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UArctic 10 Years – A History

In Rovaniemi 8^th of June 2011, the Council of the University of the Arctic (UArctic) celebrates the tenth anniversary of its launch, which was held in the same city in 2001. The occasion is being marked by a special seminar organized at the University of Lapland on the theme of Green Growth and the Arctic.

The occasion is being marked by a special seminar organized at the University of Lapland on the theme of Green Growth and the Arctic, with keynote speeches from Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (President of Iceland), Hannele Pokka (Permanent Secretary of Finland’s Ministry of the Environment), Gustaf Lind (Sweden’s Arctic Ambassador), and J. Okalik Eegeesiak (President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association). The seminar discussions examined the question of whether a ‘Green Growth’ opportunity exists for the Arctic, or whether the destiny of the North is to remain an area of resource extraction.

The Chair of the UArctic Council, Jim McDonald of the University of Northern British Columbia remarks, “It is only appropriate that the University of the Arctic returns to Rovaniemi to mark the first decade of its remarkable growth and development. Lapland has been the crucible for many important circumpolar processes. It should be noted that UArctic’s tenth anniversary coincides – not coincidentally – with the twentieth anniversary of the Rovaniemi process that began in 1991 with the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, which led to the establishment of the Arctic Council. The decisions taken here pave the way for our organization’s next ten years.”

The history of UArctic goes long back, to a proposal made to the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council to look into the establishment of an ‘Arctic university.’ The subsequent work performed by the Circumpolar Universities Association laid the groundwork for the network and activities that exist today.

On June 12, 2001, the University of the Arctic officially came into being. At a Launch event in Rovaniemi, Finland, two hundred people gathered to celebrate the realization of this dream. The organization was established with the principles of interdisciplinarity, circumpolarity and diversity. Its strength based on support not only by institutions of higher education and governments, but also that of northern indigenous peoples. In the first years after the launch, UArctic’s core programmatic activities were established with the Circumpolar Studies undergraduate program and the north2north mobility program. Enrollments in Circumpolar Studies and north2north exchanges now number many hundred, and these first students are already making their mark in northern science and public leadership.

The UArctic International Secretariat was established at the University of Lapland, Finland, in 2001, and soon afterwards UArctic hired President Lars Kullerud to lead the activities and overall development of UArctic. UArctic’s administration was gradually distributed to offices in almost all Arctic countries. The establishment of Thematic Networks in 2005 marked a new direction in UArctic’s programmatic delivery, supporting new research and educational cooperation among smaller groups of members with common interests and expertise. This development was also supported by increased graduate-level programs including PhD networks and field schools.

The University of the Arctic’s importance as an international actor was demonstrated in the role it played in the 2007-2008 International Polar Year, helping to coordinate the education and outreach activities resulting from the IPY’s international scientific research projects. The UArctic Rectors’ Forum first met in 2007, which provided a new opportunity for the leadership of the circumpolar region’s higher education institutions to address areas of common interest. To better serve its members, UArctic developed the GoNorth program to promote student recruitment to northern higher education institutions and the UArctic Catalogue as joint listing of course and program information from all members.

UArctic has accomplished much to date in creating an empowered and sustainable North. It is telling that the organization’s original vision, goals and values remain valid today, while it has grown to meet additional needs and serve more areas of the Circumpolar North. The success of the organization can truly be seen, however, in the large numbers of students who have benefited from educational opportunities that would not have been possible without the University of the Arctic and the collective efforts of its members.

Source: UArctic

June 10, 2011
Arctic Council – the venue for Arctic decision making

Short history of the Arctic Council

Through times the unknown has always fascinated people. New cultures and undiscovered lands have allured adventurers of all sorts and great stories are told about people who have courageously travelled through landscapes that traditionally have been thought inaccessible. For many centuries, the Arctic was remote and pristine region left outside of scientific exploration as well as world politics. It was not before after second world war with technical advancement and ever increasing need for resources and space that world’s eyes turned to the Arctic. But instead of becoming a new scientific playground furthering our understanding on world’s ecology, the Arctic became militarized region of both the east and the west for four long decades or until the emergence of the perestroika in the Soviet Union which gradually brought the cold war enemies closer and eventually to the same table in 1989.

