Address by Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities says Sami Parliament promising example of integration of indigenous peoples

On 22 September 2011, Knut Vollebaek, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), addressed the Plenary Session of the Sami Parliament in Karasjok, Norway.

The High Commissioner said that he wanted to learn about the Sami model for the self-determination and representation of indigenous peoples.

He stressed that the Balkan wars, which led to the establishment of the OSCE HCNM, showed that one of the biggest challenges in today’s society was to ensure the right to self-determination of indigenous peoples and national minorities.

Vollebaek highlighted the possibility, as demonstrated by the Sami model, of avoiding the two extremes of assimilation and secession. By giving national minorities the right to be consulted on questions that affect them, they can protect and develop their identity, without jeopardizing the unity and stability of the State. It is only when minorities and the majority alike feel that they belong to a nation that one may truly speak of a multicultural society, Vollebaek emphasized, adding that integration must be viewed as beneficial to society as a whole. He stressed that as High Commissioner he focuses on integration of society, rather than integration into society. He said that the Sami Parliament provided an interesting and challenging model that might prove appropriate for other national minorities within the OSCE area.

The original speech, in Norwegian, can be found here.