United Nations Experts on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to visit Norway

GENEVA (1 March 2024) - The United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) will visit Norway from 6 to 15 March 2024 to undertake a country engagement mission .

During the mission, the Expert Mechanism aims to provide technical advice and guidance on the rights of Norway’s Indigenous Saami people in relation to the enforcement of domestic legislation, administrative measures, policies, and judicial functions, as well as the implementation of court decisions and recommendations of international mechanisms. The rights of Indigenous Peoples are contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in particular Article 3 (right to self-determination); Article 20 and 25 (right to cultural practices); Article 26 (right to land, territories and resources); and Article 32 (free, prior and informed consent).

The visit takes place in response to a request from the Saami Council in collaboration with Sami Parliament under the Expert Mechanism’s mandate (as decided in United Nations Human Rights Council resolution 33/25).

Members of the Expert Mechanism plan to visit:

• Trondelag County
• Finnmark County
• Planned construction site for the wind power industry in Lebesby municipality
• Planned mining site at Nussir and Repparfjord in Hammerfest municipality
• Fosen Wind industrial area

During the mission, the experts plan to hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with rightsholders, officials and stakeholders including Saami Council, the Sami Parliament in Norway, state and municipal authorities, national human rights institution, civil society organizations, private companies, and members of communities.

The Expert Mechanism will issue a statement at the end of the mission.

This will be the fifth country engagement mission undertaken by the Expert Mechanism. Previous country engagement missions included those to Finland (February 2018), Mexico (February 2019), New Zealand (April 2019), and Australia (October 2023).

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The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) is a subsidiary body of the Human Rights Council mandated to provide the Council with expertise and advice on the rights of indigenous peoples as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and assist Member States, upon request, in implementing the rights in the Declaration through the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

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EMRIP information: Atina Pamei Gaare, Human Rights Officer at atina.gaare@un.org

More information: Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer, at simp@un.org, Matthew Brown, Human Rights Council Public Information Officer, at matthew.brown@un.org and David Díaz Martín, Human Rights Council Public Information Officer at david.diazmartin@un.org