Sami Truth and Reconciliation Commission to continue its work

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In its session on 23 November, the Government decided that Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sami People would continue its work. The commission’s work will continue as outlined in the Government Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government until 31 December 2025. The commission was appointed at a government session on 28 October 2021. Its aim is to collect Sami people’s experiences of the actions of the Finnish state and its various authorities and to make this information visible to the public.

The commission’s work is unique and takes time to implement properly. For this reason, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Sami Parliament and the Skolt Sami Siida Council decided to propose that its working term be extended. The commission’s current term is set to continue until the end of this year.

The parliamentary monitoring group appointed to support the commission’s work will also be reappointed for the duration of the commission’s term. The monitoring group has a member and a deputy member from the parties represented in Parliament, the Sami Parliament (two members), the Skolt Sami Siida Council, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church.

It is important to ensure that culturally appropriate psychosocial support is available in the Sami languages throughout the commission’s working term. The Uvjj – Uvjâ – Uvja – Untuva psychosocial support unit operating under the wellbeing services county of Lapland provides psychosocial support services that are compatible with the Sami culture and available in the Sami languages. Its activities will continue for the duration of the commission’s work.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an impartial and independent body. It consists of five commissioners, two of whom are appointed based on a proposal from the Government, two based on a proposal from the Sami Parliament and one based on a proposal from the Skolt Sami Siida Council.

The commission’s members are:

  • Irja Jefremoff, Master of Administrative Sciences
  • Anni-Siiri Länsman, PhD, University Lecturer, Head of the Giellagas Institute at the University of Oulu
  • Kari Mäkinen, Archbishop emeritus
  • Heikki Paltto, Reindeer Herder, Entrepreneur
  • Hannele Pokka, Doctor of Laws, Professor of Practice

The purpose of the truth and reconciliation process is:

  • to identify and assess historical and current discrimination, including state assimilation policy, and violations of rights,
  • to find out how these injustices affect the Sami people and their communities today,
  • to propose ways to promote links between the Sami and the state of Finland and among the Sami people, and
  • to raise awareness about the Sami as the Indigenous people of Finland

The Mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sami People defines the objectives and tasks of the commission’s work. A further aim is to ensure that, as a result of the truth and reconciliation process, the state of Finland will bear responsibility for its actions and, together with the Sami Parliament, the Skolt Sami Siida Council and other Sami operators, will work to strengthen the realisation of the rights of the Sami people in Finland. Psychosocial support is an integral part of the implementation of the truth and reconciliation process.

The commission will draw up a report on its work that includes proposals for measures. The report will be submitted to the Government, the Sami Parliament and the Skolt Sami Siida Council by 30 November 2025.

In Finland, the status of the Sami as an indigenous people is guaranteed by the Constitution. By virtue of section 17, subsection 3 of the Constitution, the Sami, as an indigenous people, have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture.

Read more about the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sami People. 
 
Inquiries: Risto Artjoki, State Secretary, tel. +358 9 1602 2006, Niina Brander, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 347, Prime Minister’s Office, Anni Koivisto, First Vice-President of the Sami Parliament, tel. +358 40 415 5969 and Veikko Feodoroff, Skolt Sami Elder, tel. +358 50 396 1297

Continuation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sami People (in Finnish)
Decision on establishing a truth and reconciliation commission concerning the Sami people (in Finnish)
Mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sami People (in Finnish)

Sámi Parliament’s call center is closed 7.-31.7. 

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Sámi Parliament’s call center is closed 7.-31.7.2023.

Sámi Parliament’s Language Office and translation activities are closed 10.-31.7.2023. We will get back to orders again from 1.8.2023. If you need translations when the Sámi Language Office is closed, you can find freelance translators conctact information from Sámi Parliament’s translator and interpreter search service (in Finnish and in Sámi languages): Saamelaiskäräjien kääntäjä- ja tulkkihakupalvelu.   

