Chair,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Denmark together with Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and my own country, Sweden. For our governments, the promotion and protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples is a longstanding, shared and principled commitment.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and international human rights law, provides a solid and indispensable foundation for this work. Fulfilling the objectives of the Declaration requires sustained and consistent efforts at both national and international levels.
Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This requires meaningful inclusion, and also support for Indigenous languages, cultures and traditions.
Indigenous Peoples are also holders of traditional knowledge that is essential for climate adaptation and the sustainable management of nature. The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework clearly acknowledges the important roles and contributions of Indigenous Peoples as partners in conservation, restoration and the sustainable use of nature.
At the same time, Indigenous Peoples often experience persistent health inequalities compared with non-Indigenous populations. Norway, Finland and Sweden have introduced targeted initiatives to promote equal and culturally appropriate health services for the Sami people. In Norway, the healthcare facility SANKS provides culturally and linguistically adapted mental health and addiction services, whereas in Finland, the Sami psychosocial support service Uvjj - Uvjâ - Uvja offers free counselling and crisis intervention in individuals’ own mother tongue. The Swedish Sami Parliament has commissioned a research group to conduct a public health survey among Sami people in Sweden, focusing on health, living conditions, and the use of health care services.
Racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples occur all over the world. Action plans have been adopted in Norway, Sweden and Finland to combat racism directed at the Sami people, and in Denmark to address racism directed at Greenlanders. We remain determined to combat this whenever it appears.
Learning from the past is essential to prevent future abuse and injustice. Truth commissions have been established in Finland, Norway and Sweden to examine historical policies and their impacts on the Sami people. Reports have already been submitted in Norway and Finland, with follow-up work underway. In Sweden, the final report will be presented to the government later this year. The Nordic countries remain strongly committed to the work for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Thank you.