| Summary: | International human rights committees and special rapporteurs on the situation for indigenous peoples have criticised Sweden for the domestic treatment of Sámi people and for not fully complying with indigenous rights on participation and consultation under international law. Participatory rights and consultation duties for indigenous peoples are important as they function as means of ensuring indigenous influence in decision making, giving effect to their substantive rights to land resources and culture. Swedish law acknowledges rights for Sámi people to be consulted in decision making. However, these peoples still do not have effective influence on issues that affect them in their role as indigenous peoples. As the extraction of natural resources and industrial and other development projects continues, the protection of indigenous Sámi rights in Swedish law need to guarantee that Sámi people have enough influence over land issues and in decision-making processes on matters that concern them. With their traditional knowledge, indigenous peoples may have an important role in environmental management and in efforts on climate change adaptation.
|
|---|