The first purely Arctic oriented meeting of the eight Arctic countries – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the U.S. – took place in Rovaniemi Finland in September 1989. The topic of the meeting was the fragile Arctic environment and a potential for joint effort in tackling the very delicate but urgent issue. After intensive cooperation for the next two years, the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy was initiated in 1991. The AEPS concentrated on cooperation in scientific research and sharing of data on effects of pollution as well as assessing the potential environmental impacts of development activities in the Arctic through its four specific measures, namely Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Protection of the Marine Environment in the Arctic, Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response in the Arctic and Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. The cooperation around the AEPS was quite untraditional for many reasons. First, it was one of the first venues where the cold war parties cooperated together to reach a common goal and secondly it became one of the very few inter-governmental institutions including indigenous peoples of the region in the work from the beginning.

It became, however, soon clear that the Arctic issues and the change happening in the Arctic environment would have such an immense impact globally that it was decided that the AEPS would step aside and new inter-governmental high level forum would be created to deal Arctic environmental issues. In 1996, the Arctic Council, with membership of all eight Arctic states and permanent participation of regional indigenous peoples associations, was established to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction in issues of sustainable development and environmental protection.

Arctic Council and its Working Groups

The Arctic Council consists of eight Arctic states; Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the U.S and six permanent participants; Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC), Gwich’in Council International (GCI), Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), Russian Arctic Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) and Saami Council. The Arctic Council is governed by Senior Arctic Official (SAO) meetings, which are held twice a year and biennial Ministerial meetings. The chairmanship of the Council rotates between the eights states, each state holding the position for two years at a time. The chair state establishes a secretariat for the period to deal with administrative matters.

During the past fourteen years the Arctic Council has advanced knowledge about the Arctic environment through its working groups CAFF, PAME, EPPR, SDWG, AMAP and ACAP. In 2009, PAME published a comprehensive assessment on Arctic Marine Shipping pointing out both possibilities as well as downsides of Arctic shipping. CAFF has conducted various large researches and reviews on Arctic biodiversity, latest being the Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010. ACAP, EPPR and SDWG have as well all introduced valuable material concerning various urgent issues facing the Arctic and AMAP releases regularly assessments on various issues relating to contaminants.

Contemporary challenges of the Arctic Council

Since the end of the cold war the Arctic has been changing in ever increasing speed. Not only does the international community face immense environmental challenges that will influence every part of the world, but also will the Arctic states face territorial claims, issues concerning maritime transportation and infrastructure, natural resource exploitation and a whole new political setting. The Arctic is becoming a lively international region rich of natural resources and high economic potential. The fact is, however, that there is lacking a common political agenda for the future in the Arctic and a legal framework for the emerging maritime activities. Infrastructure on the Arctic coastline is not ready to welcome the incipient economical activities and the participation procedure of the indigenous peoples in developing the area has not yet been fully established. Most of these activities must be undertaken jointly by all the Arctic nations for them to have real impact. The shortage of the Arctic Council mandate to deal with issues other than environment has led to a situation where decisions are made in isolation creating thus incomplete and fragmented framework for the Arctic region.

This situation has been understood in the Arctic states and in every established national Arctic Policy the need for stronger Arctic Council is recognized. In the next few years then, the states have a challenge of reforming the Arctic Council to better correspond to the contemporary challenges. The mandate must be broadened to cover issues other than environment as well and the restructured Council must be presented with a higher level image to equal other international actors in the Arctic region.

October 20, 2010
Arctic Cultures
The Arctic region has many faces. Historically it has been veiled by an aura of mystique, a frozen wonderland untouched by the outside and the effects of industrialization, populated by a mysterious group of people from a different phase in the history of man.

As interesting and romantic this notion may seem it holds little or no truth in the Arctic today. The Arctic is both an industrial region, as well as a region in close connection to its history and culture. A mixture of traditional subsistence activities as well as a part of the global market economy. The new and the old submerge to strenghten each other with new technology and knowledge, contributing to a cultural rejuvenation occuring in the Arctic.

Currently there is a vast amount of work being done on the internet to promote and strenghten the various aspects of Arctic cultures. Individualls, organizations, governments, scientists, indigenous groups are all contributing to this work. A small part of this work can be viewed here and links provided for further information.

Feature

Arctic Languages

Arctic Languages is a resource that strengthens Arctic indigenous languages. It includes background papers and articles related to indigenous languages, video clips of Arctic indigenous people explaining how important their languages are to them, and descriptions of current best practices in the protection and revitalization of indigenous languages.

