Self-Identification and Resources: The Limited Right to Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources of National Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

Abstract Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources is a fundamental principle of contemporary international law and a collective human right of peoples. According to legal scholarship, the full enjoyment of this right is granted to peoples of non-self-governing territories, while other groups that can be described as “peoples” may be entitled to a limited form of this right. This paper discusses the right to limited permanent sovereignty over natural resources for national minorities and Indigenous Peoples in the context of the ongoing uncertainty regarding the definition of both groups. It appears that proposed definitions suggest these groups are similar, with the most significant difference being their location—national minorities are primarily found in Europe—and their self-identification as either “national minorities” or “Indigenous Peoples”.