A/HRC/54/31/Add.1 communities, and the waste management capacity of Greenland in relation to radioactive waste.12 43. Inuit people informed the Special Rapporteur that municipalities have granted licences to tourism operators in traditional rural areas and Arctic char rivers without consulting with the Inuit fishers and hunters who have used them for generations. For instance, Qeqqata Municipality granted a concession to a tourism operator in traditional fishing areas without obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of the Inuit fisher communities affected. The tourism operators have prevented Inuit families from using their traditional lands and resources. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that infrastructure projects, such as the Nuuk airport improvement plan, the Arctic Circle Road development and new hotels, have been approved without consulting and obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of the Inuit communities who would be affected. 44. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the moratorium on uranium mining introduced by the Government of Greenland in 2021; however, he calls upon the Government to adopt adequate mechanisms to implement the rights of Indigenous Peoples in accordance with international standards. Inuit communities have the right to free, prior and informed consent regarding the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, especially in connection with the development projects that affect their lands, particularly in relation to the exploitation of mineral resources. They have the right to determine their development and to protect the environment, including against the storage or disposal of hazardous materials on their traditional lands. 45. The Special Rapporteur was informed about the lack of adequate mechanisms to consult and obtain the free, prior and informed consent of Inuit communities affected by development projects. Given the strong ties Inuit have with the environment, particular attention must be given to protecting the right to a safe and healthy environment in the context of projects that can endanger the natural marine and terrestrial habitats of animal species and flora relevant to traditional farming, hunting and fishing activities and the diet of Inuit. 46. Environmental and social impact assessments must recognize and comply with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Inuit people have the right to receive information in their language and in a culturally appropriate manner regarding impacts that development projects would have on their health, livelihoods and way of life. E. Impact of military activities and pollution 47. Under the 1951 Agreement on the Defence of Greenland between the United States and Denmark, Thule Air Base was constructed in the traditional hunting territory of the Inughuit (people of Thule). In 1953, the Inughuit of Uummannaq were forcibly relocated after being given just three days’ notice. In 1955, additional Inughuit ancestral territory was taken without their consent due to the expansion of the Thule Air Base. In the 1980s, the Thule Hunters’ Council initiated a legal process to seek compensation for losing Inughuit traditional territory and the adverse impact on their physical and cultural existence. In 2003, the Supreme Court of Denmark granted compensation to the Inughuit people (500,000 Danish kroner) and individual members (15,000–25,000 Danish kroner) for the relocation. The Supreme Court judgment failed to qualify the Inughuit people as distinct Indigenous People in Greenland; thus did not recognize their collective rights to land, territories and resources under the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169). Human rights bodies consider that the ruling of the Supreme Court is in breach of the right to selfidentification under international law.13 48. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that, in 1999, the Prime Minister of Denmark, in a joint statement with the Premier of the Government of Greenland, issued an apology to the Inughuit people and all of Greenland for how the relocation was carried out in 1953. However, the apology did not recognize the Inughuit as distinct Indigenous People. 12 13 GE.23-13414 A/HRC/39/48/Add.2, paras. 69–74. E/C.12/DNK/CO/6, para. 70; and CERD/C/DNK/CO/18-19, para. 17. 9