The aim of the commission is to gather the experiences of the Sámi people from the actions of the Finnish state and various authorities and to make this information visible.
Prime minister Sanna Marin (sd) announces the appointment of a new Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission at a press conference on Thursday.
The chairman of the Sámi Parliament will also speak at the press conference Tuomas Aslak Juuso and a shop steward of the Kolts village assembly Veikko Feodoroff.
The press conference will feature Finnish and three different Sámi languages spoken in Finland. It can be followed live in this story.
Government on Thursday set up a Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the Government Plenary Session.
“The matter has been prepared for four years in close co-operation with the Sámi Parliament and the Kolts Village Assembly,” Prime Minister Marin said at the press conference.
According to him, the work of the Commission will be in many respects a unique and historical project in Finland. The Commission’s work aims to promote better opportunities for the Sámi to maintain and develop their own language and culture.
“Indigenous peoples have experienced and are experiencing racism and discrimination in many countries, including by the authorities,” Marin said.
“The work of the Commission will certainly bring back painful memories both individually and collectively. Therefore, the psychosocial support of the Sámi people has been carefully prepared before starting the process and will be provided in the Sámi language, ”he said.
Marin hopes that, as a result of the Commission’s work, dialogue and trust between the Sámi and the state will increase.
“Only by understanding what the Sámi have experienced can we truly find solutions for the future,” Marin said and finally thanked in three different Sámi languages.
According to Tuomas Aslak Juuso, with the establishment of the Commission, significant work will begin to clarify the discrimination faced by the Sámi and the consequences of the state’s merger policy.
“The recognition and enforcement of the indigenous rights of the Sámi people in Finland is still hampered. I hope that going through this difficult process will result in concrete measures that will genuinely promote the position of the Sámi in Finnish society, ”Juuso stated.
According to Veikko Feodoroff, the Commission will do important and at the same time hard work.
“With the start of the Commission’s work, several years of careful preparatory work to increase understanding and trust between the Sámi and the state are behind us. We wish the Commission’s work success and sufficient resources to ensure success, ”Feodoroff said.
Commission The aim is to gather the Sámi experiences of the Finnish state and various authorities and to make this information visible.
The Sámi Truth and Reconciliation Commission is autonomous and independent in its activities. It consists of five commissioners, two of whom have been appointed on the proposal of the Government, two on the proposal of the Sámi Parliament and one on the proposal of the Kololt Village Assembly.
The members of the commission are a dissertation researcher, Bachelor of Laws Heikki J. Hyvärinen, Master of Public Administration Irja Jefremoff, Archbishop Emeritus, Doctor of Theology Kari Mäkinen, Professor of Working Life, Doctor of Laws Hannele Pokka, Master of Philosophy Miina Seurujärvi.
The status of the Sámi as an indigenous people is secured in Finland by the Constitution. According to the Constitution, the Sámi indigenous people have the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture.
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