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The Permanent Forum urges States to financially resource, empower and support local Arctic indigenous communities in order to give indigenous youth and women, together with other members of the communities, the opportunity to secure and develop their cultures.
Responses
Finland reports (2010): Annually, a specific appropriation for securing access to social and health services in Sámi languages is included in the state budget. The appropriation is EUR 600,000 per year and it may be used for payment of a government grant through the Sámi Parliament in Finland to the municipalities of the Sámi Homeland (Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä and Utsjoki) as defined in Section 4 of the Act on the Sámi Parliament.
The Sámi people are entitled to social and health services on an equal basis with other population groups. Municipalities are in charge of providing the services. The above government appropriation aims to cover the additional costs of social and health services provided in the Sámi languages. In the allocation of the appropriation, special concern has been given to such service areas as early childhood education and care and the care of the elderly. The Regional State Administrative Agency of Lapland is the responsible for the administration of the appropriation. The appropriation is administered in line with the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001).
This financing of social and health services in Sámi languages deviates from the general principles that are applied to the system of central government transfers to the local government level. According to these principles, government financing is not earmarked and the local authorities cover parts of the calculated costs through a financing share. In respect of services in the Sámi languages, the above earmarked appropriation is based on the aim of maintaining and developing of the language and culture of the Sámi people as an indigenous people within the meaning of Section 17 of the Constitution.
Final Report of UNPFII Session 8 (2009)
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