GENEVA - UN experts* today expressed grave concern about statements made by the President of the United States of America regarding Greenland, including suggestions that the territory should be placed under U.S. control and that force could be used to achieve such an outcome.
"Assertions suggesting that a territory can be taken, controlled or 'owned' by another State in pursuit of perceived national security or economic interests evoke a logic of colonial domination that the international community has long rejected," the experts said. "Such rhetoric raises deep concerns about the maintenance of a democratic and equitable international order - one rooted in respect for human dignity and fundamental rights in line with the UN Charter".
The experts noted that in numerous statements the U.S. President has repeatedly questioned the Kingdom of Denmark's legal sovereignty over the territory, referring to the "ownership and control" of Greenland as an "absolute necessity" for the United States, including for reasons of national security. Moreover, the Secretary of State has informed the Congress that the Government intends to "buy" Greenland.
"Any threat or use of force to alter the political status of Greenland or to challenge the sovereignty of another State is clearly prohibited by Article 2(4) of the UN Charter," the experts said. "Such statements risk eroding fundamental principles of the UN Charter, including the prohibition of the use of force, respect for territorial integrity and the political independence of all States. These statements are inconsistent with international human rights law and the right to self-determination."
The experts warned of a pattern of U.S. military aggression, including attacks on several sovereign countries, numerous extrajudicial killings, weaponization of tariffs, and multifaced coercive diplomacy. "If tolerated, such actions would normalise lawlessness in international relations and risk fatally and irreversibly undermine the global order," they said.
"The peoples of Greenland, as a distinct people, are entitled to the full and free exercise of their right to self-determination, a core purpose of the United Nations, enshrined in Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the United States has been a party since 1992, as well as in articles 3 and 4 of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples." "They have the right to freely determine their political status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development, without external coercion or interference, with full associated sovereignty over natural resources", the experts said.
The experts stressed that any unilateral attempt to modify Greenland's territorial or current constitutional status - as an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark - would not only violate international law, but could also undermine regional stability in the Arctic, an area of major importance for the international community, and beyond, as well as weakening respect for broader multilateral norms and the peaceful settlement of disputes. "Any change in the constitutional status must be grounded in the freely expressed will of the peoples of Greenland, not external pressure or threats," they said.
"The United States must unequivocally reaffirm its commitment to the UN Charter, in particular article 2 (3) to settle their international disputes by peaceful means and refrain from making statements that could be interpreted as threats of the use of force, while respecting - in both word and deed - the sovereignty of States and the right of all peoples to self-determination," the experts said.
They stated that any strengthening of the United States' military presence on the island under the 1951 agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark should only be undertaken with the full agreement of Greenland.
