How great can a “greater say” be? Exploring the aspirations of Arctic indigenous peoples for a stronger engagement in decision-making

Abstract

Over the past couple of decades, the aspirations of Arctic indigenous peoples for a stronger engagement in decision-making have become of crucial importance. Like in many other regions of the world, Arctic indigenous peoples have close links to their traditional lands and surrounding natural environment. The preservation of these links is of notable significance to the survival and identity of these peoples. The rapid transformation of the Arctic resulted mainly from climate change, has caused significant impacts on the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples in the region. Even though indigenous peoples are active in Arctic dialogues, by means of participating in Arctic Council meetings, for example, their collective role in the decision-making process is still a passive one. Southerly situated governments with apparently little knowledge of interaction between indigenous peoples and their unique environment predominantly control governance in the region, which in turn problematises fair decision-making. Consequently, the debate on the extent of indigenous peoples’ say in the decision-making process regarding matters directly concerning and affecting them has remained remarkably significant to both politics and international law. While considering the aspirations of Arctic indigenous peoples for a greater say in the decision-making process, this study concludes that a strengthened role of indigenous actors certainly makes Arctic governance more legitimate. However, the present structure of Arctic governance provides unequal footing for indigenous peoples to effectively engage in decision-making.