ABSTRACT
The Sámi people have the right, as other peoples, to self-determination. As a people, the Sámi have the right to develop their own society according to their own priorities economically, socially and culturally. This is also expressed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Art 1 (ICCPR) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Sámi people have clearly, time and time again, stated their priorities and interpretation of their rights as a people. For example, through the Declarations from the Sámi Conference held every fourth year, the latest being the Tråante declaration, adopted at the 21st Sámi Conference in 2017. The implementation of the right to self-determination is core to solving present and future challenges for Sámi reindeer herding, whether talking about climate change adaptation, land use encroachment or development of governance models.
