A/HRC/18/35/Add.2
I.
Introduction
1.
The present report examines the human rights situation of the Sami (also spelled
Saami and Sámi) people of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and includes a series of
recommendations in light of international standards. It is based in large part on information
presented to the Special Rapporteur during a conference in Rovaniemi, Finland, from 14 to
16 April 2010, organized by the Sami Parliamentary Council, as well as on written
submissions provided to the Special Rapporteur and independent research. The conference
gathered representatives of the Sami parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland,
Government officials from each of these countries, and representatives from Sami nongovernmental organizations from the Nordic countries and the Russian Federation.
Although Sami from the Russian Federation participated as observers in the April 2010
conference, the present report will focus only on the principal issues and concerns
regarding the situation of the Sami people in Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
2.
The Special Rapporteur would like to thank Sami representatives and the
Governments of Norway, Sweden and Finland for their openness to holding such a unique
dialogue and for their invaluable assistance in the organization of the conference. The
participation of representatives of the Nordic States and Sami people in the April 2010
conference represents an example of good practice for examining the situation of
indigenous people divided by international borders. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur
highlights article 36 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
which states that “indigenous peoples, in particular those divided by international borders,
have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation, including
activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes.”
II.
The Sami people
3.
The Sami people traditionally inhabit a territory known as Sápmi, which spans the
northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula. Although
the Sami are divided by the formal boundaries of these four States, they continue to exist as
one people, united by cultural and linguistic bonds and a common identity. The Sami have
the oldest languages and cultures of these countries, long pre-dating the present-day States,
and today there are nine language groups divided across the national borders of the Nordic
and Russian States.
4.
The Sami population is estimated to be between 70,000 and 100,000, with about
40,000-60,000 in Norway, about 15,000-20,000 in Sweden, about 9,000 in Finland and
about 2,000 in Russia. Sami people constitute a numerical minority in most of the Sápmi
region, except in the interior of Finnmark County in Norway and in the Utsjoki
municipality in Finland.
5.
The Sami people have traditionally relied on hunting, fishing, gathering and trapping
and have a deep knowledge of the far north region that has been handed down for many
generations. Reindeer herding, in particular, is of central importance to the Sami people.
Many Sami communities historically practised a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving reindeer
between the mountain areas and coastal areas according to the season. Other groups
practised reindeer herding in forested areas, particularly within certain parts of the
Västerbotten and Norrbotten counties in Sweden and in northern and central Finland. Some
Sami communities, referred to as the “Sea Sami” or “Coastal Sami”, settled in the coastal
areas, especially within what is now Norway. It was also not uncommon to combine
reindeer herding with hunting, fishing and farming.
4