Ratification of ILO Convention No. 169

The plan gives Sweden a special task to strengthen indigenous rights, viewed in light of the state's colonial history, and requires special awareness of land use's significance. A ratification of ILO's convention no. 169 is the foremost international legal tool for precisely that. The plan furthermore wants international law to be defended and deepened.

• strengthen indigenous rightsdecisive»Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous and”
• land use and indigenous peoples»en särskild medvetenhet om markanvändningens betydelse.« (party programme ↗)“a special awareness of land use's significance.”
• deepened international law»Folkrätten behöver försvaras« (party programme ↗)“International law needs to be defended”
• historical wrongs obligate»Den svenska staten har genom historien utsatt urfolk och nationella« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish state has through history wronged indigenous peoples and national”

The party programme makes respect for human rights a prerequisite for democracy and binds international solidarity to standing up for these rights, while national minorities' languages and culture shall be asserted and supported. The election manifesto emphasises Sweden's long tradition of standing up for international law. Ratification of ILO 169 lies in line with this, but the plan mentions neither the convention nor the Sámi's legal status.

• human rights fundamentaldecisive»Respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna är en förutsättning för demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for democracy.”
• international solidarity»Internationell solidaritet innebär att stå upp för de mänskliga rättigheterna, vidga kretsen av« (party programme ↗)“International solidarity means standing up for human rights, widen the circle of”
• international law tradition»Vi har en lång historia av att stå upp för folkrätten, solidaritet, nedrustning, demokrati och jämställdhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We have a long history of standing up for international law, solidarity, disarmament, democracy and gender equality.”
• support for minorities' culture»I detta ska också ingå att hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att« (party programme ↗)“This shall also include asserting and supporting national minorities' opportunities to”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly requires that Sweden commits to following ILO 169 and that the convention is ratified as soon as possible, because the Sámi as indigenous people have special rights that Sweden must guarantee. The counter-proposal's demand thus coincides with the plan's commitment. The plan also argues against postponing ratification pending further investigation.

• follow ILO 169decisive»stärka nationella minoriteters och urfolket samernas rättigheter och att Sverige ska förbinda sig att följa den internationella konventionen om urfolks rättigheter (ILO 169).« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen national minorities' and the Sámi people's rights and that Sweden shall commit to following the international convention on indigenous peoples' rights (ILO 169).”
• prompt ratification»bör snarast ratificera FN:s konvention om urfolks« (party programme ↗)“should ratify as soon as possible the UN convention on indigenous”
• Sámi indigenous rights»internationella konventioner har särskilda« (party programme ↗)“international conventions have special”
• human rights nationally and internationally»mänskliga rättigheter nationellt och internationellt.« (party programme ↗)“human rights nationally and internationally.”

A ratification affects land and use rights, and the plan's strongest commitment in the area is that property rights are central and must not be subjected to arbitrary interference; forestry and nature conservation shall build on strong property rights and voluntariness. At the same time the party wants to strengthen minority protection, which pulls in the other direction and makes the conclusion uncertain. The documents do not mention the convention.

• central property rightsdecisive»Äganderätten är central för ett samhälle där människor kan förverkliga sig själva och sina drömmar.« (party programme ↗)“Property rights are central to a society where people can realise themselves and their dreams.”
• strong property rights in forestry»Skogsbruket behöver goda förutsättningar grundade i en stark äganderätt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forestry needs good conditions based on strong property rights.”
• voluntariness over coercion»då frivillighet och äganderätt är grunden för en bättre naturvård« (2022 manifesto ↗)“as voluntariness and property rights are the foundation for better nature conservation”
• also strengthened minority protection»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen among other things property rights, the prohibition of discrimination, minority protection and minority language status”

The party programme explicitly establishes that ILO Convention 169 shall be ratified, after consultation with the Sámi, other minorities and landowners. This is exactly what the counter-proposal requires. The plan also values the Sámi's right to reindeer herding and land use according to ancient custom and wants to establish a Nordic Sámi Convention, which strengthens the reason to strengthen indigenous peoples' international legal protection.

