The action plan is expected to include guarantees of non-discrimination against Greenlanders. Aaja Chemnitz (IA) stresses the need for taking action by the Danish government. Photo: Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa

Back in January 2022, the majority of Danish politicians agreed to develop an Action Plan to Combat Racial Discrimination in Greenland, with a view to its adoption by the Folketing in early 2023. However, even a year and a half after its expiration, the Action Plan has not been adopted. The situation puts more than 50 thousand Inuit, the indigenous population of Greenland, a self-governing part of the Danish kingdom with broad autonomy, at an unequal position.

Representative of the Inuit Ataqatigiit, a democratic socialist political party, (Community of the People, IA), member of the Folketing of Denmark from Greenland Aja Chemnitz invited the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration to a meeting on this issue in March 2024 , three months after the expiration of the deadline for preparing the bill, which had previously been postponed for one year. The Action Plan was due to be ready by the end of 2023, but, again, it was delayed. Aaja Chemnitz calls the situation unacceptable.

This is a clear sign of a lack of priorities, she says.

The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek, attributes the delay in adopting the Action Plan to the slow work of the Folketing and the transfer of responsibility for its development to another ministry. The minister mentioned that he expected the document to be ready before the summer holidays of 2024. However, after missing this deadline, he stated that he looked forward to resuming work on the bill after the summer holidays. Indeed, this statement does not provide a definitive timeline for when the Folketing stops delaying the preparation of the document important to the Greenlanders.

Many studies have shown that Greenlanders in Denmark feel discriminated against because of their skin color. In the social sector and especially in employment, Greenlanders are comparatively less numerous than the Danes. It is important that the Danish government succeeds in adopting the Action Plan, says Aja Chemnitz.

The Greenland Committee, alongside the Alternative political party (Alternativet), invited Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek to a meeting on this matter. The minister believes that new initiatives are necessary to end restrictions on Inuit rights and combat racial discrimination in Greenland.

I would like to see more Greenland teaching in Danish schools. In addition, I also want to see a decision-making process on equality issues that can improve the situation in the face of discrimination challenges, the minister said.

Source: Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa

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