Speech to the Sami Parliament in Norway

President of the Sami parliament, members of the Sami Parliamentary Council, ladies and gentlemen,

 

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today in the Sami parliament. I have been looking forward to attending a session for a long time. Unfortunately it has not been possible for me to visit you before, but I am particularly pleased to be here today for this important discussion on Sami rights.

In order for the Sami parliament to carry out its duties in a proper manner, it must have an appropriate physical setting.

The new parliament building will be a worthy framework for the work of this important body.

In recent decades there has been a growing awareness that the Norwegian state is built on the territory of two peoples – the Norwegians and the Sami. Thus, as a people the Sami have certain rights by virtue of their historical ties to the Sami areas.

Norway is a multicultural society. Diversity is a source of strength. We must learn to take even better advantage of it in the years ahead. However, as an indigenous people, the Sami have a unique status in our multicultural society.

The Sami parliament is currently emerging as a main actor in Sami society. One of our greatest challenges is involving the Sami parliament in the general process of social development in Norway, a process that also defines the conditions for the development of the Sami community. In this connection it is important to forge close cooperation between the Government and the Sami parliament.

In this context I would like to commend the Sami parliament. In their dialogue with the Government, its representatives have helped to find solutions that have both satisfied the Government’s need to maintain overall responsibility for Norwegian society and met the Sami parliament’s need for a greater say in the development of Sami society. We know that the Sami parliament has emphasised close cooperation with municipalities, counties and regional bodies from the very beginning. In this way the Sami parliament has played an important role in the shaping of a coherent Sami policy and an active regional policy in the northern parts of the country.

The Government’s goal is a society in which there is greater emphasis on cultural and human values. The development of a strong and sustainable society based on Sami attitudes and values is contingent on the Sami parliament being allowed to assign its own priorities and influence developments. One of the main goals of the Government’s Sami policy is to strengthen the authority of the Sami parliament and thereby the Sami people’s right to self-determination.

An important step towards giving the Sami parliament greater authority is the transfer of responsibility in the field of education. The statutory cooperation between the Sami parliament and the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs on the Sami curriculum has given the Sami parliament more influence on what is being taught in Sami schools.

It is important that the Sami parliament is given a stronger role in developing education. This will give Sami children and young people a firm foundation in the Sami culture, language and way of life. One of the objectives of the provision of the Education Act concerning the individual right to instruction on and in the Sami language is that Sami children and young people are enabled to retain, and reacquire, the language of their people.

The Government is aware that there is a serious lack of teachers with formal qualifications in the Sami language. I am therefore pleased to note that the committee appointed to evaluate Sami teacher training has now submitted its report. The report contains proposals for strengthening teacher training, including the recruitment and training of teachers in North Sami, Lule Sami and South Sami. This report will provide an important basis for the Government’s review of the necessary measures to improve Sami teacher training.

Promoting the Sami language and providing information are an important priority for this Government. This involves information on Sami society, the translation to Sami of general public information and information about the Sami people. Here I would like to emphasise that each ministry and each government agency has a responsibility for providing information in its sphere of competence. This information must be in the Sami language when the target group is Sami. The development of terminology is a central aspect of this information process.

Sami and Norwegian have equal status in Norway. The Sami language is important because of the role it plays in the preservation of culture and the Sami sense of identity. Therefore, the Government attaches importance to ensuring that the right provided for in the Sami Act regarding the Sami language is followed up. The Government also considers it important to ensure equal provision of public services. This applies to the use of the Sami language, especially in the six municipalities where Sami is the language used in the public administration.

It is vital that the use and development of the Sami language is given favourable conditions in all areas of society. I am thinking especially of Sami literature, film and theatre, all of which play an important role in disseminating language and culture. Sami radio and newspapers also play a major role in the preservation, revitalisation and development of the language.

The introduction of new technology is exerting considerable pressure on all minority languages, including Sami. It is therefore important to encourage the use of Sami in connection with new information technology.

The Government considers it important to promote Sami research and research institutions, and to ensure that Sami research is given adequate conditions. We also consider it important that more Sami are given an opportunity to qualify as researchers, and that researchers are recruited from a broader range of disciplines than is the case today. In order to strengthen Sami research, Sami academic institutions must themselves be strengthened. Thus, the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs will consider on a regular basis the establishment of research fellowships at colleges with particular responsibility for Sami issues.

Ensuring that children and young people grow up in a good environment is another important priority for the Government. I am therefore pleased to note that the Sami parliament has drawn up an action plan for children and young people and will be giving priority to these matters during the current term. Day-care facilities and schools are key institutions in the efforts to preserve and pass on the Sami cultural heritage. It is therefore very heartening that the recent evaluation of the special grant scheme for Sami day-care facilities has confirmed that these grants have played a significant role in promoting day-care facilities that safeguard the children’s language and culture.

The Government will encourage the dissemination of knowledge and experience in this field in order to build expertise concerning the conditions necessary for promoting a strong sense of identity and affiliation with Sami society. Our goal is greater expertise in all municipalities where Sami children and young people live.

The Government will also seek to ensure that the Sami population has the same standard of health and social welfare services as the rest of the population. In the course of the autumn the Minister of Health will circulate a draft plan of action for following up the study on a Sami health and social welfare programme for comment. One of the priorities will be to develop the linguistic and cultural expertise of people working in the health and social welfare sector. I am pleased that the Sami parliament has participated actively in this process. In cooperation with the Sami parliament, we will consider how the plan of action can best be followed up.

In connection with the implementation of its major health reforms, the Government has emphasised that the services provided should be tailored to the individual. The Sami language and culture must be taken into consideration in this connection.

The World Health Organisation is drawing up a plan of action for the health of indigenous peoples, and I am sure the organisation expects Norway to play an active role. The Government will invite the Sami parliament to take part in the dialogue with the WHO.

The Government gives priority to ensuring the viability of local communities, which is in keeping with the Sami parliament’s goal of maintaining settlement patterns and economic activity in Sami areas. The traditional Sami means of livelihood constitute an important basis for Sami culture and for preserving and passing on traditions.

I am aware that the Sami parliament is concerned with developing a fisheries policy that safeguards the rights and interests of fishermen in the coastal and fjord areas. I have also noted that agriculture in the Sami areas is on the agenda of this session of the Sami parliament. The conditions for these industries will affect settlement patterns in Sami areas, where many people combine several different means of livelihood. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries attach great importance to maintaining close contact with the Sami parliament.

Reindeer husbandry has been, and continues to be, one of the mainstays of Sami culture. The Government considers that reindeer husbandry must be ecologically, economically and culturally sustainable. This year the parties to the reindeer husbandry negotiations agreed on a strategy for reducing the number of reindeer in Finnmark. This is necessary in order to bring the herd in line with the grazing resources. The Government will follow developments in this area closely.

The Government will seek to find solutions that will ensure that women have an independent income and a greater degree of equality in the field of reindeer husbandry. A separate position as consultant for women’s affairs has therefore been established with the Reindeer Husbandry Administration in Alta. One of the tasks of this consultant will be to strengthen the position of women in this field, which is the most traditional of all the Sami industries.

Another important task will be to lay the groundwork for strengthening the Sami community across national borders by harmonising legislation and measures. A proposal has been put forward to draw up a separate Nordic convention on cooperation on Sami issues. This will be evaluated in connection with the planned cooperation between the ministers responsible for Sami affairs and the presidents of the Sami parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland. There is already agreement at ministerial level that such cooperation should be launched.

Cooperation with the Russian authorities on Sami policy is taking place within the framework of the Barents Cooperation. I would like to take this opportunity to say how pleased I am by what the Sami parliament has done to develop cooperation between the indigenous peoples of the Barents Region.

The Government’s commitment to promoting respect for human dignity and human rights both in Norway and abroad applies not least to the situation of the indigenous peoples. We wish to cooperate with the Sami parliament and Sami organisations in calling attention to the rights of indigenous peoples. Norway wishes to play an active role in this area.

Now that we are more than halfway through the UN International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, we see that there is still a long way to go before indigenous peoples’ voices are heard, before their rights are recognised and, above all, before these rights are respected.

Norway has been deeply involved in efforts to establish a Permanent Forum in the UN. During this year’s session of the Human Rights Commission, approval was given for what we hope will be the last meeting of the working group set up to draft the terms of reference of the Forum.

Although ILO Convention No. 169 clearly sets out the rights of indigenous peoples, not enough states have adhered to it. Consequently, we also attach great importance to the efforts being made to achieve a UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. The work has not progressed as far as we would have hoped. Our close contact with the Sami parliament and our cooperation at national level have been invaluable in this process.

The Government is aware that the standards we establish for indigenous rights when developing Sami policy at national level will influence the development and acceptance of indigenous rights at international level.

During this plenary session, the Sami parliament will express its opinion on the report of the Sami Rights Commission on the future management of land and water in Finnmark. This issue probably represents the greatest challenge in the field of Sami policy and with regard to the rest of the population in this part of the country in both this and the next century. Management models for increased Sami influence in Finnmark must be based on the fact that the Sami have been present in the area and in the country since time immemorial, but they must also take account of the needs of the rest of the population of Finnmark.

Now that the Sami parliament has dealt with the report, a very thorough and comprehensive consultation process is at an end. Substantial efforts have been made in Finnmark which will be very valuable as the work proceeds. The Ministry of Justice will have the main responsibility for drawing up the bill on the basis of the Sami Rights Commission’s report, but other ministries are also involved in the process. At a later stage in the work on the bill, a special committee of state secretaries will be appointed to prepare the Government’s final proposal. During this process we will be maintaining contact with the Sami parliament and the County Council, both of which will be consulted.

The Sami Rights Commission will be reappointed to continue considering the legal status in Sami areas outside Finnmark. I understand that the Ministry of Justice has invited the President of the Sami parliament to a meeting in October to discuss the proposed terms of reference and the composition of the commission.

We have a responsibility for building a society characterised by mutual respect between different cultures and an open and trusting attitude that cuts across ethnic and cultural boundaries. In the time to come, the Government will give high priority to laying the groundwork for the development of such a society.

I wish you every success with your further deliberations.