• ratify ILO 169decisive»ILO-konvention 169 ska ratificeras efter samråd med olika intressegrupper som samer, andra minoriteter och markägare.« (party programme ↗)“ILO Convention 169 shall be ratified after consultation with various interest groups such as the Sámi, other minorities and landowners.”
• Sámi land use valued»Samernas rätt att utöva renskötsel och utnyttja marker i enlighet med urminnes hävd ska värnas.« (party programme ↗)“The Sámi's right to practise reindeer herding and utilise land in accordance with ancient custom shall be valued.”
• Nordic Sámi Convention»En nordisk samekonvention ska upprättas.« (party programme ↗)“A Nordic Sámi Convention shall be established.”
• the Sámi as indigenous people»Samernas, sverigefinnarnas, tornedalingarnas, judarnas och romernas ställning som nationella minoriteter och samernas ställning som urfolk ska upprätthållas.« (party programme ↗)“The Sámi's, Swedish Finns', Tornedalians', Jews' and Roma's position as national minorities and the Sámi's position as an indigenous people shall be maintained.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan states that the link between land ownership and hunting and fishing rights should exist, based on principled support for individual property rights, which is described as a human right with constitutionally protected compensation for restrictions. A ratification whose legal consequences for land and resource rights are unexplored stands in tension with this. At the same time, the plan wants to protect the reindeer herding industry and international obligations, which is why certainty is low.

• land ownership and hunting rights belong togetherdecisive»kopplingen mellan markägande och jakt- och fiskerätt« (party programme ↗)“the link between land ownership and hunting and fishing rights”
• property rights as a human right»Rätten till egendom är en mänsklig rättighet och« (party programme ↗)“The right to property is a human right and”
• protect reindeer herding and Sámi culture»Rennäringen ska värnas eftersom den är en betydelsefull del av samisk kultur« (party programme ↗)“Reindeer herding shall be protected because it is an important part of Sámi culture”
• international obligations»efterlevandet av internationella förpliktelser garanteras.« (party programme ↗)“compliance with international obligations is guaranteed.”

The plan addresses neither ILO 169 nor indigenous rights. The closest principle is that freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never collectives, which argues against introducing a collective rights layer. The plan is also based on continued mineral extraction, strong property rights in forests and equal conditions for all Swedish hunters in the mountains — commitments that ratification would come into conflict with.

• rights belong to the individualdecisive»Fri- och rättigheter tillhör individer och aldrig« (party programme ↗)“Freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never”
• continued mineral extraction»Våra rika mineraltillgångar ska kunna utvinnas ansvarsfullt och långsiktigt hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Our abundant mineral resources should be able to be extracted responsibly and with long-term sustainability.”
• strong property rights in forests»Stärka skogsägarnas äganderätt genom att formellt skydd av skog ska ske genom frivillighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen forest owners' property rights by ensuring that formal forest protection occurs through voluntary means”
• equal terms in the mountains»Se till att fjälljakten är tillgänglig för alla svenska jägare på lika villkor« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that mountain hunting is accessible to all Swedish hunters on equal terms”

The plan requires strengthened property rights and that forest owners' right to manage their forests be protected, and that Swedish parliamentary democracy's independence be affirmed before supranational commitments. A ratification of ILO 169 would bind Sweden to far-reaching land rights commitments that interfere in precisely these matters. The plan simultaneously wants to protect indigenous peoples' position and cultural values, but that commitment is cultural policy and weighs less than property rights.

• strengthened property rightsdecisive»Stärka äganderätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen property rights.”
• right of use for land owners»Värna skogsägarnas rätt att bruka sina skogar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect forest owners' right to manage their forests.”
• national self-determination»Bejaka och stärka det svenska folkstyrets oberoende« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Affirm and strengthen Swedish parliamentary democracy's independence.”
• indigenous peoples' standing protected»Urfolkens ställning och kulturella värden ska värnas i den utrikespolitiska inriktningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Indigenous peoples' position and cultural values shall be protected in foreign policy direction.”