Participatory Rights of Russian Indigenous Peoples Regarding Land Issues

• Authors: Mariya Riekkinen

Abstracts

EN

Altogether 40 types of indigenous peoples presently inhabit their ancestral lands in the Russian North, Siberia and the Far East. The indigenous peoples have traditionally occupied these territories, which provide the entire country with oil and gas. Among the outcomes of intensive nature use, we are witnessing a large-scale alienation of indigenous homelands and granting licences to private corporations for exploitation of natural resources. On top of this, Russian legislation does not provide the indigenous peoples with the right of land ownership. Neither does it guarantee for them any preferential access to land. Moreover, the international standards regarding human rights of indigenous peoples are not acknowledged in Russia.The planned amendments of national legislation regarding the rights of indigenous peoples to preferential access to land would solve the mentioned problems. Nonetheless, the author suggests that amending of legal acts in this case means a shift in the official stance of Russia as regards indigenous rights to land. At least previously, public authorities were reluctant to legalise indigenous title to land. This article studies, from the perspective of international human rights law, how indigenous peoples can influence decision-making processes affecting their right to land, while awaiting the forthcoming legal amendments. In light of previous experiences of the engagement of indigenous peoples in the implementation of state policies, the author believes that such engagement contributes effectively to the protection of indigenous rights.

Keywords

EN

participatory rights of indigenous peoples; indigenous peoples of the Russian North; Siberia and the Far East; indigenous rights to land; associations of indigenous peoples

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Issues of Business and Law
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 3
• Pages: 110-120

Contributors

author

Mariya Riekkinen

• Faculty of the Åbo Akademi University, Gezeliusgatan 2 20500 Turku/Åbo, Finland

References

• Administration's decree on social assistance to separate categories of citizens belonging to indigenous numerically small peoples of the North of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.Krasnyi Sever, 2008, No. 84.
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (adopted 21 December 1965, entered in force 4 January 1969). 660 UNTS 195, 5 ILM 32.
• Danilova, N. V. (2007). Problemy zashchity prav korennykh malochislennykh narodov na tradicionnoe prirodopolzovanye [Problems of the protection of the rights of indigenous numerically small peoples to nature use].Socialnoe i Pensionnoe Pravo[Social and Pension Law], 4, 2-5. (In Russian)
• Federal Law on the Guarantees of the Rights of Indigenous Numerically Small Peoples of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 1999, No. 18-2208.
• Federal Law on National and Cultural Autonomy of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 1996, No. 25-2965.
• Federal Law on General Principles of Organization of Obshchinas of Indigenous Numerically Small Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2000, No. 30-3122.
• Federal Law on the Territories of Traditional Nature Use by Indigenous Numerically Small Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2001, No. 20-1972.
• Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.ETS No. 157.
• Governor's decree on the norms of supplies of food, clothing and footwear for children belonging to indigenous numerically small peoples of the North, having traditional way of living and studying at educational establishments of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.Krasnyi Sever, 2005, No. 57.
• Governmental decree on approval of the action plan regarding the realization in 2009-2011 of the concept of sustainable development of indigenous numerically small peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation, approved by Decree no. 132-r of the Government of the Russian Federation of 4 February 2009.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2009, No. 36-4364.
• Governmental decree on the concept of sustainable development of indigenous numerically small peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2009, No. 7-876.
• ILO Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries No. 169 (adopted 7 June 1989, entered into force 5 May 1991). 28 ILM. 1382.
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (adopted 16 December 1966, entered into force 23 March 1976). 999 UNTS 302, 6 ILM 368.
• Law on the Territories of Traditional Nature Use by Indigenous Numerically Small Peoples of the North in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Khanty-Mansiyskogo avtonomnogo okruga - Iugry, 2006, No. 12-1488.
• Lubicon Lake Bandv.Canada.UN Human Rights Committee, Communication No. 167/1984, 1990, UN Doc. Supp. No. 40 (A/45/40).
• Newcity, M. (2009). Protecting the traditional knowledge and cultural expressions of Russia's "numerically-small" indigenous peoples: what has been done, what remains to be done.Texas Wesleyan Law Review, 15, 357-414.
• Osherenko, G. (2001). Indigenous rights in Russia: is title to land essential for cultural survival?Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, 13, 695-734.
• Report of the Ombudsman on the activities of the Ombudsman in the Russian Federation.Rossiyskaya Gazeta, N 111, 2002; N 112, 2002; N 130, 2002.
• Resolution CM/ResCMN(2007)7 on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by the Russian Federation (adopted 2 May 2007).
• Resolution on the Measures of the Establishment of the Territories of Traditional Nature Use by Indigenous Numerically Small Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East by the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2003, No.40-3839.
• The Bill of the Federal Law No. 74068-4 on Amendments to Article 4 of the Federal Law "On the General Principles of Organization of the Legislative (Representative) and Executive Organs of the Territorial Entities of the Russian Federation". Retrieved March 7, 2011, fromhttp://www.consultant.ru
• The Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Part I.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 1994, No. 32-3301.
• The Constitution of the Russian Federation (adopted 12 December 1993, entered into force 25 December 1993). Retrieved March 7, 2011, fromhttp://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-01.htm
• The Constitutional Court of Russian Federation. On the inadmissibility of the inquiry of Duma of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug concerning the interpretation of Article 69 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, 1996, No.106-O.
• The Council of Europe, the Advisory Committee on the FCNM.Commentary on the Effective Participation of Persons belonging to National Minorities in Cultural, Social and Economic Life and in Public Affairs. ACFC/31DOC(2008)001.
• The European Convention on Human Rights (adopted 4 November 1950, entered into force 3 September 1953). ETS 5; 213 UNTS 221.
• The Federal Arbitration Court of the Far Eastern District of the Russian Federation. "Olenevod" v."ROMONA", "AMEC Earth & Environmental Limited" et. al., No.F03-A59/03-1/2062.
• The Forest Code of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2006, No.50-5278.
• The Land Code of the Russian Federation.Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federacii, 2001, No. 44-4147.
• The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.N., community "Oklanai" et al.v.the Government of the Russian Federation, 2002, No. GKPI2002-519.
• The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.Public prosecutorv.Administration of Krasnoyarsk Krai, 2005, No. 53-G05-3.
• Thirteenth Arbitration Court of Appeal of the Russian Federation.Olenevod v. the Government of Murmansk Oblast, 2006, No.A42-3110/2005.
• UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.Concluding observations on the Russian Federation, 20 August, 2008, UN Doc. CERD/C/RUS/CO/19.
• UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.Concluding observations on the Russian Federation, 23 September, 1999. UN Doc. CRC CRC/C/90.
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (adopted 13 September 2007). UN Doc. A/61/PV.107.
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities (adopted 18 December 1992). UN Doc. A/RES/47/135.
• UN General Assembly. Sixty-First Session.Official Records, 13 September 2007, 107thplenary meeting. UN Doc. A/61/PV.107.
• UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment 25,The Right to Participate in Public Affairs, Voting Rights and the Right of Equal Access to Public Service (Art. 25), 1996. UN Doc. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.7.
• Zaporotskii, O.N.; Murashko, O.A. (2000). Kak mozhno realizovat konstitucionnoe pravo na zashchitu tradicionnogo obraza zhizni i iskonnoi sredy obitaniya [How to realize the right to traditional way of living and traditional homeland]. In O. Murashko (Ed.),Severnye narody Rossii na puti v novoe tysiacheletiye[Northern peoples of Russia on the path to the new millenium] (pp. 158-159). Moscow: AKMNS. (In Russian)

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10088-011-0009-1