The Indigenous World 2024: Arctic Peoples’ Conference 2023
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 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”.[1] 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. Arctic Indigenous Peoples also set out to establish a circumpolar body for further collaboration on their shared visions. Since 1973, Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ have further developed their own organizations and representative institutions, while the rights of Indigenous Peoples have been affirmed in, inter alia, ILO Convention 169 as well as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Arctic Indigenous Peoples have continuously participated in and strongly influenced the international development of Indigenous Peoples’ political recognition. Furthermore, regional and international institutions have been established with varying degrees of participation from Indigenous Peoples, including the Arctic Council, where Arctic Indigenous Peoples were not only co-founders but also take part as Permanent Participants. In the UN, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples have all been established. And the work is not finished yet, as demonstrated by the current discussions at the UN on the enhanced participation of Indigenous Peoples through their own representative institutions and in their own right.
The purpose of the 50th anniversary of the Arctic Peoples Conference was to celebrate the cooperation, successes and achievements of Arctic Indigenous Peoples while taking stock of the current situation and discussing visions for the next 50 years. The agenda of the two days of meetings also included a half-day session organized by Arctic Indigenous youth.
The meeting took place from 20 to 21 July 2023 in Ilullissat, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) and was hosted by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) and the Saami Council with support from Avannaata Kommunia (the Municipality). The Arctic Peoples’ Conference included around 42 delegates from five Arctic Peoples’ organizations (ICC, Saami Council, Gwich’in Council International, Arctic Athabaskan Council, and Aleut International Association). The Indigenous Peoples of Russia were not represented at the meeting. They have, however, been an important part of the Arctic Indigenous movement since around 1990 and respect for their important role and for solidarity with them was expressed by the participants not only in the welcoming remarks, statements and addresses from the floor but also by the inclusion of empty chairs in the circle of representatives. Each participating organization included elders as well as youth and some of the participants had even been present at the 1973 conference and were able to share their stories from that historical event. A number of observers also participated in the meeting.
The 2023 conference concluded with a statement that reconfirms the unity of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic, their common visions and goals.[2] The statement addresses the issues of:
- Enhanced Engagement, Partnerships, and Allies,
- Rights to Wellbeing,
- Rights to Lands, Waters, and Natural Resources,
- Connection to Marine Environment,
- Impacts of Climate Change,
- Colonialism and Climate Change Response,
- Our Future.
Cultural events took place every evening during the conference and traditional food was shared with the participants.
As Sara Olsvig, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) stressed in her opening remarks:
Gathering and aiming to unite across peoples to deliver common messages, is one of the tools Indigenous Peoples have used and continue to use in our constant advocacy for recognition and agency. None of us would gain much standing alone, but standing shoulder by shoulder, we form a solid body of knowledge reflecting the experience accumulated through generations of Indigenous diplomacy.
A collection of reflective articles written by Indigenous and other experts will be published in connection with the 2023 Arctic Peoples’ Conference. These articles will describe the 50 years of Arctic Indigenous advocacy and diplomacy, the achievements and solutions achieved and the current challenges they face.
This article is based on the concept note prepared by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and the Saami Council for the Arctic Peoples Conference 2023, with contributions by IWGIA.
This article is part of the 38th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous man harvesting quinoa in Sunimarka, Peru. This photo was taken by Pablo Lasansky, and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2024 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2024 in full here
Notes and references
[1] International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, Newsletter No. 10, December 1973. https://www.iwgia.org/en/resources/publications/4089-iwgia-newsletter-no-10-december-1973.html
[2] For the Arctic Peoples’ Conference Statement, as well as for the 1973 resolutions see: https://www.inuitcircumpolar.com/icc-activities/general-assemblies/arctic-peoples-conference/
