Oil and gas production in the northern ocean areas

119 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report indigenous peoples have a guaranteed place in the Council’s highest assembly – the Ministerial Meetings. 286 Fact box 10 The Saami Council The Saami Council is a cultural policy and political organisation representing the Sami organisations in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. The Council’s objective is to protect the interests of the Sami as a people, strengthen Sami solidarity across borders and work for the continued recognition of the Sami as a people. The Sami people’s cultural, political, economic and social rights should be protected in part by each country’s laws and partly in the agreements between the states concerned and Sami representative bodies. The Saami Council was previously referred to as the Nordic Saami Council. The Nordic Saami Council was founded in 1956, but the irst international Sami conference was held in 1953 in Jokkmokk, Sweden. A committee to establish a common Saami Council was appointed at this conference. Source: UN report from the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, 2011 It is also a political desire to involve the Sami Parliament as much as possible in the Arctic Council, and according to the Ministry of Foreign Afairs, this is one of the reasons why the Norwegian Sami Parliament President attends the Norwegian dele- gation to the Arctic Council’s Ministerial Meetings. In addition, the Minister of Foreign Afairs allots part of his assigned speaking time at the Ministerial Meeting to the Sami Parliament President. 287 Representatives from the Sami Parliament attend oicial meetings SAO meetings as part of the Norwegian delegation, but do not directly participate in the Arctic Council’s working groups. In interviews, representatives of the Sami Parliament state that the Sami Parliament wants to be better integrated in the Arctic Council’s work. 288 Fact box 11 The Sami Parliament Sámediggi The Sami Parliament was established on the basis of the Act concerning the Sami Parliament and other Sami legal matters Sami Act. The Sami Parliament is a politically elected body representing the Sami, which performs administrative tasks delegated by law or by agreements with Norwegian authorities. The purpose of the body is to strengthen the Sami’s political position and promote Sami interests in Norway, contribute to equitable and fair treatment of the Sami people and work to safeguard and develop their language, culture and community. The Sami Parliament has decision-making authority in matters where the central government has transferred such authority, such as Sami cultural heritage, education, language, industry and culture. Source: www.sametinget.no The Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Afairs is responsible for ensuring that Sami interests are included in the formulation of policy in all relevant areas, and coordinates contact with the Sami Parliament. The Ministry is also responsible for coordinating Sami issues, but the main responsibility for speciic issues often lies with the respective specialist ministries. 286 E­mail with attachments dated 24 June 2013 from the Saami Council. 287 Interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 9 February 2012. 288 Interview with Sami Parliament representatives on 31 May 2012. 120 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report The Ministry of Foreign Afairs is responsible for administering indigenous peoples’ issues outside Norway or between states. The Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Afairs stated that the Ministry has not played any key role in the Arctic Council, rather that it had a non-prominent role and was not involved. The Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Afairs pointed out, however, that the Ministry had become more involved in 2013 in the administration’s work on the Arctic Council. 289 Fact box 12 Sami in Norway The Sami in Norway are spread throughout the country. The most concentrated population areas, where the Sami are partly in the majority, are located in rural areas north of Saltfjellet. The Sami have traditionally been divided into four main groups based on lifestyle and settlements: coastal Saami, river and lake Sami, forest Sami and mountain Sami. The traditional settlement areas of the Sami in Norway are in the three northernmost counties as well as North and South Trøndelag and Hedmark counties. There has been considerable migration since the 1970s from traditional Sami municipalities to more central regions and cities in Norway. There is conse- quently a signiicant Sami population living in Norwegian cities, but it is impossible to quantify the number of Sami who reside in these cities. It is estimated that between 70,000 and 100,000 Sami live in Norway, but there are no records that can provide an exact igure of the Sami population. Sources: http:snl.nosamer 3 April 2013 and Sørlie and Broderstas 2011, p. 13

