister Marin to ensure the right of the Sámi to self-determination

The Sámi Parliamentary Council (SPC) asks Prime Minister Marin to promote the realisation of the rights of the Sámi to self-determination and understanding of indigenous rights together with the state leadership of Finland, Sweden and Norway. The petition was presented to Marin on Thursday morning in Brussels as she was visiting the Summit of Barents Euro-Arctic Indigenous Sámi People. The SPC also urges state leadership to remember the Sámi people in Russia as the war continues.

The SPC highlights recent examples of challenges related to the right of the Sámi to self-determination in various countries, including the reformation of the Sámi Parliament Act in Finland. The SPC asks states to ensure that indigenous rights to self-determination are understood on all levels of decision-making: locally, nationally and at the level of the European Union. Furthermore, the SPC expresses concerns over the difficult situation faced by the Sámi people in Russia as Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine continues, and asks for their plight not to be forgotten.

The petition has been signed by Presidents of the Nordic Sámi Parliaments, Tuomas Aslak Juuso, Silje Karine Muotka and Håkan Jonsson, who also acts as the President of the SPC. Presidents Jonsson and Muotka handed the petition to Prime Minister Marin together with Anni Koivisto, First Vice Chair of the Sámi Parliament of Finland.

The petition of the Sámi Parliamentary Council is available here.

Further information:
Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President
+358 40 687 3394
tuomas.juuso(at)samediggi.fi

Inka Saara Arttijeff
Secretary for International Affairs
+358 50 574 7629
inka-saara.arttijeff(at)samediggi.fi

President Juuso: “The State of Norway must respect the rights of indigenous people”

Young Sámi people have protested against wind farms at Fosen at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy of Norway in Oslo. The protest started on Thursday 23 February, 500 days after the Supreme Court of Norway stated in its judgment that the wind farms at Fosen had been built without a valid operating licence, violating the rights of the Sámi to enjoy their own culture. The protesters demanded the enforcement of the judgment of the Supreme Court and the demolition of 150 illegal wind power plants in their area. Juuso concurs with the demands of the Sámi in Norway on the enforcement of the judgment.

President Tuomas Aslak Juuso. Image: Sámi Parliament / Johanna Labba.

President of the Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso understands the frustration of the Sámi in the wind farm issue well. “I support the Sámi in Norway with their demands. The rights of the Sámi as an indigenous people must be respected and implemented in reality. In the Fosen case, the Government of Norway must enforce the decision of the Supreme Court without delay,” says Juuso.

The protest started when 500 days had passed from the judgment with no measures whatsoever having been taken. In fact, President Juuso wonders why the State of Norway has not implemented the decisions of its own judicial system. “I find it inconceivable, and it does not show that the State of Norway would respect the rights of indigenous people,” Juuso says.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court of Norway found that the State of Norway violated Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of the UN that protects the culture of indigenous people. ICCPR is also legally valid in Finland.

Further information:

Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President
040 687 3394
tuomas.juuso(at)samediggi.fi 

Etyjin vähemmistövaltuutettu Kairat Abdrakhmanov ja Saamelaiskäräjien puheenjohtaja Tuomas Aslak Juuso.

The Sámi Parliament met the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in Inari 

Kairat Abdrakhmanov, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, visited Inari from 15 to 16 February 2023. During the visit, the High Commissioner met President of the Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso, as well as 2nd Vice President Leo Aikio. Out of the bodies of the Sámi Parliament, the Advisory Board on Inari Sámi Affairs as well as the Youth Council met the High Commissioner. 

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov and President of the Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso. Image: Johanna Alatorvinen / Sámi Parliament.

“I wish to thank the High Commissioner on National Minorities for an important visit. We discussed matters topical to the Sámi, such as the overall situation caused by the reform of the Act on the Sámi Parliament and the resulting tensions. In addition, the High Commissioner was interested in issues such as the impact of climate change on the traditional livelihoods and Sámi culture as well as the opportunities of the Sámi Parliament to influence decision-making,” says Tuomas Aslak Juuso, the President of the Sámi Parliament. 

During the visit to Inari, the High Commissioner also met representatives of the Sámi homeland municipalities, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Sámi organisations. The High Commissioner also heard about the current situation of the traditional livelihoods of the Sámi. 

In addition to the meetings, the High Commissioner visited Yle Sápmi, the Sámi language department of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, and an Inari Sámi language nest. The High Commissioner also visited Vice President Leo Aikio and learned more about reindeer husbandry. 

