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Gwich’in Comprehensive Agreement.

Country/Territory
Canada
Territorial subdivision
Northwest Territories
Document type
Miscellaneous
Date
1992
Source
FAO, FAOLEX
Subject
Forestry, Land & soil, Wild species & ecosystems
Keyword
Indigenous peoples Contract/agreement Protected area Authorization/permit Land tenure Ownership Liability/compensation Governance Expropriation Public land Sustainable development National parks Collecting/harvesting
Geographical area
Americas, Arctic, Asia and the Pacific, East Pacific, North America, North Atlantic
Abstract

The Gwich’in of the North West Territories and Canada have negotiated the present Agreement in order to meet these objectives: 1) To provide for certainty and clarity of rights to ownership and use of land and resources; 2) To provide the specific rights and benefits in this Agreement in exchange for the relinquishment by the Gwich’in of certain rights claimed in any part of Canada by treaty or otherwise; 3) To recognize and encourage the Gwich’in way of life which is based on the cultural and economic relationship between the Gwich’in and the land; 4) To encourage the self-sufficiency of the Gwich’in and to enhance their ability to participate fully in all aspects of the economy; 5) To provide the Gwich’in with specific benefits, including financial compensation, land and other economic benefits; 6) To provide the Gwich’in with wildlife harvesting rights and the right to participate in decision making concerning wildlife harvesting and management; 7) To provide the Gwich’in the right to participate in decision making concerning the use, management and conservation of land, water and resources; 8) To protect and conserve the wildlife and environment of the settlement area for present and future generations; and 9) To ensure the Gwich’in the opportunity to negotiate self-government agreements. The text consists of 23 chapters as follows: Objectives (1); Definitions (2); General provisions (3); Eligibility and enrolment (4); Self-government (5); Dispute resolution (6); Gwich’in Organizations (7); Financial payments (8); Resource royalties (9); Economic measures (10); Taxation (11); Wildlife harvesting and management (12); Forestry (13); Plants (14); National parks (15); Protected areas (16); Harvesting compensation (17); Gwich’in lands (18); Water rights and management (19); Access (20); Subsurface resources(21); Gwich’in municipal lands (22); Expropriation of settlement lands (23).

Full text
English

References - Legislation

Implemented by

Gwich'in Land Claim Settlement Act (S.C. 1992, c. 53).

Legislation | Canada | 1992 (2011)

Keyword: Indigenous peoples, Contract/agreement, Protected area, Authorization/permit, Land tenure, Ownership, Liability/compensation, Governance, Expropriation, Public land, National parks, Collecting/harvesting

Source: FAO, FAOLEX