International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR)

The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) was established by the Norwegian Government in 2005 in Kautokeino, as a contribution to the unique international cooperation of circumpolar reindeer herding peoples. ICR is an independent professional unit, with its own board and budget. Its activity is funded by the Norwegian Government through annual grants from the budgets of the Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ICR is to be a knowledge base for providing and exchanging information and documentation between different reindeer peoples, national authorities and research- and academic communities at the national and international levels. The Centre will thus contribute to adding value, to improving information and to enhancing understanding for world reindeer husbandry and reindeer peoples, their traditional knowledge and their future development.

ICR’s purpose is to
- contribute in maintaining and developing a sustainable reindeer husbandry in the north
- strengthen the cooperation between the reindeer herding peoples
- document the traditional knowledge of reindeer herders
- communicate knowledge about circumpolar reindeer husbandry to our target groups
ICR’s international target groups are reindeer herders, national authorities, research, education and knowledge institutions, organizations and industrial interests. ICR has an international board with members from Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The Centre enjoys wide professional and political support internationally. Its establishment was recommended by, among others, the Arctic Council, the 3rd World Reindeer Herders’ Congress in Yakutsk 2005, and the Norwegian Parliament. The Centre is a member of University of the Arctic.

ICR also hosts the secretariat of Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH). This is a circumpolar organization representing over 20 indigenous reindeer peoples and about 100 000 reindeer herders in 9 different national states. WRH promotes professional, commercial, and cultural contact between the different reindeer peoples of the world, and disseminates information about reindeer husbandry. WRH has observer status to the Arctic Council. Through WRH, ICR has first-hand access to a unique international network of reindeer herders, their organisations and institutions.

The establishment of International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in Kautokeino represents one measure to secure the future of this unique cooperation in the North. The Centre enjoys wide professional and political support, both nationally and internationally, and its establishment was recommended by, among others, the Arctic Council in the report Sustainable Reindeer Husbandry (2002), and by the 3rd World Reindeer Herders’ Congress in the Yakutsk Declaration of March 2005. It was also recommended by the Norwegian Government appointed committee of experts in the report published as NOU 2003:32 (Norwegian Public Report) entitled Look North! Challenges and Opportunities in the Northern Areas. The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs announced at the 4th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Iceland, November 2004. Norway has decided to establish an international centre for reindeer herders in the Arctic, in Kautokeino, in close cooperation with the World Reindeer Herders. This will be a resource centre for exchange of information between herders in different countries and promoting cooperation between them».

The Arctic Is

This website is concerned with Arctic cultures and environments, with a broad comparative focus on critical issues, problems and opportunities which face the peoples of the Circumpolar North. The aim is to increase understanding and contribute to an enlightened discourse on Arctic issues across the Internet using world. These include the topics of sustainable development and community viability, social and environmental policy and contemporary human and environmental crises. Special attention is given to the causes and effects of environmental change and economic globalization, especially the impacts on community viability, flexibility of vulnerable ecosystems and cultural and biological diversity in the North.

Arctic Health

The Arctic Health website is a central source for information on diverse aspects of the Arctic environment and the health of northern peoples. The site gives access to evaluated health information from hundreds of local, state, national, and international agencies, as well as from professional societies and universities. In addition, our own always expanding Arctic Health Publications Database can help you find arctic specific articles, out of print publications and information from special collections held in the Alaska Medical Library.

The Arctic Health website is sponsored by the National Library of Medicine’s Division of Specialized Information Services and maintained by the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Alaska Medical Library.

Arctic Stat

ArcticStat is a permanent, public and independent statistical database dealing with the countries, regions and populations of the Circumpolar Arctic. ArcticStat was born out of the desire to facilitate comparative research on the socioeconomic conditions of the peoples of the Arctic by bringing together already existing data which are dispersed and often hard to find.

Isuma tv

IsumaTV is an independent interactive network of Inuit and Indigenous multimedia. IsumaTV uses the power and immediacy of the Web to bring people together to tell stories and support change. Our tools enable Indigenous people to express reality in their own voices: views of the past, anxieties about the present and hopes for a more decent and honorable future. Our sincere goal is to assist people to listen to one another, to recognize and respect diverse ways of experiencing our world, and honor those differences as a human strength.

