good governance practices for the protection of human rights

One example of the significant progress in Brazil’s legislation and policy is the
distribution of antiretroviral medicines. The practice began in the 1990s and
today over 140,000 patients receive the cocktail through the public health
system. The Government also started to invest in the production of antiretroviral
drugs. Currently, of the 15 medicines that form the treatment, 8 are produced in
Brazil.
A shortcoming of the work of the Parliamentary Group is that it is affected by the
election calendar and the re-election of its members. It may therefore be important
to strengthen the parliamentary civil service supporting the Group’s work in
order to ensure continuity.
F. Promoting the political participation of indigenous groups
and managing conflict – Norway
Issue
The Sami are an indigenous people who live in the polar regions of northern
Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in the Russian Federation. The
size of the Sami population has been estimated at 75,000–100,000, of whom
about 40,000–45,000 live in Norway. The Norwegian Government’s policy toward
the Sami in the 1970s focused on socio-economic policies and regional
development. However, it did not address Sami political representation or the
preservation of the Sami language and culture. In the 1970s, civil disobedience
by Sami activists in response to the Government’s policy decisions and a
confrontational atmosphere in the relations between the Sami community and
the Norwegian Government pointed to the need for collaborative strategies to
design policies which satisfied the rights and needs of the Sami.
Response
Through the establishment of the Sami Parliament (Sámediggi) in 1989, the representatives
of the Sami and the Norwegian Government attempted to balance
two often competing demands related to the self-determination of indigenous
people. The first is that indigenous people should have the right to define and
formulate their own public policy agenda. The second relates to the need to respect
the democratic process and State institutions, and the principle of equality
of all citizens. As a result, the Sámediggi relies on dialogue and cooperation
with the Norwegian State in order to protect the culture and lifestyle of the Sami
within the framework of the Norwegian political system. Its success stems from
the willingness of both the representatives of the Sami people and those of the
Norwegian Government to debate and discuss before designing public policies.
The Sámediggi was established as an independent institution elected by and
among the Sami. It was designed to advise the central authorities on issues pertaining
to the Sami people, and to carry out a number of policies, including education,
culture, language, environment and economic development policies.
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