New government commissioned report will not by itself bring about reconciliation between Greenland and Denmark

By Astrid Nonbo Andersen, senior researcher, DIIS & Inge Høst Seiding, head of institute, Ilisimatusarfik

Experiences from past and present reconciliation processes in Greenland and Scandinavia are important to include prior to planned government commissioned reports on the entangled histories of Greenland and Denmark.

In the summer of 2022, Greenland's Naalakkersuisut and the Government of Denmark decided to prepare a new government commissioned report of the relationship between Greenland and Denmark in the period after World War II and up to the present day. The joint declaration states that the planned government commissioned report will "create conditions for reconciliation with the past".

The initiative for the government commissioned report is important and may prove to be a key instrument for increasing understanding between Greenland and Denmark. However, there are also a number of pitfalls to be aware of from the political side. First of all, a new government commissioned report will not by itself lead to reconciliation if the process is not followed up by political action.