Q&A with Kenneth Høegh, the New Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

May 15, 2025

Kingdom of Denmark's Chairship, 2025-2027

Get to know the new Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

On 12 May, the Kingdom of Denmark took on the Chairship of the Arctic Council. We spoke with Kenneth Høegh, the new Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, to learn about his background, what he’s looking forward to during the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship, his favorite Arctic memory – and more.

What is your background? How did you become involved with the Arctic Council?

Well, I am a person of the Arctic. I was born and raised in Greenland. My family is Greenlandic. So, I've been involved with Arctic issues my whole life, you could say. In terms of my involvement with the Arctic Council, that dates back to 2018 when I first got involved with work on the diplomatic side, supporting our ministers in that work.

© Jessica Cook / Arctic Council Secretariat

How will the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship team be structured?

The Kingdom of Denmark is three countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Chairship will therefore be jointly coordinated between us, with Greenland taking a special role.

I'm the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, as appointed by the Danish Foreign Minister, selected by the Greenland government and approved by both Denmark and the Faroe Islands. I’ll be working with a Faroese diplomat that will be our Deputy Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, Gunvør Balle. We also have a Danish diplomat, Torsten Kjølby Nielsen, as the Kingdom of Denmark’s Senior Arctic Official. The three of us will be the day-to-day Chairship team.

The Chair of the Arctic Council, which traditionally is always the Foreign Minister in the Chairing State, will be Vivian Motzfeldt, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Research for Greenland. Greenland has a prominent role, as we are the Arctic country of the Kingdom.

What are some initiatives to look forward to during your Chairship?

We are going to have a big focus on the human dimension, namely sustainable development and Indigenous Peoples. There are a number of areas that we will promote and arrange events and activities in that regard, including mental health, youth engagement, the ocean, climate and energy transition – to name a few. Indigenous Peoples’ participation and the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge will also be priorities during our Chairship. You'll see many of these themes reflected in both our Chairship program, and also in the activities that we will implement in the years to come.

What are you looking forward to most as Chair?

I'm really looking forward to the youth engagement, and engagement with Indigenous Peoples. I find it extremely important to have the inhabitants of the Arctic, the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic, as well as the youth engaged. It’s important we are able to discuss the issues that are important for all of us in the Arctic, that's what I look forward to.

What is one of your most memorable Arctic experiences?

Being a child of the Arctic, I could probably share many. But I've been living in different parts of the world, and one thing that I've really liked about the Arctic is these moments of full silence. Going to the mountains and hearing the air in your ears and nothing else. That's incredibly life giving.