Implementation of UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The plan gives Sweden a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' rights, seen in the light of colonial history, and particularly emphasizes the importance of land use. It also wants to fully realize the international rights declarations. A greater assumption of responsibility for implementing the indigenous declaration through political measures and sharpened legislation therefore follows from the plan.

• strengthen indigenous peoples' rightsdecisive»Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and”
• land use and Sámi rights»en särskild medvetenhet om markanvändningens betydelse.« (party programme ↗)“a special awareness of the importance of land use.”
• historical wrongs oblige»Den svenska staten har genom historien utsatt urfolk och nationella« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish state has through history subjected indigenous peoples and national”
• realize rights declarations»rättigheterna var ett historiskt framsteg vi vill förverkliga fullt ut.« (party programme ↗)“rights were a historical advance we want to fully realize.”

The party programme commits itself to assert and support national minorities' possibilities to maintain and develop their language and culture, and makes international solidarity and respect for human rights a commitment also at home. Tightened legislation and clearer responsibility for the implementation of the indigenous declaration, together with the Sámi people, follow from this. The plan, however, does not mention the declaration.

• support for indigenous peoples and minoritiesdecisive»hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att« (party programme ↗)“assert and support national minorities' possibilities to”
• HR commitments apply at home too»Internationell solidaritet innebär att stå upp för de mänskliga rättigheterna, vidga kretsen av« (party programme ↗)“International solidarity means standing up for human rights, widening the circle of”
• equal right to influence»Alla har lika rätt att påverka samhällets utveckling.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has equal right to influence society's development.”
• dialogue with affected parties»formas i en levande dialog med det civila samhälle och ska skapa goda villkor för« (party programme ↗)“shaped in a living dialogue with civil society and should create good conditions for”

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 requires that Sami rights are strengthened and that Sweden binds itself to follow ILO 169, and establishes that the Sami as an indigenous people have special rights that Sweden must guarantee and that ratification should occur as soon as possible. The counter-proposal's requirement for greater responsibility-taking through both political measures and strengthened legislation is a direct application of that. The plan's requirement for urgency speaks against settling for the current order.

• skyndsam ratificeringdecisive»Sverige bör snarast ratificera FN:s konvention om urfolks rättigheter, ILO 169.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden should as soon as possible ratify the UN convention on indigenous people's rights, ILO 169.”
• stärkta samiska rättigheter»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 indigenous people the Sami's rights and that Sweden shall bind itself to follow the international convention on indigenous people's rights (ILO 169).”
• garanterade urfolksrättigheter»Samerna utgör ett urfolk som i enlighet med flera internationella konventioner har särskilda rättigheter som Sverige måste garantera.« (party programme ↗)“The Sami constitute an indigenous people who in accordance with several international conventions have special rights that Sweden must guarantee.”
• genomförande med samerna»Makt ska utövas av dem som påverkas av den.« (party programme ↗)“Power shall be exercised by those affected by it.”

The plan promises to strengthen minority protection and the position of minority languages and to combat all structures that oppress or discriminate against people. A greater responsibility to implement the indigenous declaration together with the Sámi people, including tightened legislation, follows from that commitment. The plan simultaneously values property rights, which sets a limit for how far such legislation can go.

• strengthened minority protectiondecisive»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen, among other things, property rights, the non-discrimination prohibition, minority protection and the position of minority languages”
• combat discrimination»Vi bekämpar alla strukturer, formella och informella, som förtrycker eller diskriminerar människor.« (party programme ↗)“We combat all structures, formal and informal, that oppress or discriminate against people.”
• international human rights commitments»Utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken syftar ytterst till att värna universella mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Foreign and security policy aims ultimately at protecting universal human rights and freedoms.”
• intensified work against discrimination»Mer måste göras mot diskriminering.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More must be done against discrimination.”

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 requires that ILO Convention 169 be ratified after consultation and that a Nordic Sámi convention be established, which is precisely the strengthened legal position the counter-proposal seeks for the indigenous declaration. The plan also establishes that the Sámi's position as indigenous people shall be maintained and that the right to herding and lands according to time immemorial shall be protected. The indigenous declaration is not mentioned by name, however.

• 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 Sámi, other minorities and landowners.”
• Sámi land rights»Samernas rätt att utöva renskötsel och utnyttja marker i enlighet med urminnes hävd ska värnas.« (party programme ↗)“The right of the Sámi to practise herding and utilize lands in accordance with time immemorial shall be protected.”
• 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 indigenous people shall be maintained.”
• clearer Sámi self-determination»Sametingets roll som förvaltningsmyndighet ska tydligt skiljas från rollen som folkvalt organ för samer.« (party programme ↗)“The Sámi Parliament's role as a managing authority shall be clearly distinguished from the role as an elected body for the Sámi.”

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 wants to grant Sámi people linguistic and ethnic rights to strengthen their self-confidence and cultural identity, and requires that groups' needs be taken into account in all parts of the country and at all levels in the public sector. It explicitly names legislation as a means to give minority languages a strong position. Reindeer herding shall be valued as a significant part of Sámi culture.

• Sámi ethnic rightsdecisive»Genom att tillerkänna samer, sverigefinländare, tornedalingar, romer och judar språkliga och etniska rättigheter« (party programme ↗)“By granting Sámi, Swedish Finns, Tornedalians, Roma and Jews linguistic and ethnic rights”
• taken into account at all levels»Det är viktigt att dessa gruppers behov och intressen beaktas i alla delar av landet och på alla nivåer i den offentliga sektorn.« (party programme ↗)“It is important that these groups' needs and interests be taken into account in all parts of the country and at all levels in the public sector.”
• legislation strengthens minorities»Ett sätt att göra detta är att tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en stark ställning genom lagstiftning.« (party programme ↗)“One way to do this is to ensure minority languages a strong position through legislation.”
• value reindeer herding»Rennäringen ska värnas eftersom den är en betydelsefull del av samisk kultur samt viktig för sysselsättning« (party programme ↗)“Reindeer herding shall be valued because it is a significant part of Sámi culture and important for employment”

flags: citat_migrerat

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 does not address the indigenous declaration or Sami rights. The most closely related principles are that freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never collectives, that Swedish law applies equally throughout the country, and that individual property rights should be strong, not least in forestry and agriculture. Stricter legislation to implement the declaration therefore receives no support in the plan.

• individual rightsdecisive»Fri- och rättigheter tillhör individer och aldrig« (party programme ↗)“Freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never”
• one law equal for all»I Sverige gäller svensk lag« (party programme ↗)“In Sweden, Swedish law applies”
• strong property rights in land matters»Det gäller inte minst inom skogs- och lantbruket.« (party programme ↗)“This applies not least in forestry and agriculture.”

The plan gives national minorities cultural autonomy but above all wants to strengthen national self-determination and is skeptical of cooperation that takes supranational forms. Stricter Swedish legislation to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples goes further than the plan, which stops at indigenous peoples' position and cultural values shall be valued. The conclusion is drawn with low confidence.

• national self-determinationdecisive»Stärka det nationella självbestämmandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen national self-determination”
• skepticism toward supranationality»Vi ser med stark skepsis på samarbeten som tar sig« (party programme ↗)“We view with strong skepticism cooperation that takes”
• valued indigenous position»Urfolkens ställning och kulturella värden ska värnas i den utrikespolitiska inriktningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Indigenous peoples' position and cultural values shall be valued in the foreign policy direction.”
• cultural autonomy for minorities»ges långtgående kulturell autonomi.« (party programme ↗)“given far-reaching cultural autonomy.”