7.1 The Arctic Council’s work on issues that concern indigenous peoples

In the Arctic Council, it is particularly the Sustainable Development Working Group SDWG that works on issues pertaining to the indigenous peoples in the Arctic. One of the main goals of this working group is to contribute to eforts to protect and enhance the environment and the economies, culture and health of indigenous peoples and Arctic communities. The working group reported that more work is taking place across working groups, and that SDWG contributes to many of the other working groups. 290 The other working groups can also raise issues directly related to indi- genous peoples. In particular, AMAP, which has a mandate to monitor and assess pollution and climate change, raises issues afecting indigenous peoples. 291 The other working groups’ projects will also work on matters that directly or indirectly relate to indigenous peoples. There is no complete list – in the form of records – of the number of projects that SDWG has conducted since the working group was established in 1998. According to SDWG, the working group’s website provides the best overview, including of the largest projects implemented since 1998. However, post-iling work is being carried out under the auspices of the permanent secretariat in Tromsø. 292 289 E­mail dated 27 September 2013 from the Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs. 290 Original text: to protect and enhance the environment and the economies, culture and health of Indigenous Peoples and Arctic communities …. Arctic Council on SDWG. 291 AMAP has, for example, studied the correlation between diet and environmental toxins, cf. Persistent Toxic Substances, Food Security and Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North. Final Report. AMAP, Oslo, 2004. 192 p. AMAP Report 2004:2. Interview with the Ministry of the Environment on 26 August 2013. 292 Interview with SDWG Chair during Sweden’s Chairmanship period. 121 Document 3:3 2014–2015 Report According to SDWG’s website, over 30 reports of varying scope 293 dealing with many disciplines and areas under SDWG’s mandate, such as health, gender equality, general living conditions, language, economic aspects in the Arctic, climate change and resource management isheries, reindeer herding and mining have been prepared. The reports also contain recommendations to member states on measures to strengthen eforts for indigenous peoples. According to the former head of SDWG 2011–2013, the span of their projects is too wide. Reference was also made in this context to the diiculty of seeing a clear connection between SDWG’s own projects, also limited to those currently under way. All the projects, however, raise issues relating to human conditions, which is in line with its intention. The fact that SDWG’s projects are now too broad, is also conirmed by Kankaanpää’s and Young’s study. It shows that respondents believe that SDWG generally has little signiicance, and that the number of small and little-related projects must be reduced. The review of the ministerial declarations from the period 1998–2013 shows that very few of the reports and associated recommendations regarding indigenous peoples are addressed at ministerial meetings for details, see Annex 8. In interviews, the Ministry of Foreign Afairs related 294 that SDWG is the working group that faces the biggest challenges. This working group has a broad mandate, since it deals with social science issues that can be diicult to deine. The Ministry of the Environment and the Arctic Council Secretariat also pointed out that the Arctic Council has carried out little speciic study of indigenous peoples. 295 The Ministry of Foreign Afairs and the Secretariat nevertheless emphasise that through SDWG the Arctic Council has initiated a major project, EALÁT, which addresses the challenges of reindeer husbandry in the Arctic for review, see Annex 8. The Ministry of Foreign Afairs also pointed out that SDWG is doing important work on, for example, compiling comparable statistics for the entire Arctic region, including a number of health indicators. In an interview, the Sami Parliament stated that, in their opinion, SDWG is function- ing well, but they stress that it is important to strengthen the status of this working group. The Sami Parliament feels that SDWG does not have the same status in the Arctic Council as the other working groups.

7.2 General information on indigenous participation in Arctic Council projects

All of the Arctic Council’s working groups state that indigenous organisations are always welcome to attend working group meetings, projects and other activities. The Saami Council states that it is well included in both the Arctic Council in general and in the working groups. 296 The Ministry of Foreign Afairs stated in an interview that it experiences cooperation between member states and indigenous organisations in the Arctic Council as very constructive. 297 The Sami Parliament, however, noted that the actual participation of the six indigenous organisations is too weak. The Ministry of Foreign Afairs, Saami Council, Sami Parliament and several others pointed out that there are not suicient funds to 293 The size and scope of the reports vary – some are summaries from professional symposia, while others are major studies of several hundred pages. 294 Interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 13 September 2012. 295 Interview with the Ministry of the Environment on 26 August 2013. 296 E­mail with attachments dated 24 June 2013 from the Saami Council. 297 Interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 9 February 2012.