Document
Geneva, 14 January 2026
The US Government’s stated determination to own and control Greenland is in diametric opposition to the wishes of the people of Greenland and to their political trajectory towards independence. It is tantamount to neo-colonialism.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) joins with Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk, head of Greenland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, in appealing to all Americans who believe in freedom, dignity, and the right of people to choose their own path, to call upon their elected representatives and their government to stand by the Greenlanders in their right to determine their own future.
Bishop Paneeraq clearly states, “this is a question of human rights, dignity, and respecting international laws and treaties. We are a small people, but we are not invisible. Our future is not something to be decided over our heads. We have language, culture, ancestors, children, and a future tied to this place. We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought. It is our home, and it is not for sale.”
The people of Greenland have an inalienable right to self-determination and are on a clear pathway to independence, confirmed both by their own representatives and by the Danish Government. Their rights and views must be seriously considered and respected.
The WCC expresses its growing concern about the effects of the US Administration’s recent actions in undermining respect for the principles of state sovereignty and self-determination, threatening the stability of the entire international community. We urge the US Government to reconsider its current direction in international relations and the impact thereof on the United States’ standing in the community of nations.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General secretary
World Council of Chruches
