Habitat II. Address delivered in Istanbul on 10 June 1996 by Director 
General Inger Lindgren, Delegation of Norway

Indigenous shelter and land
The housing policy sought by the Norwegian Government should have the 
following central definition as its point of departure:

A housing policy for indigenous peoples which to the greatest possible 
extent maintains their cultural traditions and takes their particular 
needs into account.

This applies to: the siting of housing in the terrain in keeping with 
traditional ways of life and occupations, and the design of housing with 
the same considerations in mind.
This applies first and foremost to indigenous peoples who live in their 
traditional territories and are engaged in some form or other of 
traditional occupation, but also to others in so far as the question 
arises and the solution is practicable.

Generally speaking, indigenous peoples live and carry on their 
occupations in marginal areas. Their occupations are often the most 
efficient utilization of the limited resources available. In so far as 
the lives they lead remain in keeping with their traditions, the ways of 
life of such peoples often reflect ecological adaptation to the natural 
surroundings in which they live. What we End is both ecological, 
economic and cultural sustainability.

Such location of housing in landscapes as I have in mind, which takes 
account of traditional ways of life and occupations, must be combined 
with demands for modern infrastructure and planning, and for 
ecologically justifiable adaptation of dwellings. What this implies is 
for instance that where dense development appears to offer the 
environmentally most rational solution, it will have to be weighed 
against the need to maintain the language, culture and traditional 
occupations of the indigenous people. Traditional occupations often call 
for more scattered dwellings. A particular need we have seen in Norway 
is for dwellings for the Sami people which are suitable for the harsh 
climate and can accommodate reindeer processing and the exercise of 
traditional Sami crafts. Housing for indigenous peoples should, 
therefore, not only meet more basic needs, but also be designed to meet 
particular functional and aesietic demands.

The planning of housing with such considerations in mind is probably new 
to most of us. Housing needs to be adapted to the natural surroundings 
and other living conditions of the groups of people concerned in the 
various countries. Perhaps we could call this a "perspective from below" 
or a "perspective from within" on the planning of dwellings and housing 
developments for indigenous peoples. As a policy, however, it is in 
keeping with both national and international Norwegian obligations 
towards the Sami.

In its Article 27, the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights provides for the protection of minorities like the Sami against 
discrimination, and for positive special treatment of the Sami as an 
indigenous population. The concept of culture in the Covenant has been 
increasingly widely held to comprise not only ideal culture (language, 
music, theater, etc.) but also its material foundations. As used in 
Article 27, the concept of culture can accordingly be understood to 
comprise the material foundations of the culture and the conditions 
necessary for maintaining that culture.

In 1990, Norway ratified ILO Convention no. 169 concerning Indigenous 
and Tribal Peoples. Various articles in that Convention can be taken 
into consideration where the planning of dwellings for indigenous people 
is concerned. Article 7.4 states that measures shall be taken to protect 
and preserve the environment of the territories they inhabit. Article 23 
provides among other things that traditional activities shall be 
recognized as important factors in the maintenance of the cultures of 
the peoples in question. In Norway we are concerned that also housing 
policy should accord with and reflect these principles. Of great 
importance to the indigenous peoples are the Convention's articles 
(especially Articles 6 and 7) on their participation in decision-making 
on matters concerning them. This helps to give a focus to the 
"perspective from within", the need for which I have already underlined. 
In this connection, we should also mention Chapter 26 of "Agenda 21", 
discussed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and 
Development in Rio de Janeiro. Agenda 21 assumes that indigenous peoples 
have a historical relation to the land they inhabit and the environment 
in which they live. According to Agenda 21, steps should be taken to 
recognize the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples concerning 
management of the natural environment, and to incorporate that knowledge 
in such management. Here, too, emphasis is placed on their 
participation.

Norway has sought to embody its policy towards the Sami in Article 110 A 
of our Constitution, and to implement it through an Act relating to the 
Sami which accords with the provisions and interpretations I have 
mentioned. These instruments of central government establish policy 
guidelines at the various levels of the administration and in the 
various sectors, such as housing policy. This is not to say that we have 
found unambiguous answers to how policy should be designed in each 
sector and adapted to the situations and needs of the different 
indigenous peoples. That has to be an ongoing process, with scope for 
flexible national solutions. We do believe, however, that such solutions 
can only be found through real cooperation between governments and 
indigenous peoples.