The Indigenous World 2023: Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) has been a self-governing country within the Danish Realm since 1979. The population is 88.9% Greenlandic Inuit out of a total of 56,562 inhabitants (May 2022).[i] The majority of Greenlandic Inuit refer to themselves as Kalaallit.
Ethnographically, they consist of three major groups: the Kalaallit of West Greenland, who speak Kalaallisut; the Iivit of Kangia (East Greenland), who speak Iivi oraasia (East Greenlandic) and the Inughuit/Avanersuarmiut near Thule who speak Inuktun. The majority of the people of Greenland speak the Inuit language, Kalaallisut, which is the official language, while the second official language of the country is Danish. Greenland’s diverse culture includes subsistence hunting, commercial fisheries, tourism, and emerging efforts to develop the oil and mining industries. Approximately 50% of the national budget is financed by Denmark through a block grant.
In 2009, Greenland entered a new era with the inauguration of its Act on Self-Government, which gave the country further self-determination within the Kingdom of Denmark. Together with the Danish Constitution, the Self-Government Act articulates Greenland’s constitutional position in the Kingdom of Denmark. The Self-Government Act recognizes the Greenlandic people as a people under international law with the right to self-determination.
Greenland has a public government, and it aims to establish a sustainable economy in order to achieve greater independence. Greenland’s self-government consists of the Inatsisartut (Parliament), which is the elected legislature, and the Naalakkersuisut (Government), which is responsible for overall public administration, thereby forming the executive branch. The Inatsisartut has 31 elected members. The Government of Greenland adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) upon its ratification in 2007 and subsequent governments have committed to its implementation. Greenland and Denmark jointly prepare reports regarding good practice on implementation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, as described in the UNDRIP and other international human rights instruments. The Government of Greenland had a decisive influence over the Kingdom of Denmark’s ratification of ILO Convention 169 in 1996, as Greenland has prioritized actions to establish Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights to land and resources in their territories.
Human rights violations
The “IUD case”
During 2022, a radio podcast brought to light the fact that, from 1966 to the 1970s, around 4,500 girls and women in Greenland had intrauterine devices (IUDs) inserted by Danish doctors. The IUDs were used on girls as young as 12, and most often without consultation or the Free, Prior or Informed Consent (FPIC) of the women, the girls or their parents. Inuit Pisinnaatitaaffii pillugit Siunnersuisoqatigiit (the Human Rights Council of Greenland, hereinafter IPS) has demanded that the Danish State launch an unbiased and thorough investigation into the abuse of girls and women in Greenland who were systematically subjected to involuntary IUD insertions.[ii]
Inserting an IUD in girls and women without their consent is a gross violation of the right to one's own body, and is a degrading and inhumane treatment, both with regard to the consequences the abuse has had on the girls and women, and in terms of the attitude to the girls and women that the IUD scandal represents.
At the request of Naalakkersuisut, the Government of Greenland, a commission has been set up to prepare an impartial investigation into what they are calling the “IUD case” and other pregnancy prevention measures over the period 1960-1991. The commission resumed after a new government was formed in Denmark in December 2022. The authorities must recognize the significant negative impact this involuntary intervention has had on the girls' and women's health, well-being, and development. It should also be considered whether this can be classified as genocide or attempted genocide. In this regard, IPS and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) have stated that it should not be the individual victims' responsibility to apply for recognition and compensation.
It is IPS’ understanding that the so-called “IUD Campaign” was not the only violation of general human rights or Indigenous Peoples’ rights following the formal end of the colonial era in 1953. For this reason, an unbiased, independent investigation of all human rights violations from the end of the Second World War to the present day has been demanded.
In a continuation of this case, Naalakkersuisut and the Danish government also agreed in June 2022 to launch an historical investigation into the relationship between Greenland and Denmark in the period from the end of the Second World War to the present day.[iii] Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, there are several known examples of human rights violations during this period, such as “the experimental children” and the “legally fatherless” children.[iv] The State's obligation to provide special protection to Indigenous Peoples was ratified by Denmark in 1996. It is therefore relevant to have a thorough investigation so that the trauma can be treated and the healing process can begin.
The Ivaaraq case
The Ivaaraq case, where a woman unable to defend herself or give consent was subjected to one or more assaults that led to a pregnancy, sent shockwaves across Greenland. Ivaaraq is a residential care institution for children, youth and adults with physical and psychological disabilities. Neither the staff at the Ivaaraq institution nor relatives had discovered the pregnancy before the woman went into labour.
Along with others, IPS has pointed out the need to have procedures in place to guarantee the safety and integrity of people placed in residential care institutions, especially given the well-known challenge of recruiting trained staff. It is also imperative that procedures and a culture focused on residents' safety, integrity and well-being are ensured in the workplace. In addition, there need to be frequent inspections of the country's residential care institutions with the aim of preventing violations of the residents' rights.[v]
Naalakkersuisut has announced that a nationwide investigation into residential care institutions is to be conducted.
