The Arctic Council in the shadow of the War in Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put formal collaboration with Russia in the Arctic Council on pause. Following the freeze of the leading forum of cooperation in the Arctic much is at stake for the Arctic states and for the Arctic communities. The Council is vital for communication and coordination on issues like sustainable development, environmental protection and a range of scientific projects in the region.

But what impact does the suspension of the Council have on Arctic policies and cooperation in and between the Arctic states, local governments and indigenous organizations? How do these different Arctic actors assess their respective priorities in times of crisis? What kind of cooperation is currently happening through the Council without Russian participation? And how long can the Council survive in this suspended state?

These questions will be discussed with officials and experts from Denmark, Greenland, Norway and Finland at this webinar.

Speakers

H.E. Thomas Winkler, Arctic Ambassador and Senior Arctic Official of the Kingdom of Denmark
Sara Olsvig, International Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
Svein Vigeland Rottem, senior researcher, Fridtjof Nansens Institute
Adam Stepien, researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
Lin Alexandra Mortensgaard, phD candidate, DIIS - Danish Institute for International Studies

Programme

14.00-14.10     Welcome and introduction, Lin Alexandra Mortensgaard

14.10-14.30     Two perspectives on cooperation in the Arctic Council in practice

• The Arctic Council’s current cooperation in the wake of the war, Thomas Winkler
• The war’s impact on cooperation between Inuit in relation to ICC’s involvement in the council, Sara Olsvig

14.30-14.45     Questions and round up, Lin Alexandra Mortensgaard

14.45-15.05     Academic perspectives on the future cooperation of the Arctic Council

• Norwegian perspectives on the current state and the upcoming chairmanship of the council in 2023, Svein Vigeland Rottem
• Arctic cooperation: challenges, limitations and options as seen from Finland, Adam Stepien

15.05-15.30     Q&A

The webinar was held on 15 February 2023, 14.00-15.30 via Zoom.