Indigenous peoples in Greenland

 

The indigenous peoples of Greenland are Inuit and make up a majority of the Greenlandic population. Greenland is a self-governing country within the Danish Realm, and although Denmark has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Greenland’s population continue to face challenges.

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by Denmark

Denmark adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on 13 September 2007.

In 1996, at the request of Greenland, Denmark ratified ILO Convention 169, an international legal instrument dealing specifically with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples.

Greenland chose to join the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child without reservations on 26 March 1992.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), an indigenous peoples’ organisation and ECOSOC-accredited NGO, represents Inuit from Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Chukotka (Russia), and is also a permanent participant in the Arctic Council.

 

Indigenous peoples in Greenland

The Greenlandic population numbers 56,000, of whom 50,000 are Inuit. Greenland’s diverse culture includes subsistence hunting, commercial fisheries, tourism, and emerging efforts to develop the oil and mining industries.

Fishing is the primary industry of the country and Greenland has legislative power over the fisheries sector. The fishing industry is the largest source of income and is hence very important to the national economy. Also, it is the source of many people's livelihoods right across the country.

Kalaallisut is the language of the Inuit

The majority of the people of Greenland speak the Inuit language, Kalaallisut, which is the official language. The second language is Danish.

Main challenges

One struggle of Greenland’s peoples relates to uranium mining. The uranium question has split the population in two, and there have been more demonstrations than ever before.

The part of the population that is pro-uranium extraction argues that it will create much-needed jobs in Greenland, as well as financial benefits. Those who are against argue that the environmental and health risks for animals and humans are too high and that the community near the uranium mine Kuannersuit will have to be relocated because of the danger of contamination.

There is also a fear that the tailings from the uranium mining will contaminate the environment for thousands of years. A smaller group of the population is arguing that far more hearings are needed throughout Greenland in order to make a decision. The uranium project led by Greenland Minerals and Energy is still under development.

There are an increasing number of suicides occurring in Greenland. There were 47 recorded in 2016, which is ten more than in 2015. It is mainly young people that commit suicide and the victims have become younger over the last decade. Indigenous suicide is a global problem and one that more and more states are addressing. Greenland suffers, along with many other indigenous communities, the effects of self-harm and suicide.

 

Potential progress 

A new concession has just been awarded for a zinc mining project in the Citronen Fjord. There will be significant Greenlandic involvement in the project, and there have been several hearings in the local community. However, very few locals showed up to these. This is mainly due to the hearings not being announced properly, the meetings being led by outsiders and the interpretation often being very poor.

The Government of Greenland and UNICEF Denmark entered into a partnership agreement in 2010 aimed at working to raise awareness of children's rights in Greenland, both among children and adults. Over a five-year period, it has implemented various projects to promote children's rights.