A/HRC/54/31/Add.1 37. The Special Rapporteur was informed about some of the challenges for Greenland in achieving complete independence, inter alia, de facto dependency on Denmark for finance, lack of qualified personnel in many fields and Danish-inherited institutions, including in the education and judicial systems. The centralization of bureaucracy and decision-making is inefficient in reaching all settlements and addressing their specific requests and needs. Even though Greenlandic is the official language of Greenland, Danish is still the dominant language of administration, for example in law and health. The Special Rapporteur was informed that, as higher education was still offered primarily in Danish, proficiency in the Danish language was necessary to achieve a high position in Greenland. 38. Inuit people expressed to the Special Rapporteur their wish to further revitalize Inuit institutions and world views that had been lost or weakened during Danish colonization and to implement a decentralized approach to deal with the island’s unique geography. D. Impact of development projects 39. Greenland has the competence to decide on the use of land in Greenland. Based on the Inuit world view, land is communal and municipalities decide on the allocation of rights to use the land. In 2010, Greenland took over responsibility for mineral resources, assuming the right to utilize the mineral resources found in the subsoil. The Mineral Resources Act sets out the framework for mineral resource activities to be approved, which includes an environmental impact assessment and a social impact assessment process. Such assessments shall form part of the basis on which the public and decision makers can form an opinion about the proposed project, prior to any approval being issued. 40. Fishing is the primary industry in Greenland, representing 98 per cent of exports in 2021. Mining and tourism are sectors in expansion. With the melting of the glaciers, rareearth reserves may become more accessible, attracting the interest of several foreign countries and investors. Currently, there are two active mines in Greenland and five further companies have received exploitation licences.10 Several of the potential mining projects are located in the vicinity of protected areas and world heritage sites. 41. The Government of Greenland raised concerns over the harmful effects of naval traffic on mammal species in Baffin Bay, as Inuit settlements in the north depend on these species for their supply of meat. The Special Rapporteur was informed of the potential adverse effect that the Mary River Project in Nunavut, Canada, may have on mammal species on the coasts of Greenland. The Baffinland Iron Mining Corporation, based in Canada, started extracting iron ore in 2015, increasing the transit of project-related ships in the vicinity of the coast of Greenland in Eclipse Sound and Baffin Bay. A study conducted by the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission concluded that the increase in shipping is the most likely cause of the displacement of narwhals and increases the risk of oil spills and the release of other toxic materials. 42. In 2021, several Special Rapporteurs expressed their concerns in a communication to the Governments of Denmark and Greenland about the potential development of the uranium mining project known as Kuannersuit or Kvanefjeld in southern Greenland. 11 In the communication, the Special Rapporteurs raised the need for more access to adequate information and the failure to consult and seek the free, prior and informed consent of the Inuit farming, hunting and fishing communities that the project may affect. Moreover, they raised concerns about insufficient documentation and recognition of the environmental risks of toxic and radioactive pollution and waste, and the potential damage to the nearby world heritage site, Kujaata. The Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, in his 2017 country visit report, expressed concerns regarding the Kuannersuit mine and its potential human health and societal risks, including adverse effects on Inuit traditional farming, hunting and fishing and contamination of traditional food sources of Inuit 10 11 8 See https://govmin.gl/exploitation/get-an-exploitation-licence/exploitation-licence-%c2%a716. See communication DNK 2/2021, available at https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=26321. GE.23-13414