The Permanent Forum notes that various United Nations treaty bodies have repeatedly called on the Governments of Finland and Sweden to clarify and affirm the Sámi people’s rights to land and fishing, including hunting and reindeer grazing rights. The Forum urges Finland and Sweden to take action in accordance with these recommendations, without further delay. The Permanent Forum further calls on Norway to reach an agreement with the Sámi Parliament on the draft mineral act.
The Permanent Forum takes note of the 2009 report of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, particularly the general observation, and the nine individual observations on implementation of ILO Convention No. 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples. The Forum welcomes the increased attention paid by the Committee to ILO Convention No. 169 and calls upon the Committee to fully incorporate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in its individual observations as a source of interpretation of the Convention.