Finnish Sámi Have Strengthened Their Autonomy
At its meeting 3/2026, the Sámi Parliament established three new committees for the remaining parliamentary term in accordance with the new rules of procedure. The Early Childhood Education Committee, the Committee on International Indigenous and EU Affairs and the Research Ethics Council are responsible for the preparation and development of key areas and strengthen the implementation of the linguistic and cultural rights of the Sámi.
The Sámi Parliament of Finland received international guests during the break: Vice-Chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) Sheryl Lightfoot (Anishinaabe) and Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Aluki Kotierk (Inuit).
The composition of the committees has taken into account the linguistic and regional representation of the Sámi people and the members’ good expertise in their own fields. Chair Pirita Näkkäläjärvi is pleased with the new committees.
“I am delighted that so many members of the Sámi civil society and Sámi parliament representatives and deputy representatives joined the new committees. The Early Childhood Education Committee has an important role in maintaining and developing the language of both native speakers and children from language-nesting areas. I am also pleased to see a large number of young people on the Committee for International Indigenous and EU Affairs, so that their voices can be heard in matters such as indigenous peoples and human rights,” says Chair Pirita Näkkäläjärvi.
Näkkäläjärvi was elected Chair of the Research Ethics Council.
“The Research Ethics Council, which I chair, will work closely with Sámi researchers and academia more broadly, especially when we begin to reform the process of granting prior consent,” says Näkkäläjärvi.
Early Childhood Education Board Strengthens Sámi-Language Early Childhood Education
The Early Childhood Education Board is responsible, among other things, for the development and preparation of Sámi early childhood education and for promoting the rights of Sámi children to early childhood education in their own language and culture. Leena Niittyvuopio-Jämsä was elected as the chair of the board and Aslak Pekkala as the vice-chair.
The Board for International Indigenous and EU Affairs Promotes Sámi Rights in the European Union and at the International Level
The board’s tasks include, among other things, preparing and implementing the Sámi Parliament’s EU and international affairs strategy and promoting Sámi participation in decision-making in EU institutions. Janne Hirvasvuopio was elected as the chair of the board and Inka Musta as the vice-chair.
Research Ethics Council to Reform the Prior Consent Process
The new Research Ethics Council promotes and monitors the implementation and consideration of ethical guidelines for research concerning the Sámi and, for example, decides on the granting of community prior consent for research. Pirita Näkkäläjärvi was elected as the chairperson of the council and Tauno Ljetoff as the vice-chairperson.
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Source: Sámediggi (in Finnish)