A Mapuche woman sings as part of closing ceremonies of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in Geneva this week, as the body’s expert panelists sit behind her. She told the assembly, ‘For all who work with all the strength of Mother Earth … let us be united with a single heart.’
Photo by Dionne Phillips
This story is published through the Indigenous News Alliance.
In Sápmi (northern Scandinavia), the Arctic is experiencing warming temperatures four times faster than other regions, disproportionately hurting the livelihoods and culture of the Sámi people — particularly their access to vital traditional natural resources such as reindeer and salmon.
As temperatures warm, for example, snow is melting then refreezing at an accelerating rate — forming ice that prevents reindeer from reaching their food supply underneath. More and more of the species are
starving
as a result.
“Those impacts in nature are severe for our culture and livelihoods,” said Tuomas Aslak Juuso, vice-president of the
Sámediggi
(Sámi Parliament) of “Finland,” in an interview.
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The Sámi are the only officially recognized Indigenous people in the European Union.
Their population, estimated between 80,000 and 100,000 people, spans “Norway,” “Finland,” “Sweden” and “Russia.”
Juuso — who was previously his parliament’s elected president — also
sits
on the
Sámiráđđi (Saami Council)
, a body of 15 delegates from Sámi organizations in all four countries.
Sámi parliaments also co-ordinate across borders through the
Sámi Parliamentary Council
.
Caribou across the world’s Arctic region are severely impacted by climate change.
Photo by Morgan Anderson/Parks Canada
A recent
report
by the Finnish Meteorological Institute highlights warming winters and fewer months with permanent snow cover, with more and more snow days replaced with rain.
“So survival of reindeer and then survival of our livelihoods [and] cultures is then questioned,” Juuso said, during meetings of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in Geneva last week.
Reindeer are a particularly important species to his people, he explained; along with the animal husbandry, the ungulates are also used for handicrafts including clothing and weapons.
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Hundreds of Indigenous people gathered at the UN’s headquarters in Geneva for EMRIP’s annual meetings.
They discussed everything from the climate change to continued colonialism, and other issues impacting their homeland.
But one common thread throughout the gathering — and across hundreds of cultures represented there — was the unified demand for a greater voice in international negotiations and decision-making.
Hundreds of delegates represented states, non-government organizations, and Indigenous groups at the United Nations EMRIP meetings in Geneva over the last week.
Photo by Dionne Phillips