A/HRC/18/35/Add.2
6.
The traditional form of organization of Sami people is structured around the siida, a
local organization that plays an important role in the distribution of lands, water and natural
resources. Within the siida, members had individual rights to resources but helped each
other with the management of reindeer herds, hunting and fishing. On the basis of these
structures, the Sami developed sophisticated systems for land distribution, inheritance and
dispute resolution among siida. Although historical developments have weakened the Sami
people’s traditional patterns of association, the siida system continues to be an important
part of Sami society.
7.
The State borders that today divide Sápmi were established over a 100-year period,
roughly from the middle of the eighteenth to the middle of the nineteenth centuries. Over
time, the influx of new settlers within the Nordic region changed the composition of the
population in the northern areas and reduced the Sami to a numerical minority in their
homeland. The borders between States cut through linguistic and cultural communities and
constrained reindeer-herding activities. During the 1800s and until about the time of the
Second World War, Nordic Governments primarily followed policies with respect to the
Sami people that were aimed at assimilating them into the majority societies.
8.
Today, Sami people in the Nordic countries do not have to deal with many of the
socio-economic concerns that commonly face indigenous peoples throughout the world,
such as serious health concerns, extreme poverty or hunger. Norway, Sweden and Finland
are among the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world and consistently rank
toward the top of human development indicators.1 Nordic countries are thus well-positioned
to tackle outstanding concerns related to the Sami people and to set examples for the
advancement of the rights of indigenous peoples.
III.
The general legal and policy framework
A.
Cross-border Sami institutions and initiatives
9.
The first pan-Sami institution, the Sami Council, was established in 1956 as a
coalition of Sami national organizations in the various countries. Prior to the establishment
of the Sami parliaments within the Nordic countries, the Sami Council represented the
principal representative body for the Sami people across State borders. Today, the Sami
Council is a non-governmental organization that promotes the human rights of Sami people
across borders, in cooperation with the Sami parliaments and the Sami Parliamentary
Council.
10.
Formed in 2000, the Sami Parliamentary Council is composed of the Sami
parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland, which will be discussed in subsequent
sections, and includes the permanent participation of Sami from Russia. The Council is
mandated to deal with cross-border issues affecting the Sami people – focusing on Sami
language, education, research and economic development – and to coordinate the Sami
voice at the international level, including at the United Nations.
11.
The most significant recent cross-border initiative of the Sami people has been the
effort to develop a Sami Convention in conjunction with the Nordic Governments. This is
the first attempt anywhere to create a regional treaty specifically concerning indigenous
peoples. Following several years of discussion that started in 1986, in 2001 the Sami
parliaments and Governments of Norway, Sweden and Finland established an expert group
1
In 2010, Norway ranked first, Sweden ninth and Finland sixteenth in the United Nations Development
Programme human development index.
5