With this conference, the Nordic Council of Ministers wishes to contribute to a constructive and creative dialogue between different stakeholders of the Arctic about how to adapt to the changing realities in the region. According to the organizers of the Conference, the changing realities of the Arctic are creating an imperative for deeper understanding of the current situation as well as to the responses and actions needed for the region to cope with these changes.
The upcoming conference is a follow-up to the conference “Common Concern for the Arctic” held in Ilulissat, Greenland, in September, 2008, and intends to move beyond some of the articulated questions, needs and challenges presented on that occasion. The conference is an attempt to identify how and in which areas the Nordic Council of Ministers could create added value to a sustainable development in the Arctic.
The one-day conference will focus on three main themes related to current Arctic realities: 1) Local and global governance, 2) Resources, and 3) Living. According to the organizers, a number of highly qualified speakers have been identified, among them representatives of indigenous peoples of the Arctic.
However, other than the speakers, as a consequence of lack of funding, very few representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic will be attending the conference. Having the conference take place outside of the Arctic and back-to-back with other meetings, of course, will keep travel expenses down. Still, on this occasion, it may be that everybody is relying on someone else to pay for the participation of people living in the Arctic.
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