A Human Rights-Based Approach to Disaster Risk Management in Greenland: Displacement, Relocation, and the Legacies of Colonialism

What is it about?

How do we ensure the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of disaster risk management and the complex legal arrangements between self-governing territory and the distant coloniser state? This article connects the effects of climate change in Greenland, to patterns of coloniality and binding rights under international law. This article describes aspects of the Danish colonial legacy in Greenland, and how they matter to disaster risk management, particularly in the context of displacement and planned relocation. Human rights law demands that relocation as a disaster risk reduction strategy ought to be planned for, in advance, in consultation with the people affected, and be guided by the thoughtful and tailored implementation of human rights standards. Of particular relevance are rights to land, culture and mental health (section 4.1), adequate housing (section 4.2), through processes underpinned by the right to self-determination, in particular associated rights to information and participation (section 4.3).

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