Inuit in Canada Welcome Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Resource Development

Wednesday May 11, 2011 – Ottawa, Ontario – National Inuit Leader Mary Simon welcomed today the release of the “Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Resource Development Principles in Inuit Nunaat”. The Declaration was signed in Nuuk, Greenland by international Inuit leaders gathered there ahead of the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting tomorrow.

“Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami very much supports this Declaration, and I congratulate my fellow Inuit leaders for its development and today’s signing,” noted President Simon. “Through this Declaration, and its earlier companion Declaration on sovereignty (A Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic), Inuit from around the circumpolar world are speaking with a clear and united voice regarding fundamental Inuit requirements and expectations with respect to the development of natural resources in the Inuit homeland.”

Along with Canada’s regional Inuit organizations ITK participated actively in the Inuit Leader’s Summit held in Ottawa February 23-24, 2011. The Summit was held according to the 2010 Nuuk Declaration to address the issue of resource development in Inuit Nunaat (the Inuit homeland in the circumpolar region). The Ottawa Summit gave the green light to proceed with the development of the five-page Declaration on Resource Development.

“The world is on notice that while Inuit look forward to new forms and levels of economic development, the use of resources in the Arctic must be conducted in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way, and must deliver direct and substantial benefits to Inuit,” said Mary Simon.

The five-page Declaration on Resource Development is mindful of both the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty. It begins with a Preamble and contains 10 sections, each with several sub-paragraphs. It sets the context for resource development in the modern Arctic, taking into account economic, social, and political development of Inuit in Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Russia.

The concluding paragraph of the Declaration reads, “We, the Inuit of Inuit Nunaat, are committed to the principles of resource development in Inuit Nunaat set out in this Declaration. Inuit invite – and are entitled to expect – all those who have or seek a role in the governance, management, development, or use of the resources of Inuit Nunaat to conduct themselves within the letter and spirit of this Declaration.”