Chair,

I speak on behalf of the Sámi Parliaments.

We are witnessing a rapidly changing security environment, including increasing geopolitical tensions, climate-related risks, and growing pressures on Indigenous Peoples’ lands and livelihoods.

For Indigenous Peoples, these developments are not abstract. They translate into concrete and immediate impacts on health and well-being.

In the Arctic, climate change is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the green transition, extractive activities and harmful development are intensifying pressures on our territories. This affects our food systems, traditional ways of life, physical and mental health, cultural continuity, and the transmission of knowledge.

Health must be understood in a holistic sense, as reflected in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It encompasses physical and mental wellbeing, culture, language, land, identity and self-determination. These dimensions are inseparable. This understanding is grounded in Indigenous Peoples knowledge and lived realities, and it must be reflected in health policy and practice.

A right-based and cultural safe approach must be fully integrated into national health systems through meaningful participation and respect for Indigenous governance. An example from Sápmi is Sámi klinihkka. Although it is a specialized service designed for our people, we still lack the necessary influence over its governance and content. This lack of self-determination is a serious concern that the Sámi Parliament in Norway has formally raised with the ILO Expert Committee, emphasizing that without Indigenous control, we cannot ensure the trust and cultural safety essential for equitable healthcare.

Ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being requires sustained commitment to the full and effective implementation of rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

The Sámi Parliaments recommend that the Forum urge Member States to adopt a more holistic approach to Indigenous Peoples’ health. This should include establishing systems that ensure our meaningful participation in the design, governance, and delivery of health services. Furthermore, we call for the integration of health perspectives across all UN bodies and processes, particularly those concerning climate change, biodiversity, food systems, and Indigenous Peoples knowledge.

Thank you. Olu giitu.