Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network has just released a newsletter for the month of December 2022 and it is available for online reading.
IACN News
Iceland Arctic Policy: Open Stakeholder and Expert Consultation Process
The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, unanimously approved a resolution on a revised Policy on matters Concerning the Arctic Region on 19 May of 2021, and tasked the Foreign Minister with forming an implementation plan for the Arctic Policy in consultation with other Ministers concerned. For the purpose of further defining a future implementation plan for the policy, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Iceland appointed the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN) to co-organize and facilitate an open stakeholder and expert consultation process. The process was formally launched 10 February 2022 with an introductory meeting, held both online and at the MFA, with representatives from IACN and all twelve Ministries invited.
Working closely with the MFA, the IACN organized an open hybrid meeting in Akureyri, Iceland, in March 2022 where the 2021 Icelandic Arctic Policy was introduced. The meeting was well attended, and attendees signed up for five thematic working groups which would work together to create specific recommendations for each policy item. In September 2022, the thematic groups turned in their recommendations, introduced them in a second open meeting in Akureyri, and received questions and comments from attendees. The IACN oversaw the process, compiled all the material, and has handed in a draft report with the recommendations received from the five thematic groups to the MFA for processing and evaluation. Over a 100 people signed up for the thematic groups that turned in 78 creative and ambitious recommendations which will feed into a future implementation plan for the Arctic policy.
IACN at the Arctic Circle Forum Greenland and at the Arctic Circle Assembly 2022
As every year, the IACN participates in the organization and co-organization of sessions at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik. This year, the IACN co-organized:
- Gender Equality and Diversity in Arctic Leadership (Plenary Session). PANEL: H.E. Rt Hon. Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, H.E. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, H.E. Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Minister of Finance and Gender Equality, Greenland. Moderator: Patricia Johnson Castle, Youth Representative, Jane Glassco Northern Fellows.
- Booming Arctic Cruise: Safety and Environmental Risks, together with the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre.
- Meaningful Engagement in Policy, Development and Research in the Arctic, together with the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and RANNÍS
- The Arctic During the Global Pandemic: What Have We Learned? together with the Arctic Yearbook, ARCTICenter, Belfer Center Arctic Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School.
- A Changing Cryosphere Affecting Biodiversity, Energy, and Tourism, together with Glacier Adventure; Hólar University; Icelandic Meteorological Office; Icelandic Museum of Natural History; and the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute.
At the Arctic Circle Forum Greenland, held in Nuuk on 27-29 August 2022, the IACN co-organised and/or participated in the following sessions:
- DEVELOPING ARCTIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP, Organized by NUKIGA
- GENDERED DIPLOMACY, Organized by: Naalakkersuisut - Government of Greenland; Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs; Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
- GREENLAND AND ICELAND IN A GLOBAL ARCTIC – FACILITATING NEW RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS, Organized by: Greenland Research Council; Rannís – The Icelandic Centre for Research; Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Arctic Hub
Iceland - Greenland Research Cooperation Workshop and Breakout Session, Nuuk 2022
The workshop was attended by over 60 participants, including researchers from Greenland and Iceland, specialists in the fields of climate research, fisheries and the blue economy, and representatives from the governments of Greenland and Iceland. The main goal of the workshop was to further strengthen the cooperation between the research communities of Greenland and Iceland and to map cooperation opportunities in accordance with the MoU between the Icelandic Centre for Research and Greenland Research Council. The organisers of the workshop furthermore held a session at the Arctic Circle Greenland Forum moderated by Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson, Senior Arctic Official, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Iceland and with opening remarks from H.E. Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate, Iceland. The session focused on pathways forward for Greenland-Iceland research cooperation, which will be further strengthened in the future. [Read more]
Interviews with Iceland Arctic Experts in Akureyri
The IACN, with the support of SSNE (Association of Municipalities in North East Iceland), has conducted a series of interviews (in Icelandic) with the main representatives of organisations working on Arctic issues based in Akureyri and in the NorthEast of Iceland. You can retrieve the interviews on the IACN Facebook page.
Online event: Relations Between Indigenous Peoples and Icelandic Immigrants in Canada
On 30 November 2022, the Embassy of Iceland in Ottawa and the Embassy of Canada in Reykjavík held an online panel discussion on relations between Indigenous peoples and Icelandic immigrants in Western Canada. The lecture series is a part of the 75 anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Iceland organized by the Embassy of Canada in Reykjavík, the Embassy of Iceland in Ottawa in partnership with Polar Knowledge Canada, and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN).