The Indigenous World 2025: Sápmi

Written on 25 April 2025. Posted in Sápmi

Sápmi^[i] is the Sámi people’s own name for their traditional territory. The Sámi people are the Indigenous people of the northern part of Finland, Norway, Sweden and large parts of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Despite being separated by the borders of four states, the Sámi remain one people, bound by shared history, cultural and linguistic ties and a strong common identity.

There is no reliable information on the population of the Sámi people, as ethnicity is not registered in Finland, Norway, or Sweden. They are, however, estimated to number around 100,000 in total. Around 20,000 live in Sweden, out of a total population of approximately 10.5 million. Some 50,000-65,000 live in Norway, which has a total population of approximately 5.5 million. Around 8,000 live in Finland, which also has a total population of around 5.5 million. And some 2,000 live in Russia, which is a very small proportion of the total population of Russia.

All the Sámi languages are classified as endangered by UNESCO^[ii] but significant efforts are being made to preserve and revitalize them.

Traditionally, livelihoods such as reindeer herding, fishing, hunting, gathering, small-scale farming, and handicrafts are central to Sámi culture.

Politically, the Sámi people are represented by three Sámi parliaments, one in Sweden, one in Norway and one in Finland, while on the Russian side they are only organized into non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In 2000, the three Sámi parliaments established a joint council of representatives called the Sámi Parliamentary Council. The Sámi Parliamentary Council is not to be confused with the Saami Council, which is a central Sámi NGO representing nine large national Sámi associations (NGOs) in all four countries. There are also other important Sámi institutions, both regional and local, inter alia, the Sámi University of Applied Sciences, which is a research and higher education institution dedicated to the Sámi society’s needs and where the Sámi language is mainly used throughout the academic system.

Sweden, Norway, and Finland voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in September 2007, while the Russian Federation abstained. However, in 2014, the Russian Federation voted in favour of the Outcome Document of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, which is considered an acknowledgement of the declaration. Norway ratified ILO Convention No. 169 in 1990, and there have been discussions in Sweden and Finland, without these resulting in ratification of the Convention. The Sámi people are acknowledged as either a people or an Indigenous people, or both, in the constitutions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

This article is part of the 39^th 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 activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

Sámi youth organizations

In Sápmi, there are various Sámi youth organizations, including both politically independent organizations and organizations affiliated with Sámi political parties, as well as advocacy and student organizations.

The three largest independent youth organizations are Suoma Sámi Nuorat on the Finnish side, Noereh on the Norwegian side, and Sáminuorra on the Swedish side. All the three Sámi parliaments have youth councils and some of the Sámi organizations have their own youth committees.

Sámi youth have long organized and fought for their rights and traditional livelihoods through these efforts. Through various organizations and associations, meeting places are also created for young Sámi, who often live dispersed across the different countries.

Like other Indigenous Peoples, Sámi youth are engaged in work on climate change, the green transition, and other issues that affect them and their future. There are several initiatives on capacity and knowledge building for Sámi youth. Initiatives such as ReCap ASáp – Regaining capacity in a changing Sápmi,^[iii] Arctic Youth Conference (AYC)^[iv] and Sámi Youth Network^[v] aim to bring together youth to build networks, capacities and skills.

Sámi youth organizations are quite active on the international stage, including at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Arctic Council, and the EU.

One of the oldest and largest Sámi youth organizations is Sáminuorra, a politically independent organization for Sámi youth in Sweden. Sáminuorra was founded in 1963, initially as the youth wing of the Swedish Sámi Association but, since the 1970s, Sáminuorra has been an independent organization. Sáminuorra has played a pivotal role in shaping the Sámi community, with a strong focus on the future.

During 2024, Sáminuorra travelled across Sweden to inform the Swedish authorities and organizations about the challenges young Sámi face today. Among other efforts, they met with several of Sweden's ministers and participated in political forums to amplify the voices of Sámi youth, particularly in relation to the green energy transition.

In Sweden, there are several large mining companies seeking to carry out more interventions in Sámi areas in the name of the green transition, with one of the largest being the state-owned mining company LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag). Sáminuorra contributed to mobilizing the support that led to the mining company winning the Swedish Greenwashing Prize in 2024.^[vi] In addition, Sáminuorra has advocated for implementing free, prior and informed consent in Sweden, particularly in relation to the EU's new mining regulation, the Critical Raw Materials Act. They also continue to advocate for ratification of ILO Convention No. 169 in Sweden and for a strengthening of the influence of the Sámi people in decisions that affect them.

The Fosen case and the prosecution of Sámi Youth Human Rights Defenders

In February 2023, young Sámi and Norwegian human rights defenders staged a sit-in in the lobby of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to protest the handling of the Fosen ruling. The activists, led by the Norwegian Sámi Association’s youth organization and the Norwegian organization Nature and Youth, refused to leave the lobby and demanded that the government apologize for the ongoing human rights violation and take action to ensure that it ceases.

The youth quickly gained significant attention from both the Sámi and Norwegian communities, as well as the media. After being detained by the police during the night a few days later and released shortly after, they continued their protests outside the ministry’s front door. Sámi youth from all over Sápmi travelled to Oslo to join the demonstrations, including youth from the Finnish and Swedish sides.

The protests gained momentum and the youth successfully blocked various ministries. During the demonstrations, some of the protesters were detained. After several days, the protests ended when the authorities finally issued an apology to the reindeer herders in Fosen and acknowledged that an ongoing human rights violation was taking place.

Although the authorities issued an apology, they still failed to implement sufficient measures to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. As a result, the young activists once again started protests in Oslo.

