Creating marine protected areas in Inuit Nunangat

Tallurutiup Imanga Marine Conservation Area, Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected area are two very large marine areas in Inuit territory of Arctic Canada. At the law forum, the lead negotiator for Inuit, Kunuk (Sandra) Inutiq will describe why Inuit are involved in creating conservation or protected areas in their territory and what considerations were made to create them.

Kunuk Inutiq is an innovative Inuit advocate, researcher, writer, and consultant whose work is centred on Inuit self-determination, decolonization, and the revitalization of Inuit knowledge and language throughout Nunavut and Inuit Nunangat. Building on extensive leadership roles—including Director of Self-Government at Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and Chief Negotiator for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association—Kunuk has led landmark initiatives such as the Tallurutiup Imanga Marine Conservation Area agreement, embedding Inuit priorities into governance, policy, and environmental stewardship. The first Inuk woman in Nunavut to be called to the bar, Kunuk’s expertise combines legal training, deep experience in Inuit governance, community engagement, and experiential knowledge rooted in her own close ties to home, the land, and Inuit culture. Through consultancy and independent research and writing, Kunuk advances policy and institutional change, educates on the depth and complexity of Inuit language and environmental understanding, and inspires a new generation to reclaim Indigenous rights and ways of life. Kunuk is well-known for her influential reports, essays, and planning documents that emphasize and advance Inuit self-determination, language revitalization and empowerment. She recently co-authored the brief, “Is Kalaallit Nunaat for Its People? Inuit Reflections on American (and Danish) Colonization”, together with Vivi Vold, published by the Yellowhead Institute.

The visit of Kunuk is generously sponsored by the Embassy of Canada to Iceland.

The Law Forum will be in English

If attending in person, please click here to register to facilitate adequate catering.

Admission free, all welcome

Click here to participate via zoom.