{"id":3437,"date":"2025-09-10T02:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/?p=3437"},"modified":"2025-09-15T22:08:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T20:08:55","slug":"supporting-sami-civil-society-across-the-arctic-and-northern-peripheries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/supporting-sami-civil-society-across-the-arctic-and-northern-peripheries\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting S\u00e1mi civil society across the Arctic and northern peripheries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena mirroring the European Union\u2019s core principles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The EU cohesion policy operation of strategic importance ReCap AS\u00e1p \u2013 Regaining capacity in a changing S\u00e1pmi<\/strong><\/a> under the Interreg Aurora programme addresses challenges that S\u00e1pmi and the S\u00e1mi civil society is facing. Last June, in the framework of ReCap AS\u00e1p project, over 480 participants gathered for the first ever L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena, with over 50 events taking place across the L\u00e1vdan-program in Guovdageaidnu, Norway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event highlighted the contribution of EU cohesion policy and how Interreg can address the specific challenges of the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas. Those 14 regions in northern Finland, Sweden and Norway, face unique circumstances: harsh climate, long distances, demographic change and economic dependency on natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participants of the L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena also underlined the relevance of the EU Arctic policy, updated in 2021 as \u201cA Stronger EU Engagement for a Peaceful, Sustainable and Prosperous Arctic\u201d<\/em>. This policy places a strong emphasis on sustainable development, the protection of fragile ecosystems, and the active involvement of Indigenous communities in decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many ways, the L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena mirrored the European Union\u2019s core principles. Both the Arena and the EU are founded on cooperation beyond national boundaries. Just as the EU brings together Member States to work across borders, share experiences, and shape a common future, the S\u00e1mi Arena united S\u00e1mi people and stakeholders from Finland, Sweden and Norway to engage in cross-border dialogue to addressed common challenges collectively and in partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interreg Aurora and Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic programmes strengthening S\u00e1mi cooperation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cohesion policy\u2019s overarching goal is to ensure a \u2018right to stay\u2019 for all EU citizens, regardless of where they live. This means access to jobs, housing, education, mobility, healthcare and culture across the Union, including in the northernmost regions of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cohesion
Cohesion Policy supported L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena has confirmed its role as a key platform for dialogue and cooperation across S\u00e1pmi, bringing together S\u00e1mi people and stakeholders from Finland, Sweden and Norway. Credits: The European Commission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For S\u00e1mi communities, EU support is channelled through multiple instruments, including the European Regional Development Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Social Fund. Above all, Interreg programmes play a decisive role by fostering cooperation across borders and empowering local communities to design solutions that match their specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interreg Aurora<\/a>, with a total budget of \u20ac193 million, covers northern Finland, Sweden and Norway.  Interreg Aurora has a unique feature, the programme is integrated with S\u00e1pmi and the indigenous Sami people. The programme supports projects that preserve S\u00e1mi culture, revitalise languages, promote Indigenous entrepreneurship and strengthen traditional knowledge systems. Importantly, S\u00e1mi representatives are directly involved in programme management and governance, ensuring that Indigenous perspectives are embedded in project selection and implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complementing Aurora, the Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic<\/a> programme \u2013 with a budget of over \u20ac67 million \u2013 extends cooperation across the northernmost parts of Europe and the North Atlantic. With priorities ranging from innovation to sustainable resource management, it also provides S\u00e1mi stakeholders with opportunities to develop projects that improve local resilience and adaptation to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strong S\u00e1mi participation in both programmes illustrates the transformative role of cohesion policy in Arctic and sparsely populated regions. Through the Cohesion Policy supported L\u00e1vdan S\u00e1mi Arena and similar initiatives, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to dialogue, respect and partnership with the S\u00e1mi people. These efforts help safeguarding cultural heritage and promote sustainable development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The event highlighted the contribution of EU cohesion policy and how Interreg can address the specific challenges of the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"yes","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cooperation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3439,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3437\/revisions\/3439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}