IsumaTV uses new networking technology to build a new era of communication and exchange among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and communities around the globe.

IsumaTV was launched in January 2008 by Igloolik Isuma Productions, independent producers of The Fast Runner Trilogy of award-winning Inuit-language films: Atanarjuat The Fast Runner, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, and Before Tomorrow; in association with Nunavut Independent TV Network (NITV), imagineNATIVE Film+Media Arts Festival, Vtape, Native Communications Society of the NWT and other non-profit agencies.

Education

BANG

The Barents Arctic Network of Graduate Schools (BANG) brings together Ph.D. students and experienced senior scientists specialised in problematics of the Barents region, and representing various disciplines.

The main themes of BANG are:
- international cross-border transitional cooperation;
- rapid social, economic, and cultural transforms;
- resource development conflicts; and
- environmental challenges.
Students on Ice

is an award-winning organization offering unique educational expeditions to the Antarctic and the Arctic. Our mandate is to provide students, educators and scientists from around the world with inspiring educational opportunities at the ends of the Earth and, in doing so, help them foster a new understanding and respect for the planet.

University of the Arctic

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. Our members share resources, facilities, and expertise to build post-secondary education programs that are relevant and accessible to northern students. Our overall goal is to create a strong, sustainable circumpolar region by empowering northerners and northern communities through education and shared knowledge.

We promote education that is circumpolar, interdisciplinary, and diverse in nature, and draw on our combined strengths to address the unique challenges of the region. The University of the Arctic recognizes the integral role of indigenous peoples in northern education, and seeks to engage their perspectives in all of its activities.

PolarTREC

PolarTREC is an educational research experience, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., in which K-12 teachers participate in polar research, working closely with scientists as a pathway to improving science education.

In celebration of the International Polar Year (2007-2009), a global scientific campaign to advance our understanding of the polar regions, thirty-six U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks working with a research team in the Arctic or Antarctic, exploring the environments, cultures, history, and science. PolarTREC teachers will learn about cutting-edge scientific research on topics ranging from atmospheric chemistry to seabird ecology and will share their experiences with scientists, educators, communities, and hundreds of students of all ages across the globe.

PolarTREC builds on the past TREC program (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating in the Arctic) to encompass learning experiences in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Visit the TREC website for more information about the 2004-2006 TREC expeditions.
November 27, 2009
International Polar Year – IPY Legacy

Polar areas have always interested both scientists and adventurers for their remoteness and harsh climate, but in recent years it has become clear that the Arctic and Antarctic play a significant role in the earth’s ecosystem and are in a keyrole to both predict the impact of climate change and bear the consequences of it.

International Polar Year (IPY) is an international cooperative research initiative first introduced in 1882, with an objective to provide scientific information about the fundamentals of meteorology and geophysics as well as further people’s knowledge on the Polar Regions. Due to the fact that the IPY webpage has recently been relocated and updated by the Arctic Portal we have decided to overview the history of the IPY and some of the good work carried out by the IPY and it’s programs.

Short History of the IPY

The initial idea of international cooperative polar research came from an Austro-Hungarian explorer and naval officer Lt. Karl Weyprecht who was a scientist and co-commander of the Austro-Hungarian Polar Expedition of 1872-74. Weyprecht realised that a comprehensive polar research could not be a task of one nation only, but should involve a coordinated international effort. He recognized that a time of mere geographical discovery had past and a series of coordinated expeditions dedicated to scientific research should be undertaken to further peoples understanding on fundamentals of meteorology and geophysics. Unfortunately, he died before the international research became a reality, but his inspiration led to an establishment of the largest coordinated series of scientific expeditions ever undertaken in the Arctic during the 19th century, or to what is now known as the First International Polar Year.

First International Polar Year, 1881-1883

Eleven nations took part in establishing fourteen principal research stations across the Polar Regions. Twelve research stations were located in the Arctic, along with at least 13 auxiliary stations, and two in the Antarctic. A vast amount of information was gathered between 1881 and 1884, but in the lack of a centralized coordination of analysis and publication of the results no fundamental discoveries were made as a result of the first IPY. Each state published their observations independently and the International Polar Commission dissolved in the aftermath of the project.

Nevertheless, the First International Polar Year demonstrated that joint international scientific research was possible and set a precedent for the coming international scientific events.