Sámi Parliament wishes a great summer to everyone!

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

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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

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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”

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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 

Saamelaiskäräjien puheenjohtaja Tuomas Aslak Juuso.

The Sámi Parliament is disappointed with the decision of the Constitutional Law Committee – the Constitutional Law Committee has stopped handling of the Sámi Parliament Act

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The Constitutional Law Committee of the Parliament of Finland has stopped handling of the Sámi Parliament Act, which is unlikely to proceed to a vote in a plenary session of Parliament. The intention of the legislative reform was to promote the realisation of the right of self-determination of the Sámi people and to also reform outdated voting practices, for instance.

Saamelaiskäräjien puheenjohtaja Tuomas Aslak Juuso.
President Tuomas Aslak Juuso. Photo: Johanna Alatorvinen / The Sámi Parliament.

The Sámi Parliament is disappointed with the decision, although this could be expected as handling was prolonged to the final moments of the electoral period. President Tuomas Aslak Juuso is especially surprised at the Constitutional Law Committee, which the Sámi Parliament hoped would be a non-political body. It should issue statements on bills to be considered in relation to how they adapt to the Constitution of Finland and to international conventions on human rights.

– I wonder how the outcome can be like this. Even the main messages of experts on fundamental rights during hearings and in statements clearly supported the bill in terms of its factual content. Unfortunately it appears that in this matter, political games took control of the Constitutional Law Committee instead of principles that steer its activity. It is regrettable that some Members of Parliament resorted to objecting to the bill for ostensible reasons, President Juuso states.

The Constitutional Law Committee voted to stop handling the bill by referring to schedule-related reasons, which baffles President Juuso.

– In this case, the Constitutional Law Committee has acted in accordance with timetables it has set, and thus it has also failed when it ran out of time. Apparently the Committee has not progressed early enough from a general level to an internal discussion, President Juuso remarks.

President Juuso is grateful to Prime Minister Sanna Marin and to Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson for bringing the matter to this point. He pleads with them and the entire Government of Finland that if they still have an opportunity to bring the Act to a vote, they should seize on it.

– This bill is a strong compromise, prepared over several years that provides a fair response to Finnish obligations. The Executive Board of the Sámi Parliament tried to find solutions for promoting the bill up to the last minute. Still, it is evident that handling of the matter will not become any easier in the future if handling of this bill now ends here, President Juuso comments.

Efforts to reform the Sámi Parliament Act have continued for more than a decade

Sanna Marin’s Government is the third government in succession that has failed to reform the Sámi Parliament Act. A report by the Timonen committee, which prepared the legislative reform, was published in May 2021 but the Act did not proceed to consideration by committees in Parliament until the last possible moments in November 2022. Pressures for reforming the Sámi Parliament Act have also been increased by decisions made by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the UN Human Rights Committee, obligating the government of Finland to reform the Act so it would respect the right of self-determination of the Sámi people as an indigenous people.

The bill, which was founded on several years of work, was supported by the Plenum of the Sámi Parliament as well as by the Skolt Sámi siida council, the Sámi Parliamentary Council, and the Saami Council. It also had the support of numerous expert parties and human rights actors, and the petition organised in favour of the bill garnered 23,000 signatories.

– On behalf of the Sámi Parliament, I wish to extend a warm thank-you to all the Sámi and Finnish private persons who persistently did important work for the legislative reform, President Juuso notes.

Further information:

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

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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

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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

Season’s Greetings!

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Sámediggi sávvá ráfálaš juovllaid ja lihkolaš ođđa jagi 2023!

Sämitigge tuáivut rávhálijd juovlâid já luholii uđđâ ive 2023!

Sääʹmteʹǧǧ tuäivat rääuhlõs rosttvid da leklvaž ođđ eeʹjj 2023!

Saamelaiskäräjät toivottaa rauhallista joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta 2023!

Season’s Greetings!

Illustration: Ellen-Maarit Juuso

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

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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.