Most of the population in the Arctic live in urban or urbanizing towns and cities, yet, as Mayors in the Arctic and High North have averred, municipalities have no voice in the politically constituted organization that is supposed to represent the Arctic and steer its development and environmental security --that is the Arctic Council. The lack of inclusion of Arctic municipalities in the work of the Arctic Council is one of the main reasons for the establishment of the Arctic Mayors’ Forum in 2019. Yet, the international and interregional cooperation involving Arctic and northern cities and regions has a history that dates back to the 20th century.

The issues discussed during the seminar include but are not limited to:

  • Platforms supporting cross- and trans-border cooperation between/among the Arctic and northern cities.
  • What kinds of challenges are Arctic and Northern cities facing and what has been achieved through multilateral and bilateral cooperation between Arctic, Northern and non-Arctic cities?
  • What are the motivations and aims of the city-level cross-border cooperation?
  • How can the Arctic Council accommodate cities in Arctic governance? How Arctic municipalities want to be heard within the Arctic Council?

    The final program will be added here as soon as possible. The confirmed speakers of the event include, for example: Kamrul Hossain (University of Lapland); Nadezhda Filimonova (Harvard Kennedy School); Kat Hodgson (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway) & Gabriella Gricius (Colorado State University); representatives from cities of Rovaniemi and Oulu; and Petteri Vuorimäki (Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic Affairs, Finland). Event is moderated by Aileen A. Espiritu, Juha Saunavaara and Kamrul Hossain, and organized by UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center, University of Lapland Arctic Centre, ArCS II-project, HaRP-project, UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic in Asia, Asia in the Arctic, and UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Law.

    The event is free of charge and open to anyone interested in the topic. However, pre-registration is needed for both onsite and online participation. Please register here!

    The Part 2 of the seminar (Strengthening Region-building through Multilevel Governance and Interregional Cooperation: Urban Sustainability through the Arctic Mayors’ Forum) is planned to be organized in Tromsø at the time of the Arctic Frontiers 2022.