Second International Polar Year, 1932-1933

The Second International Polar Year was both proposed and promoted by the International Meteorological Committee. The main objective of the second research initiative was to investigate the

global implications of the newly discovered “Jet Stream” and to conduct magnetic, auroral and meteorological observations at a network of research stations in the Arctic and Antarctic. Some 40 countries participated in the establishment of 40 permanent observation stations in both Arctic and Antarctic. Following, the data collected during the two-year period became the foundation of the International Meteorological Organization and promoted further research, such as the International Geophysical Year (IGY), 1957-1958, often called the third International Polar Year, which celebrated the 75^th and 25^th anniversaries of the First and Second IPYs.

Third International Polar Year, 2007-2008

The latest International Polar Year, organized through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), took place in 2007-2008. It was gigantic international multidisciplinary collaborative with around 10 000 scientists and 50 000 other participants from over 60 countries. Main objectives of this megaproject were to significantly increase the scientific knowledge and understanding of the polar areas, especially the wide-ranging and significant impacts of climate warming in the Arctic and Antarctic, and to conduct research projects beyond the resources of individual countries. In addition, the Polar Year aimed at educating a new generation of polar scientists and engineers and raise awareness of the public and policymakers of the importance of the polar areas for the entire planet. The disciplinary breadth of the third IPY far exceeded the previous Polar Years of 1882, 1932 and the 1957 IGY providing more comprehensive picture of the polar areas.

IPY legacy

Learning from the previous IPYs and from the lack of continuity between the IPYs, it was decided that this time the outcome of the immense research should be captured in a form accessible to all. It was also clear to the participants, that the polar areas were such large and important for the earth’s ecology that the research could not only be conducted in short random periods, but it should be continuous process of information collection, implementation and education.

What has become an IPY legacy includes activities such as observatory and research programs in the Polar Regions, educational opportunities, student and early career researcher initiatives and data and information sharing programs. The IPY Legacy will foster the international scientific cooperation to a higher level and promote a wide scale scientific knowledge and information sharing for the benefit of the generations to come.

To learn more about the Third International Polar Year 2007-2008, please visit the IPY 2007-2008 homepage or read the IPY 2007-2008 Joint Committee Summary Report

To search the IPY projects, please visit the IPY Project Database

To learn more about the IPY scientific data, please visit the IPY Data and Information Services (IPYDIS)

July 24, 2009
From remote island to Self-Government – Greenland’s journey towards independence

Through the times, the island today called Greenland has hosted many different peoples over varying periods. It has been estimated that first peoples came to the remote North-Atlantic island around 2500 BC and that the ancestors of the contemporary Inuit populations came from Alaska, Siberia and Canada, the Arctic thus having one Inuit population over a vast area of northern hemisphere.

First Norse settlers came to Greenland around the same time as Iceland was settled or around 1000 AD. These peoples vanished 400 -500 years later and it was not before early 18^th century that the Norse settlers came again. This time the Danish established a colonial relationship with the island. This relationship has in part remained to this date.

The Danish era

Despite the colonial relationship with Denmark from the early 18^th century, Greenland remained somewhat isolated until the beginning of the World War II. The Germans occupied Denmark in 1940 making new arraignments concerning Greenland possible. In 1941, an agreement with the US was signed placing Greenland under the protection of the US troops. Following this agreement, the US Air Force established an air base in Thule in 1951 and has remained there since.

During the decolonization period following the World War II Greenland’s colonial status was abolished and the island was integrated into the Danish Kingdom in 1953.

In 1 May 1979 following a referendum in Greenland, a Greenlandic Home Rule, an autonomous entity, was created granting Greenlanders own parliamentary organ as well as government. The Home Rule government gained jurisdiction in a series of important fields, such as internal administration, taxes, religious matters, fishing, hunting and agricultural affairs. Also social welfare, labour market affairs, education and cultural affairs, health service, housing and area protection were moved under internal administration of Greenlanders.

Greenland had joined the ECC (today EU) originally as a part of Denmark in 1973, but opted out from the agreement in 1985 obtaining thus a status as an Oversees country and territory (OCT) with special arraignments regarding its unique circumstances within the ECC. The new agreement with the ECC included among other things fisheries agreement allowing ECC quota in Greenlandic waters in turn of compensation. Greenland gained also territorial allocation from the European Development Fund instead of getting support from the ECC budget.

