The Race for the Arctic Is Undermining Indigenous Rights

Since Russia launched its invasion in 2022 , the state that contains around half of the total landmass above the Arctic Circle has been effectively excluded from the field of transnational Arctic cooperation.

The indigenous peoples of the Arctic already faced marginalization before the war, writes Eirik Larsen .

Sámi people formerly living in Russia have been forced to claim asylum in neighboring countries.

Years of abuse by settlers in the Arctic , for example in Catholic residential schools, have resulted in higher suicide rates in indigenous regions than elsewhere in Arctic states.

Since the Arctic Council’s “pause,” efforts to combat these issues have been forced to rely on mental health support systems at the national level.

While the Arctic Council is unlikely to reestablish its precise prewar form, Norwegian stewardship of the organization since 2023 has successfully held it together, allowing a forum for indigenous representation to endure. At the national level, however, states essentially continue to listen to indigenous interests only when they do not conflict with governmental priorities. Now would be as good a moment as any to change that..