Focus on indigenous peoples’ rights and interests at Nordic-Canadian conference

Climate change and globalisation are having an impact on the Arctic. The challenges and opportunities  this leads to are among the issues being addressed by the major conference co-chaired by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Québec government.

Greenlander Aqqaluk Lynge, founder of the Inuit Human Rights Center and grass-roots social activist, was one of the Nordic speakers.  One of the subjects he touched upon was the international regulations to safeguard the indigenous peoples of the Arctic at a time of great change.

“Governments already have a duty to consult with indigenous groups about economic development under regulations like the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Article 32. It’s now time to turn this toolbox of good intentions into actions and implement the regulations,” he said.

Having spent 35 years working on indigenous rights, ways of life, and social and political mobilisation, Lynge is very familiar with national and international regulations.

Canada and the Nordic countries share their experiences

Plan Nord – Québec’s strategy for the development of its northern regions – seeks to boost the economy and welfare provision.

Working with the indigenous peoples – Inuu, Ischtee, Inuit, and Cree – is vital to ensure that economic progress also creates value for the local population.

The Nordic countries and the Council of Ministers have plenty of experience with this in relation to the Saami populations of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and the Inuit in Greenland.

The Arctic Human Development Report endeavours to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between physical and social change, and the impact they have on the lives of people in the region, including and indigenous groups.

This is an area in which the Nordic countries have spent years exchanging their experiences, both with regard to the Saami populations of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, as well as to the Inuit in Greenland.  The report is just one of the many examples of the value of the Nordic countries working more closely with other regions in the north. The conference in Québec is another.

View the programme for the International Focus on Northern Development symposium.

See also the new report on Arctic Social Indicators recently published by the Nordic Council of Ministers.