Leena Hansen presented Ethical Guidelines for Cooperation with Sámi Reindeer Herders at CBD COP17
Our researcher Leena Hansen participated in a panel discussion at the UN Biodiversity Convention COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, focusing on Indigenous rights, biodiversity governance and the green transition in Sápmi.
The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) is currently taking place in Yerevan, Armenia. On 21 October, MultiBEING researcher Leena Hansen (University of Lapland) was invited to participate in a panel organised by the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) and the Nordic Council at the Nordic Pavilion.
The topic of the panel was Managing Conflicts between the Green Transition and Indigenous Rights in Sápmi: Nordic Experiences and Practical Approaches to Implementing and Upholding Articles 8(j) and 10(c) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and it addressed the growing challenges that the green transition poses for Indigenous peoples and traditional livelihoods in the Nordic region.
Across Sápmi, the expansion of renewable energy projects, mining activities and other land-use changes associated with the green transition can have significant impacts on Sámi reindeer husbandry and the traditional use of lands and natural resources. The panel explored Nordic experiences and practical approaches to reconciling biodiversity governance, climate action and Indigenous rights.
During the event, Leena Hansen presented the ethical guidelines Rivttes vuohki, Olmâ vyehi, Õlmmvueʹǩǩ – The Right Way: Ethical Guidelines Based on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity for Negotiations and Cooperation with Reindeer Herders in Sámi Reindeer Herding Cooperatives. The guidelines were developed by Leena Hansen, Saara Alakorva (University of Lapland) and Tiina Sanila-Aikio in cooperation with the Association of the Sámi Reindeer Herding Co-operatives and were published earlier this year by the Ministry of the Environment of Finland.
The panel was attended by Nordic country delegations as well as Sámi representatives, highlighting the importance of Indigenous participation in discussions concerning biodiversity conservation, land use and the implementation of the green transition.
Read more about the panel: https://www.norden.org/en/cop17
Read the ethical guidelines (in English): https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstreams/c5b9a13d-a57c-4634-b0b8-adc02866b236/download
