Arctic Council News
Focus on: People and Communities of the Arctic
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People and Communities of the Arctic - An Icelandic Priority
During Iceland’s Chairmanship, initiatives promoting the wellbeing of the roughly four million people living in the region remain central to the Arctic Council’s work. Initiatives include efforts to strengthen resilience and facilitate adaptation in Arctic communities, assess new economic opportunities and their contribution to regional growth and prosperity, and promote gender equality. Learn more about Iceland’s ambitions in its Chairmanship program and this edition of the Arctic Council newsletter.
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Arctic Crossroads
Editorial by Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson,
Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials
In early October, the Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council held their first ever joint meeting in Reykjavik. In his latest editorial, the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials looks back on this meeting, which has left him feeling inspired to do more - more dialogue, more understanding, more collaboration. Read Ambassador Gunnarsson's full editorial and learn why the meeting has left a mark on him.
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Project CREATeS: Resilient through storytelling
Project CREATeS is a project of the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG), which engaged youth in a dialogue about suicide prevention - through digital storytelling. We spoke to Selma Ford, health coordinator at the Inuit Circumpolar Council, and participant Simon Coady about the project and its significance for indigenous youth across the Arctic. Watch the interview here.
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Blue Bioeconomy in the Arctic
The SDWG project Blue Bioeconomy in the Arctic Region aims at enhancing and further developing the Arctic blue bioeconomy, focusing on balancing economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. Learn more from project lead Bryndís Björnsdóttir.
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Knowledge Base of People and Communities of the Arctic
Health, education and youth, connectivity, engagement, gender equality - the Working Groups of the Arctic Council contribute to a broad knowledge base on issues related to people and communities in the Arctic. A selection of the newest reports, released at the 2019 Ministerial meeting in Rovaniemi, and current resources, are listed below. To get the full overview, browse our Open Access Repository.
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First joint meeting with the Arctic Economic Council
The Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council held their first joint meeting in Reykjavik on 9 October 2019. The meeting was a step towards enhancing cooperation and collaboration between the Arctic Council and the Arctic Economic Council, as outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding the secretariats of both Councils signed last May. Learn more about the meeting here.
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Arctic Council side event at
Our Ocean conference
The Arctic Council hosted a side event at the Our Ocean conference in Oslo on 23 October. The side event was themed “A Cleaner Arctic Marine Environment – Battling Marine Debris in the Arctic” and was organized jointly with the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group. Learn more.
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Policy and Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean
The Icelandic Chairmanship team co-hosted a workshop, Policy and Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean, with the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Wilson's Center Polar Institute. The goal was to identify key questions that need to be addressed in order to effectively implement solutions to the serious plastic pollution in our oceans. This will provide input to the 2020 International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region. Learn more.
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AMAP hosts Working Group meeting in Tromsø
The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) hosted its first Working Group meeting under the Icelandic Chairmanship in Tromsø, Norway, 29-30 October 2019. During the two-day meeting, delegates discussed ongoing and future activities related to issues such as marine litter, mercury, SLCPs, POPs - climate change interactions, radioactivity, climate change and human health.
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New resource: Quick Guide to the Arctic Council
What is the Arctic Council? Who takes part and what does it do? Learn more about the Council, Arctic States, the Indigenous Permanent Participants and our six Working Groups in our newest resource: A Quick Guide to the Arctic Council. The guide also includes an extensive overview of recent reports, key assessments and fact sheets. Get your digital copy here.
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Upcoming events in November
6th Arctic Leaders' Summit
13-15 November 2019, Rovaniemi, Finland
A high-level gathering of Arctic Indigenous leaders hosted by the Saami Council, in cooperation with the Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council. Get more information here.
Senior Arctic Officials' Plenary Meeting
20-21 November 2019, Hveragerði, Iceland
The Arctic Council will gather in Hveragerði, Iceland, for the first Senior Arctic Officials’ plenary meeting during the Chairmanship of Iceland (2019-2021). The meeting will focus on work related to People and Communities of the Arctic.
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Jafnrétti kynjanna
Gender equality is an important element for achieving sustainable development. Iceland thus continues to promote a dialogue on gender equality in the Arctic. Want to join the conversation? Gender equality in Icelandic is "jafnrétti kynjanna".
Listen and learn to pronounce the term.
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