ABSTRACT
Beginning in 1970, indigenous peoples' representatives, in increasing numbers, began appearing before United Nation (UN) human rights bodies, basing their right claims on generally applicable human rights. In 1982, the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (UNDRIP) indicates a historical shift in the legal status of indigenous peoples in international law. For the first time, indigenous peoples participated in the drafting process of the actual text with an equal voice with governments. The right to self-determination, as understood in the UNDRIP, does not afford indigenous peoples total freedom to determine their political status since it is also concerned to protect the territorial integrity of sovereign states. Finland has acted as a pioneer, together with other Nordic states, in advancing the paradigm shift in the international status of Sami people by engaging in the drafting and negotiating process of the Nordic Sami Convention.
