Research Ethics Council of the Sámi Parliament
The Research Ethics Council of the Sámi Parliament coordinates and advances the consideration of ethical guidelines for research and disseminates information on these guidelines. The Council decides on the granting of Sámi collective prior consent for research and other activities that concern or may affect Sámi culture and traditional knowledge and prepares proposals for the development of the consent procedure.
- The Sámi Parliament’s Plenum elects a chair, a vice chair, three other members, and personal deputy members to the research ethics council for the duration of the parliamentary term.
- The chair and vice chair must be full members of the Sámi Parliament.
- The council represents the linguistic and regional diversity of the Sámi in Finland and possesses strong expertise in its field of responsibility.
Tasks include
- Coordinating and advancing the implementation and consideration of the Sámi Parliament’s research ethics guidelines in the activities and decision-making of authorities and research institutions and disseminating information to support their implementation.
- Deciding on the granting of Sámi collective prior consent for research and other measures that concern or may have an impact on Sámi culture and traditional knowledge, in accordance with the Sámi Parliament’s research ethics guidelines.
- Preparing a proposal for the future procedure for granting prior consent.
The terms of the Sámi Parliament’s rules of procedure concerning the research ethics council are valid for a fixed term until 31 December 2027 (decision of the Sámi Parliament Plenum on 14.4.2026).
