Indigenous Navigator in Sápmi - meeting in Arjeplog

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) joined the Saami Council in a workshop on the Indigenous Navigator, a framework for monitoring the situation and rights of Indigenous Peoples, in Sápmi from October 11 to 14, 2023.

The workshop, organized by the Saami Council, brought together representatives from Sámi institutions, organizations, and communities, as well as experts and partners from across Sápmi. The workshop aimed to introduce the Indigenous Navigator framework and methodology, share experiences and best practices from data collection and analysis in Sápmi, and discuss how to use the results for advocacy and policy-making with the Saami participants from Finland, Norway and Sweden.

IWGIA has been supporting the development and implementation of the Indigenous Navigator since its inception in 2014, as part of a global consortium of indigenous and human rights organizations working to monitor the realization and implementation of Indigenous Peoples' rights. The Indigenous Navigator is currently being used in 29 countries (2023).

In Sápmi, IWGIA is honoured to join the Saami Council and the Sámi Allaskuvla to implement the framework and tools to promote and protect the rights of the Sámi people. 

“This workshop is an excellent opportunity to exchange and to sensitize the wider Saami community on the  experience of using the Indigenous Navigator in Finland, Norway, Sweden. The Sámi people have been at the forefront of using this framework to document their situation and claim their rights in accordance with international standards."

The Indigenous Navigator consortium stands in solidarity with the Saami people and all Indigenous Peoples in their struggle for self-determination, rights to land territories and resources, social and cultural rights. 

The implementation of Indigenous Navigator in Sápmi is funded through the Nordic Arctic Co-operation Programme of the Nordic Council of Ministers

For more information, please contact:

David Nathaniel Berger, Advisor on Data Generation and Analysis

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs

Email: db@iwgia.org