Like the IUD scandal, the Ivaaraq case is another serious violation of human rights that is not only in contravention of the rights enshrined in the UNDRIP but also those in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In February 2022, the Parliament decided that the Naalakkersuisut would accede to the Istanbul Convention (the Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence). In Naalakkersuisut’s presentation: Visions and Priorities for the Justice Area 2022, it noted that data collection on e.g., gender and age in cases of violence will be prioritized so that knowledge of violence in close relationships can be strengthened. By acceding to the Istanbul Convention, the authorities are also committed to placing an increased focus on psychological violence, which can have serious and lasting consequences for the victim.[vi]
Conservation
Greenland has one national park, three UNESCO sites ands 12 protected wetlands. The world´s largest national park is located in north-east Greenland, with an area of 972,000 km² – nearly the combined size of France and Spain – and a coastline of 18,000 km, which includes both the highest parts of the Northern Hemisphere’s largest ice cap and the world’s northernmost area of land. Today, the only residents are the Sirius dog sled special force and the staff of weather stations.[vii] For thousands of years, various Inuit cultures lived and survived here thanks to the high Arctic animals.[viii]
As for UNESCO sites, Ilulissat Icefjord is the channel through which ice that carves off of Sermeq Kujalleq (Ilulissat Glacier) reaches the sea. Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the most active and fastest moving glaciers in the world and has been studied for over 250 years, helping to develop our global understanding of climate change. As well as being an invaluable research site for scientists, it is also a popular tourist site.[ix] Besides Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland has two other UNESCO sites, Aasivissuit and Kujataa.
Aasivissuit – Nipisat [Inuit Hunting Ground between Ice and Sea] is located in the Arctic Circle in the central part of West Greenland. The area contains the remains of 4,200 years of human history. It is a cultural landscape that bears witness to its creators’ hunting of land and sea animals, seasonal migrations and a rich and well-preserved tangible and intangible cultural heritage linked to climate, navigation and medicine.
The features of the site include large winter houses and evidence of caribou hunting, as well as archaeological sites from the Paleo-Inuit and Inuit cultures. The cultural landscape includes seven key localities, from Nipisat in the west to Aasivissuit, near the ice cap in the east. It bears testimony to the resilience of the Inuit cultures of the region and their traditions of seasonal migration. This area is the largest ice-free landscape in Greenland, meaning that it has acted throughout history as a valuable hunting ground for many different groups of settlers, and still does for Greenlanders today, as its UNESCO status currently does not hinder the local use of nature.[x]
Kujataa is a subarctic farming landscape located in the southern region of Greenland. It bears witness to the cultural histories of the Norse farmer-hunters who started arriving here from Iceland in the 10th century and of the Inuit hunters and Inuit farming communities that developed from the end of the 18th century. Despite their differences, the two cultures, European Norse and Inuit, created a cultural landscape based on farming, grazing and marine mammal hunting. The landscape represents the earliest introduction of farming to the Arctic, and the Norse expansion of settlement beyond Europe.[xi]
The three UNESCO sites are still in their development phase but so far they do not seem to be infringing on the rights of the Inuit living in or near them but have instead opened up opportunities for highlighting and strengthening the intangible heritage of the areas.
Greenland has 12 designated Ramsar sites that serve to protect unique landscapes or wildlife habitats from degradation. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance, particularly as habitat for waterfowl, and must be protected. The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) regulates what can be done in the individual areas, taking into account their special basis for designation.[xii]
Greenland in international institutions
Naalakkersuisut represents Greenland’s interests in international bodies such as the Arctic Council, Nordic Council, and in UN and EU frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Maritime Organisation, and the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).[xiii]
Naalakkersuisut has been part of various international and bilateral commissions on the conservation and management of various marine mammals and sea birds since the 1990s,[xiv] and there are yearly quotas for the hunting and fishing of many animals, to the frustration of many Inuit hunters and fishers. This has historically led to tension between fishers and the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, which advises Naalakkersuisut and other authorities on sustainable exploitation of living resources and safeguarding the environment and biodiversity.[xv]
The unhindered inclusion of Naalakkersuisut in these international decision-making processes is extremely important as our unique Indigenous knowledge is often needed to create solutions to current issues.
Greenland has been used as a platform for research into climate change for years and, as such, it has been important for the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) that guidelines should be drawn up to ensure equitable and ethical research practices. On 3 June 2022, the ICC released its protocols for the Equitable, Ethical Engagement of Inuit in the Circumpolar World aimed at all decision and policy makers, researchers and others operating in the Arctic, where the slogan “Nothing about Us without Us” shines through. The fact that decision makers and researchers need to be reminded to be ethical speaks volumes.[xvi]
Hazardous waste
Despite Greenland’s hard work with regard to protecting our land and animals, there is still a huge infrastructure deficit and, as such, waste management has been a major issue along the coast where hazardous waste is a source of emissions of several environmental harmful substances.[xvii]
When it comes to hazardous waste, the abandoned American bases in Greenland have caused political strife, in particular Camp Century. In 2017, then Naalakkersuisoq for Foreign Affairs, Vittus Qujaukitsoq, appealed to, among others, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. The appeal concerned, among other things, Denmark's responsibility for cleaning up after American military installations.[xviii] Shortly afterwards, however, the complaints were withdrawn.
