New parliamentary working group to assess recommendations of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People – former Prime Minister Antti Rinne to serve as[...]

New parliamentary working group to assess recommendations of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People - former Prime Minister Antti Rinne to serve as Secretary General

On Thursday 13 November 2025, the Government appointed a parliamentary working group to assess the recommendations put forth in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People and to draft a joint parliamentary opinion on follow-up measures. The task of the working group is to outline how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations will be taken into account in decision-making and what will be done to promote their implementation.

The working group will include all parties in Parliament, and its work will emphasise cooperation, openness and joint responsibility for issues related to Finland's Indigenous people. Through this parliamentary work, the Government and Parliament are committed to thoroughly assessing the recommendations put forth in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and continuing to promote reconciliation over the long term.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has appointed former Prime Minister Antti Rinne to serve as Secretary General of the working group. Rinne's appointment was motivated by his wide-ranging expertise with decision-making in central government. Secretary General Rinne will be responsible for overseeing and implementing the work of the working group and for building dialogue between the Sámi people, the state and various actors in society.

In spring 2017, the Sámi Parliament proposed to then-Prime Minister Juha Sipilä that a truth and reconciliation process be initiated for the state of Finland. The matter was prepared in close cooperation with representatives of the state, the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Saami Siida Council. Prime Minister Rinne's Government discussed and approved the proposal for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission Concerning the Sámi People at its evening session on 13 November 2019. The term of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began on 28 October 2021 and will end on 31 December 2025.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission to submit final report on 4 December 2025

"The work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an important step towards trust and understanding. The newly appointed parliamentary working group will ensure that the recommendations put forth by the Commission are discussed thoroughly, and that we can build a future together with the Sámi people," said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will submit its final report to the Government, the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Saami Siida Council on 4 December 2025. The parliamentary working group will begin its work immediately so that the assessment of the Commission's recommendations and the follow-up work can begin as soon as the report is delivered.

The parliamentary working group will work in close cooperation with the Sámi Parliament and the Skolt Saami Siida Council.

Inquiries: Harri Martikainen, Director General, tel. +358 295 160 856 and Nina Brander, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 347, Government Strategy Department, Prime Minister's Office