Statement: Respect rights and dignity of people in Greenland

For immediate release, 16 January 2026

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is deeply concerned by recent actions and statements from the government of the United States that treat Greenland and its people as strategic or economic objects rather than as a society of people with full dignity and their own political, cultural, and spiritual life.   

Human beings and their futures are not for sale and the people of Greenland have an inalienable right to determine their own future.  At stake in the current situation are not merely political interests, but fundamental questions of human dignity, human rights, and respect for international law, including the principles of sovereignty, peaceful resolution of disputes, and self-determination articulated in the Charter of the United Nations.  

The LWF affirms its unwavering support for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenland, the Indigenous Peoples of Greenland, and all other inhabitants of the country. LWF affirms the recent call for peace and respect between nations issued by the bishops of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Denmark.  

The LWF therefore calls on the US government to exercise restraint, respect, and dialogue in all political engagements concerning Greenland. LWF calls on the international community to stand with Greenland and the right of its people to self-determination. Peaceful relations between nations and peoples depend upon listening to those most directly affected, honoring their voices, and rejecting all forms of domination, whether cultural, political, security, or economic.  

The LWF also calls on its member churches to continue to pray for peace between nations and peoples. Our prayer commits us to speaking and acting in ways that uphold justice, mutual respect, and the freedom of peoples and churches to shape their own future.