Norwegian activist to represent Inuit, Sami at UN

MONTREAL — Ole Henrik Magga of Kautokeino, Norway, will represent the interests of both Sami and Inuit at a new United Nations forum for indigenous peoples.

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples won’t interfere in the internal affairs of UN member states, but it will consider indigenous opinions on human rights, the environment and social issues.

The Inuit Circumpolar Conference and the Sami Council jointly nominated Magga to the forum.

Magga, a professor of linguistics, is a former president of the Norwegian Sami Parliament and a longtime political activist.

He has been fighting for Sami rights since the early 1970s. In 1978, he was one of the leaders of a Sami hunger strike in Oslo, Norway’s capital city, which drew attention to the expropriation of traditional Sami lands for a hydro-electric project.

The 16-member forum is equally split between indigenous and non-indigenous representatives.

Last year, the UN agreed to establish this new body as a place for indigenous peoples to address their concerns or lodge complaints. First proposed in 1993, the forum’s creation was opposed by several countries, including France and Australia.

Its members plan to hold their first meeting at UN headquarters in New York City, from May 13 to 14.

Magga told Nunatsiaq News that he will work toward a binding UN convention to safeguard the rights of indigenous peoples to land, resources, culture and language.

“It will also be important to have some kind of monitoring of the ongoing violation of basic human rights in all parts of the world where indigenous peoples live,” Magga said.

The launch of this UN body has a special significance for the Inuit Circumpolar Conference office in Greenland, since it is expected to oversee ICC’s UN-related work in Alaska, Russia and Canada.

However, in spite of this good news about the permanent forum, ICC president Aqqaluk Lynge is concerned about the new right-wing Danish government’s plans to slash its foreign-aid spending, crippling ICC’s international activities.

“Their first attack is going to hit hard on Danish non-governmental organizations working with the environment, human rights and indigenous peoples,” he said.

“For the ICC head office alone, it means our agreement with the former government, running from 2000 to 2002 (for an amount of $200,000) is frozen until March. This means that our participation in the Arctic Council is suspended, together with the special aid to Chukotka,” Lynge said.