Global Indigenous Data Alliance

CARE principles for Indigenous Data Governance

Special Issue - Indigenous research data governance in Sápmi

In January 2023, the First International Conference on Sámi Research Data Governance in Tromsø highlighted the importance of implementing the CARE principles in managing indigenous research data in the nordic countries. This special issue captures the discussions, emphasizing how these principles empower Sámi and other Indigenous peoples to manage their data effectively.

READ PUBLICATION: Indigenous research data governance in Sápmi,  Acta Borealia, Volume 41 Issue 2: 

This special issue follows the First International Conference on Sámi Research Data Governance held in Tromsø in January 2023, organized by the GIDA-Sápmi network. The conference focused on sharing knowledge about Indigenous data governance in the Nordic countries.

Indigenous data governance allows Indigenous communities to manage data collection and use, ensuring it meets their needs and supports effective policy-making. The conference highlighted the importance of the CARE principles in managing Sámi and Indigenous research data.

The GIDA-Sápmi network, part of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA), focuses on managing Sámi research data and implementing the CARE principles. These principles, inspired by ethical research guidelines from Indigenous communities in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, aim to ensure ethical data use.

The network explores how these principles can be applied within Sápmi to manage research data effectively, covering its collection, storage, usage, and reusability. 

We hope this special issue highlights the importance of adopting CARE principles at institutional levels.

We thank the keynote speakers from the First International Conference on Sámi Research Data Governance, including Erin Corston and Gonzague Guéranger from Canada's First Nations Information Governance Centre, and Donna Lyons, who have written about recent progress at FNIGC. We also appreciate Dr. Tahu Kukutai from the University of Waikato and Dr. Stephanie Russo Carroll from the University of Arizona, who shared insights on Indigenous data governance and the global application of CARE principles. Their contributions demonstrate the varying stages of Indigenous data sovereignty across different nations.

Várre dáhtona - Global Indigenous Data Sovereignty 2025!

Dat lea 10-jagi ávvudeapmi dan rajes go álggahedje čalmmustahttit álgoálbmogiid sorjjasmeahttunvuođa dutkandieđuid ektui. GIDA-Sápmi lea okta dain fierpmádagain mii leat čuožžilan dan rájes ja mii maid searvat konferánsii. Mii sávvat ahte ollugat sámis servet vai nanusmahttit máhtolašvuođa ovddidit dutkandieđuid sorjjasmeahttunvuođa iežamet guovlluin ja bargguin.

The Conference marks ten years since the first Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) event hosted by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA), where attendees discussed the implications of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) for data.

The GIDSov Conference 2025 will bring together Indigenous Peoples from across the globe to reflect on the advances in IDSov and Indigenous Data Governance (IDGov), map future pathways and aspirations for the next decade.

The Conference will explore ways to move beyond principles, and into practice. This internationally significant event will feature keynote speeches, presentations, workshops, collaborative sessions, and will culminate with a Communique on the Conference resolutions.

The first two full days of the conference will be exclusively for Indigenous peoples and communities and we are welcoming Governments and other non-Indigenous organisations and individuals to join the conference on the third and final day. 

Please save the date in your calendar and please feel free to share with your networks. 

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