From 22 to 25 November 1973, 40 delegates representing 21 organizations of Indigenous Peoples from Arctic Canada, Greenland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark for the first Arctic Peoples’ Conference.

This groundbreaking and successful conference “demonstrated mutual understanding and concern for the urgent problems facing all the peoples represented”.

The conference adopted two resolutions that reflected the representatives’ understanding of their joint experiences of identity and culture, in contrast to the culture of other people. They were strong manifestations of the wish to stand together in their concerns,in their protests and in their demands for respect of their rights and to cooperate in the development of visions and collaboration.

The 1973 Arctic Peoples’ Conference demonstrated a clear vision for states to recognize the political rights of Arctic Indigenous Peoples, as well as land rights, human rights and equality.