Varapuheenjohtaja Leo Aikio kertoo poronhoidosta vieraille. Kuvassa Aikion lisäksi vasemmalta vähemmistövaltuutettu Kairat Abdrakhmanov, sekä vähemmistövaltuutetun toimistosta Zhazira Kul-Mukhammed, Mitra Jalali ja Anton Thomsen.
Vice President Leo Aikio tells the guests about reindeer husbandry. In the image from the left in addition to Aikio: High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov, as well as Zhazira Kul-Mukhammed, Mitra Jalali and Anton Thomsen from the Office of the High Commissioner for National Minorities. Image: Johanna Alatorvinen / Sámi Parliament.

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities strives to prevent and mitigate tensions pertaining to national minorities within the OSCE territory. The work emphasises quiet diplomacy and supporting cooperation between various parties.   

Further information: 

Tuomas Aslak Juuso 
President 
+358 40 687 3394 
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi  

Leo Aikio 
2nd Vice President 
+358 40 621 6505 
leo.aikio@samediggi.fi 

Inka-Saara Arttijeff 
Secretary for International Affairs 
+358 10 839 3198 / +358 50 574 7629 
inka-saara.arttijeff@samediggi.fi    

Saamelaiskäräjien puheenjohtaja Tuomas Aslak Juuso.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to visit Inari

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visits Inari on 15–16 February 2023. Over the course of the visit, the High Commissioner will meet representatives of the Sámi Parliament, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Skolt Sámi Siida Council, Sámi organisations and Sámi homeland municipalities.

Saamelaiskäräjien puheenjohtaja Tuomas Aslak Juuso.
The president of Sámi Parliament Tuomas Aslak Juuso. Image: Johanna Alatorvinen / The Sámi Parliament.

– It is great to see the OSCE show interest towards Sámi matters, in particular because the object of the visit is to discuss the Act on the Sámi Parliament and the general situation caused by it. The OSCE plays an important role in securing the rights of national minorities, says Tuomas Aslak Juuso, President of the Sámi Parliament.

During the visit, the High Commissioner for National Minorities will also examine economic matters and visit the Yle Sápmi editorial office and an Inari Sámi language nest.

The OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities strives to prevent and mitigate tensions pertaining to national minorities within the OSCE territory. The work emphasises quiet diplomacy and supporting cooperation between various parties.

Further information:

Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President
+358 40 687 3394
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi 

Inka-Saara Arttijeff
Secretary for International Affairs
+358 10 839 3198 / +358 50 574 7629
inka-saara.arttijeff@samediggi.fi

The Sámi Parliamentary Council deeply concerned about the lack of progression with the Act on the Sámi Parliament

The Sámi Parliamentary Council (SPC) is deeply concerned that the Finnish government has not yet submitted the act to the Parliament of Finland. The council demands the end of the current human rights treaty violations in Finland and necessary actions to secure the Sámi Peoples’ right to self-determination through the Sámi Parliament in Finland as a representative body.

The Sámi Parliamentary Council, the co-operational body for the Sámi parliaments in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, has referred to the process of a new Sámi Parliament Act in Finland. The statement was signed by the President of the Sámi Parliamentary Council and the Sámi Parliament in Sweden Håkan Jonsson, the Vice President of the Sámi Parliamentary Council and the President of Sámi Parliament in Norway Silje Karine Muotka and the Vice President of the Sámi Parliamentary Council and the President of the Sámi Parliament in Finland Tuomas Aslak Juuso.

The Sámi Parliamentary Council recalls that, under article 33 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples have the right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their customs and traditions, and the right to determine the structures and to select the membership of their institutions in accordance with their own procedures.

The Council further recalls that the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination have concluded that the current Sami Parliament Act violates human rights treaties (CCPR/C/124/D/2668/2015 and CERD/C/106/D/59/2016).

The Council corrects misinformation concerning the election criteria

The Sámi Parliamentary Council has also noticed misinformation in Finland about the electoral role, falsely claiming that the amended criteria in the new act would make the criteria much stricter on the Finnish side than the Swedish and Norwegian sides.

– The fact is that the amended criteria would be similar to the criteria on the Norwegian side and in full compliance with the criteria in the Nordic Sami Convention, in which, at this point, all the parties (Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the three Sámi Parliaments) have agreed on, the Council notes.

Read the full statement here

Inquiries:

Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President of the Sámi Parliament
Tel. +358 40 687 3394
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi

More information on the Sámi Parliamentary Council

The Sámi Parliamentary Council (SPC) is the co-operational body for the Sámi parliaments in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The Sámi parliaments in Norway, Sweden and Finland each lead the council for a period of 16 months. The secretariat is the Sámi Parliament which is in charge of the council at that time. Sámi Parliament’s Plenum chooses the representatives for the electoral period.

Saamelaiskulttuurikeskus Sajos Inarissa.

The conference of Sámi Parliamentarians will be held in Inari in May

The 6th conference of Sámi Parliamentarians is held in Inari on the 19th of May 2022. The conference was originally meant to take place in 2020, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference takes place over one day. The conference will have participants from the Sámi Parliaments in Sweden, Norway, and Finland. There will also be participants from a Russian Sámi organisation, who will take part as observers.

