The Saami Council and the Sámi movement win an award for Sámi rights advocacy

The Saami Council, along with the Sámi grassroots movement, are among the recipients of the Civic Pride Awards 2023. The European Civic Forum awards this prize annually to outstanding civil initiatives. The award aims to highlight exemplary work for democracy and human rights, increase the visibility of this work at the European level, and strengthen cooperation between different initiatives.

The award recognizes the civil actors, movements, and organizations in Europe that continuously work to protect and promote EU values and democracy, even in challenging times.

– This is a recognition for both the Saami Council and the entire Sámi civil society. For many years, we have worked strategically and consistently to improve the Sámi rights situation. In recent years we have seen significant popular movements for Sámi rights, such as by human rights advocates in the Fosen actions earlier this year in Oslo, and the movement for the revision of the Sámi Parliament Act on the Finnish side, says Aslak Holmberg, president of the Saami Council.

This year's ceremony takes place in Brussels in the European Parliament on September 18, 2023, with prominent guests such as the Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, members of the European Parliament, civil society actors, and activists.

– It is a great honor to receive this award on behalf of the Sámi civil society. It is important to reflect on what the Sámi movement has achieved, but also on the challenges that remain unresolved. Today, September 11, marks 700 days since the Supreme Court in Norway determined that the wind power plants on the Fosen peninsula constitute an ongoing human rights violation for the Fosen Sámi. It is important to remind that the Norwegian government has not yet presented a solution to repair the ongoing human rights violation, concludes Holmberg.