The Sami people and International Indigenous Rights: between recognition and implementation

This thesis examines the extent to which indigenous rights are effectively realized in practice, specifically analysing the Sami people of Scandinavian as a case study. The Sami people are an indigenous group who has lived in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia for centuries. While Scandinavian countries are often regarded as leaders in the protection of indigenous peoples, significant challenges remain, threatening the preservation of Sami traditional livelihoods. The research aims to assess the gap between the formal recognition of indigenous rights and their implementation, evaluating whether the current measures provide adequate protection for the Sami people or whether further legal actions are required. More broadly, this thesis contributes to ongoing debates on the effectiveness of indigenous rights regimes, whether the rights that are officially recognized are truly being granted or whether the recognition of indigenous rights still requires further development, with the government needing to take more responsibility to ensure adequate protection for indigenous populations, or if the issue can be considered resolved.