News

Biodiversity and human health: What’s a holistic approach to good health?

Good health is not the mere absence of diseases. It is the result of a complex interplay between factors influencing our daily lives and the surrounding environment. Howe...

The coronavirus in the Arctic: Spotlight on mental health

As the current pandemic evolves, the focus on the health effects of the coronavirus widens. While nations around the globe implement strict measures to flatten the curve ...

Women of the Arctic Council: Jennifer Spence, SDWG

In honor of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we spoke with some of the women who work with the Arctic Council to learn more about them, what it means to be a woman i...

The Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy (ARENA) Program Seeks Renewable Energy Enthusiasts

Calling all renewable energy enthusiasts, the Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy (ARENA) is seeking its next set of project participants.

The Arctic Council at Arctic Frontiers

This year’s conference will focus on the theme “Power of knowledge” and takes place from 26-30 January 2020.

Stepping up youth engagement in the Arctic Council

Arctic youth is not just the future but also the present. A slogan that Indigenous youth leaders coined when they got together for the first Arctic Leaders’ Youth Summit ...

Background: The Gender Equality in the Arctic project

Gender Equality in the Arctic (GEA) is a project of the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG).

Wildfires don’t respect territorial boundary lines

The Arctic is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, affecting the environment and communities in the circumpolar North and beyond.

Interview with SDWG Chair Stefán Skjaldarson

"Climate change is affecting the environment very seriously and it will affect the livelihoods of people who are already marginalized by the geographic location and tough...

Education – Equal access for equal chances

During the Finnish Chairmanship (2017-2019), the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) initiated two projects with an educational emphasis.

Environmental protection – An award-winning effort

Finland remained true to this guiding principle and chose environmental protection as the first of four priorities for their Chairmanship program. During their two-year t...

Arctic Resilience Forum: Sharing best-practices for improving Arctic resilience

The Arctic Resilience Forum held in Rovaniemi, Finland, 10-11 September gathered around 100 Arctic experts, policymakers, and various key stakeholders. The purpose of the...

First-ever Arctic Council side event at UN's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

In a panel held at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, several speakers highlighted the unique model of the Arctic Council in supportin...

Interview: Pekka Shemeikka, Chair of SDWG

When the Arctic Council Chairmanship passed from the United States to Finland in May of 2017, the Arctic Council also welcomed new Chairs for several of the six Working G...

Workshop: Reducing the Incidence of Suicide in Indigenous Groups

The third and final workshop of the project "Reducing the Incidence of Suicide in Indigenous Groups - Strengths United through Networks (RISING SUN) is slated to take pla...

Event summary: Sustainable Development Working Group meeting, October 2016

The Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) met on 1-2 October, 2016 in Orono, Maine. The group focused on the progress of its projects and potentia...

Sustainable Development Working Group addresses health issues in the Arctic

In May, multiple meetings addressing human health issues in the Arctic took place in Tromsø. These included a workshop on reducing the incidence of suicide in indigenous ...

SDWG Discusses Projects, Priorities and Cooperation in Barrow

The SDWG gathered in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States at 71⁰ north latitude, to discuss its ongoing and future projects, as well as to exchange ...

Interview with Roberta Burns, SDWG Chair

When the United States assumed the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2013, all six of the Arctic Council Working Groups (ACAP, AMAP, CAFF, EPPR, PAME and SDWG) also w...

SDWG meets in Alaska to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects

The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) met recently in Chena Hot Springs, Alaska.