Eighteen of the human rights defenders were later fined for not complying with police orders. The activists refused to pay the fine and the case went to court.

The trial against the Fosen activists began in Oslo District Court on 12 March 2024. The question before the court was whether the activists had broken the law by failing to comply with the police’s order to move. All 18 activists were acquitted by the District Court.^[vii] The majority of the court justified this by stating that the police’s actions, orders and detentions, taken together, had violated the defendants' right to participate in peaceful assemblies and demonstrations under the Norwegian Constitution and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court particularly emphasized that the demonstrations were directed against a human rights violation established in a ruling from the Supreme Court, as well as the fact that the demonstrations were addressing an issue of great importance for the Sámi people. The court also highlighted that the demonstrations were crucial in getting the government to apologize for the human rights violation.

The prosecutor decided to appeal the acquittal of 13 of the activists with the Court of Appeal. The trial began on 12 December 2024 and, in January 2025, it was made clear that the activists were being acquitted once again.^[viii]

A decisive minority in the Court of Appeal concluded that the authorities' combined measures against the defendants had constituted disproportionate interference with their right to freedom of assembly under Article 11 of the ECHR.. In their overall assessment, the decisive minority placed significant emphasis on the background and purpose of the demonstration. As highlighted by the majority, such demonstrations are at the core of freedom of expression and assembly. This case was also clearly distinct from an ordinary civil disobedience case where protests are directed against a legally-made decision. In this case, the defendants were protesting at the state's failure to comply with a ruling from the Supreme Court of Norway.

In the decisive minority's view, the protest was a necessary reaction to the state's continued failure to support the Sámi people. It would thus be both unreasonable and disproportionate for the defendants to be fined for a peaceful demonstration that highlighted the state's failure to comply with a Supreme Court's ruling.

Despite the activists being acquitted in both the District Court and the Court of Appeal, the prosecution has now decided to appeal the acquittal to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court decides to take up the case, the activists will have to go through another round in court.

Regarding the Fosen case, Nord-Fosen Siida (reindeer herding community) had, as of March 2024, also reached an agreement with the authorities concerning financial compensation and new land for winter grazing. Although many are pleased that a solution has been negotiated for the reindeer herders in Fosen, the negotiations have faced criticism. In a January 2024 interview with Norway's national public broadcaster, NRK, Nord-Fosen Siida stated that they felt like they were “negotiating with a gun to their temple”.^[ix] 

Sámi Children and Reindeer Herders vs. Finland

On 10 October 2024, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) issued three key decisions regarding Finland in individual complaint cases. Two involved the granting of an exploration permit, which the committee addressed collectively, while the third concerned an exploration reservation in the traditional Sámi area.

The CRC ruled that, after conducting a child rights-oriented impact assessment in line with Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), Finland must revise the mineral exploration project in the Kova-Labba Siida area in Eanodat (Enontekiö).^[x] It also called on Finland to amend its legislation to require such assessments in development projects affecting Sámi children and to incorporate FPIC, ensuring Indigenous consent before activities that have an impact on their lands.

The CRC stressed that the Finnish government must protect the continuation of traditional Sámi reindeer herding for future generations, warning that any regulation must be cautious not to threaten Sámi cultural survival. This decision is particularly significant as it explicitly links Sámi children's rights with the right to traditional reindeer herding.

The CESCR ruled on a case also involving Kova-Labba Siida, whose members form part of the Käsivarsi Reindeer Herders’ Cooperative. ^[xi]

The CESCR directed Finland to begin legally recognizing Indigenous land rights, including collective ownership, and to acknowledge the Sámi Siida as an interested party in legal matters affecting their territories. It strongly criticized Finland for undermining Sámi land rights, stating that the government had effectively nullified the recognition and enjoyment of the rights to traditional lands and resources.

In all three cases, Finland was found to have violated FPIC, and the committees communicated that Finland must take measures to prevent similar violations in the future.

Eirik Larsen (Lásse-Ivvár Erke) is an Indigenous Sámi lawyer and Head of the Human Rights Unit at the Saami Council. Alongside this role, he serves as a Member of the Sámi Parliament in Norway. He has also worked in Norwegian ministries as an adviser on Sámi and Indigenous issues.

Elen Anna Solberg Åhrén is a Sámi law student at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, working with the Human Rights Unit at the Saami Council.

This article is part of the 39^th 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 activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

Notes and references

^[i] In the Lule Sámi language, Sábme, and in the South Sámi language, Saepmie.

^[ii] “Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger”, 2010, page 35, UNESCO

^[iii] Saami Council website, 22 February 2025, https://www.saamicouncil.net/news-archive/three-participants-ready-for-advocacy-program

^[iv] Arctic Council website, 22 February 2025, https://arctic-council.org/about/norway-chair-2/arctic-youth-conference/

^[v] Saami Council website, 22 February 2025, https://www.saamicouncil.net/en/sami-youth-network

^[vi] Friends of the Earth Sweden website, 22 February 2025, https://jordensvanner.se/artiklar/lkab-vinner-svenska-greenwashpriset-2024/

^[vii] Oslo District Court, TOSL-2024-5916

^[viii] Borgarting Court of Appeal, LB-2024-79680

^[ix] NRK, 5 January 2024, https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/nord-fosen-siida-om-meklingene_-forhandler-med-en-_pistol-mot-tinningen_-1.16702109

^[x] CRC/C/97/D/172/2022

^[xi] E/C.12/76/D/251/2022; E/C.12/76/D/289/2022

Tags: Youth, Human rights, Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders