Empowering Arctic Indigenous Peoples: Celebrating 50 Years of Indigenous Diplomacy
The first Arctic Peoples’ Conference was convened in Copenhagen in 1973 by Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations and representatives, the University of Copenhagen and IWGIA. From November 22nd to 25th, 40 delegates representing 21 organizations of Indigenous Peoples from Arctic Canada, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and Sápmi (Finland, Norway and Sweden) participated in this groundbreaking and successful conference, which demonstrated a clear vision and demand for states to recognize the political rights of Arctic Indigenous Peoples, as well as for land rights, human rights, and equality.
The vision of Arctic Peoples developed in the conference was indeed a key factor in the future engagement of Arctic Indigenous Peoplesin international processes for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples as distinct peoples as well as their inherent rights, significantly influencing their involvement in the International Indigenous Peoples’ movement and its achievements.
Fifty years later, the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the SaamiCouncil co-hosted a 50th commemorative conference, inviting representatives of Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations to meet in Ilulissat, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). The purpose of the 50th-anniversary 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. What have we achieved? What have we learned? What is the way forward? Some of those invited had been at the Copenhagen conference while others had not yet been born in 1973, but all could witness that the Indigenous Arctic of today is completely different from the realities that were discussed in 1973. We have asked several people who have witnessed and been a part of the past 50 years of Indigenous Arctic diplomacy and politics to give their perspectives on these decades.