In 2018, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Attorney General, investigated the apportionment of responsibility for the clean-up after the military base.[xix] The study has not been published, however, and access to it has been denied. The abandoned base has yet to be cleaned up.
IPS and DIHR made the following recommendations regarding Kalaallit Nunaat:
- Denmark and Greenland to ensure efficient and responsible handling of hazardous waste after military operations and of everyday waste.
- Greenland and Denmark to prepare a publicly available plan for clean-up and remediation of the Camp Century military facility to prevent environmental pollution and health risks to the Greenlandic population.
- Naalakkersuisut, in collaboration with municipalities, to inform the civilian population of the health risks associated with living near landfills that emit toxic chemicals, what hazardous waste is, and proper waste management.
- Naalakkersuisut to accede to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
IPS is calling for a strong focus on the climate crisis and for knowledge sharing while still respecting Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous Peoples’ rights and respect for our custodianship while we combat this ongoing disaster.
As our home melts away, we express our support to all Indigenous Peoples around the world who continue to live under ever more extreme circumstances.
We stand with you in solidarity.
Qujanaq.
Qivioq Løvstrøm is the Chair of the Human Rights Council of Greenland (IPS), and lectures at the University of Greenland as an assistant professor. She has a Master’s in Cultural & Social History from Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland. She has experience of working for the Human Rights Council of Greenland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greenland as a Head of Section in the areas: Asia, Climate, Trade, Human Rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights. She is also a former Focal Point and later Co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus (GIYC) under the UN. For further information on the Human Rights Council of Greenland see: www.humanrights.gl.
This article is part of the 37th 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 person in Tanzania. This photo was taken by Geneviève Rose, and is the cover of the Indigenous World 2023 where this article is featured. Find the Indigenous World 2023 in full here.
Notes and references
[i] “Statistics Greenland. Greenland in Figures 2022.” Statistics Greenland, https://stat.gl/publ/en/GF/2022/pdf/Greenland%20in%20Figures%202022.pdf
[ii] Murray, A. “Inuit Greenlanders demand answers over Danish birth control scandal.” BBC News, 30 September 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63049387
[iii] “Greenland, Denmark initiate investigation into past relations.” Eye on the Arctic, 9 June 2022, https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2022/06/09/greenland-denmark-initiate-investigation-into-past-relations/
[iv] Read more about this social experiment implemented in 1951 and aimed at educating children in Denmark: Absalonsen, Joanna., and Louis Ilik Papis Chemnitz. “Kalaallit Nunaat.” In The Indigenous World 2021, edited by Dwayne Mamo, 496-503. Copenhagen: The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), 2021, https://www.iwgia.org/en/kalaallit-nunaat-greenland/4227-iw-2021-kalaallit-nunaat-greenland.html
[v] Filskov, N., Carlsen, K. S., Ventegodt, M., & Holck, L. (Eds.). Beretning til det grønlandske parlament, Inatsisartut 2021-22. Institut for Menneskerettigheder. 2022.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] “Statistics Greenland. Greenland in Figures 2022.” pp 26.
[viii] "The National Park". Visitgreenland.com, https://visitgreenland.com/the-national-park/
[ix] “Iluissat Glacier” UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The List. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1149
[x] “Aasivissuit – Nipisat Inuit Hunting Ground between Ice and Sea.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The List. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1557
[xi] “Kujataa Greenland: Norse and Inuit Farming at the Edge of the Ice Cap.” UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The List. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1536
[xii] “Areas of work” Government of Greenland. https://naalakkersuisut.gl/departementer/dep_for_landbrug_selvforsyning_energi_og_miljoe/internationalt_samarbejde/arbejdsomraade?sc_lang=da
[xiii] Ibid.
[xiv] “Hunting.” Government of Greenland. https://naalakkersuisut.gl/departementer/dep_for_fiskeri_og_fangst/fangst_og_jagt?sc_lang=da
[xv] “The institute.” Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. https://natur.gl/about-us/naturinstituttet/?lang=en&_gl=1*lreg78*_ga*NDM0MjQ4NzQ4LjE2NzI5NjYzNTg.*_up*MQ
[xvi] “Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement.” Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada. https://www.inuitcircumpolar.com/project/circumpolar-inuit-protocols-for-equitable-and-ethical-engagement/
[xvii] “Waste management in Greenland: current situation and challenges.” Rasmus Eisted and Thomas H. Christensen. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50304022_Waste_management_in_Greenland_Current_situation_and_challenges
[xviii] “Greenland brings Denmark before the UN for failing to clean up old US military pollution.” Arctic Today. https://www.arctictoday.com/greenland-brings-denmark-before-the-un-for-failing-to-clean-up-old-us-military-pollution/?wallit_nosession=1
[xix] “Camp Century: Regeringen undersøger USA’s ansvar for forurening.” KNR. https://knr.gl/kl/node/210528
Tags: Global governance, Human rights