– It is great that the Sámi Parliamentarians can get together in Inari and discuss matters that affect us all, such as the challenges with climate change, traditional knowledge, and the latest developments of Sámi rights, says Tuomas Aslak Juuso, the President of the Sámi Parliament in Finland.

The themes of this year’s conference are, among other things, climate change, traditional knowledge, and the latest developments of Sámi rights. The conference will have lectures from experts in these fields, who share the latest knowledge to the Parliamentarians.

The conference of Sámi Parliamentarians is held every three years. The Sámi Parliamentary Council is responsible of organising the conference, and this year the responsibility is on the Sámi Parliament in Finland.

More information:

Tuomas Aslak Juuso
President of the Sámi Parliament in Finland
040 687 3394
tuomas.juuso@samediggi.fi 

Saara-Maria Salonen
Conference Planner
saara-maria.salonen@samediggi.fi

UN Human Rights Committee: The decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland on the electoral roll of the Sámi Parliament’s election in 2015 were a violation of human rights

The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Finland, published on 1 February 2019 two views on the communications submitted to it concerning decisions made by the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland on the Sámi Parliament’s election in 2015. One of the claims was submitted by President of the Sámi Parliament Tiina Sanila-Aikio, as authorized by its Executive Board.

The case dealt with the matter of admitting persons into the electoral roll of the Sámi Parliament pursuant to decisions made by the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (KHO) on 30 September 2015.

Sanila-Aikio considers the Committee’s view a good one. “Of course, it means that the UN Human Rights Committee confirms, through its authority, what we have been saying all the time. The Supreme Administrative Court should not have departed from the formulation of the Sámi Parliament Act and replaced the Sámi people’s right to self-determination by its own ‘overall consideration’, ignoring the thorough work done by the Sámi Parliament’s Election Committee on the individual assessment of each application. We now need to discuss whether to submit an annulment application to the Supreme Administrative Court in order to restore a lawful state as regards the issue.”

In its view, the Human Rights Committee finds that the decisions made by the Supreme Administrative Court through which 93 persons were entered in the Sámi Parliament’s electoral roll against the stand of the Sámi Parliament’s Election Committee and Executive Board violated article 25 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights both alone and in conjunction with article 27 as interpreted in light of article 1. Of these articles, article 25 deals with the right of individuals to political participation, article 27 with the rights of minorities, and article 1 with the right of peoples to self-determination.

The Human Rights Committee finds that, ever since 2011, the Finnish Supreme Administrative Court has departed from both the formulation of the Sámi Parliament Act’s section 3 and the consensual interpretation of the section by applying its own “overall consideration” instead of the objective criteria required by the Act. The individual assessment of whom to enter in the electoral roll undertaken by the Sámi Parliament’s Election Committee had specifically been based on the criteria provided by law, leading to the decision of not including 93 persons in the roll.

Through its view, the Human Rights Committee has supported the view of the Sámi Parliament’s Election Committee and Executive Board, finding that the interpretation of the Supreme Administrative Court departed from the Act and was not based on reasonable and objective criteria.

In accordance with article 2(3) of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a State party is under an obligation to provide effective remedy for human rights violations when they have been found to have occurred. In its decision, the Committee finds that this entails “ensuring full reparation”. This may require that the Supreme Administrative Court annul its own decisions. The Human Rights Committee separately states that Finland is obliged to review section 3 of the Sámi Parliament Act with a view to ensuring that the criteria for eligibility to vote in the Sámi Parliament’s elections are defined and applied in practice in a manner that respects the right of the Sámi people to exercise their internal self-determination. Finland is also under an obligation to take all steps necessary to prevent similar violations in the future.

The decision of the Human Rights Committee also includes a complementary opinion by one of the members, which comes to the same conclusion as the entire Committee but contains additional grounds.

Finland must, within six months, report to the Committee on the measures taken to give effect to the Committee’s views.

The decision is available on the website of the Human Rights Committee at: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/FIN/CCPR_C_124_D_2668_2015_28169_E.pdf

The news release of 1 Feb. 2019 of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (in Finnish): https://um.fi/ajankohtaista/-/asset_publisher/gc654PySnjTX/content/yk-n-ihmisoikeuskomitealta-kaksi-ratkaisua-saamelaiskarajien-vaaliluetteloon-hyvaksymista-koskevassa-asiassa?p_p_auth=cifAZqe8&curAsset=0&stId=44227

 

Further information

Tiina Sanila-Aikio, President of Sámi Parliament in Finland, tel. +358 50 300 1780, tiina.sanila-aikio(at)samediggi.fi