In 2005, Danish Parliament issued an Authorization Act, which granted Greenland a right to enter into international agreements in the areas that were under the jurisdiction of the Greenlandic Home Rule. This Act was a first step of what will become Self-Government on Sunday, 21 June 2009.

The Greenlandic Self-Government

In 2004 a Danish-Greenlandic Commission was established to evaluate whether the Greenlandic authorities could assume further powers and to make proposals how it could be done. The Commission concluded its work in April 2008 and a non-binding referendum on Greenland’s autonomy was held on 25 November 2008. 75% of the Greenlandic people voted in favor of further autonomy and it was decide that a Greenlandic Self-Government would be established in June 21, 2009.

The Greenland Self-Government Agreement reaffirms in most parts the practice that has been established and evolved during the years of the Home Rule. Some new areas of administration are however established in the new agreement.

Greenlandic will be the only official language in Greenland after June 21. To date, both Danish and Greenlandic have had an equal status in both education and administration.

Further, when Danish Government bills cover matters that affect also Greenland, the Self-Government must be consulted before the bill is presented to the Danish Folketing. During the Home Rule, the law provided such an opportunity, but the consultation was not obligatory, as it will be under the Self-Government.

Economies of Denmark and Greenland will be increasingly separated. As Greenland will become more independent economically, the government subsidies will be decreased. Moreover, new system of sharing revenue from mineral resource activities will be introduced.

Under the Self-Government, Greenland will become a subject under international law in matters that are within its jurisdiction. This means that Greenland can enter into agreements and establish bilateral and multilateral relationships with other states. In addition, Greenlandic government, Landsstyre, will be taken increasingly into consideration in foreign policy matters under the central authorities of the Danish Realm.

Other fields of responsibility are also moved under the authority of the Self-Government. Different areas of law and justice administration will become an internal matter of Greenland as well as security at sea, ship registration and maritime affairs. Weapon registration and licenses, upper secondary education and food and veterinary matters will also be covered by the Self-Government after June 21.

Conclusion

With the new Self-Government agreement, Greenland will take very important step towards becoming an independent state. However, the agreement allows Greenlandic people to decide themselves whether they will seek independency and when it should be done if ever. The agreement assures that the contemporary foundation of the society, built with Danish funding and assistance, will not be jeopardized, but Greenland will be given an opportunity to slowly mature and become the kind of society that Greenlanders themselves aspire.

Main sources

The Greenlandic-Danish Self-Government Commission’s Report on Self-Government in Greenland. April 2008.http://uk.nanoq.gl/sitecore/content/Websites/uk,-d-,nanoq/Emner/Government/~/media/46185A4413C54A3D89D3D16F1D38F0D3.ashx

Draft Act on Self-Government. http://www.amblissabon.um.dk/NR/rdonlyres/EDC5978E-71C2-467E-974A-598A01EEA562/0/DraftActonGreenlandSelfGovernment.pdf

Loukacheva, Natalia. The Arctic promise – Legal and Political Autonomy of Greenland and Nunavut. 2007. University of Toronto Press Incorporated. Toronto

Lectures in Polar Law, University of Akureyri, Iceland. Academic year 2008-2009. see: http://english.unak.is/?d=5&m=page&f=viewPage&id=246

June 19, 2009
The Location of the 5th NRF Open Assembly

Nestled between the Chugach Mountains to the east and the shoreline of Cook Inlet to the west, Anchorage is a unique combination of a wilderness and modern city life. Within just a few minutes from downtown, you can be alone in a forest or hiking in the mountains. Anchorage has many parks and bike trails and it is quite common to spot the moose and other wildlife that make their home in the city.

Anchorage residents value their access to the wilderness and the abundance of outdoor activities including two spectacular marine environments: Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords National Park. Both offer spectacular scenery and wildlife viewing as well as opportunities for fishing and other outdoor excursions.

Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, with nearly half of the entire state population residing here! Though it is a young city by most standards – it was founded in 1915 – Anchorage has a rich and fascinating history that extends back to the original indigenous population. What you see today began as a tent city to house Alaska Railroad workers and has grown to encompass a vibrant and diverse population. The city is known for being the crossroads for air transportation, home of Alaska’s largest university, the University of Alaska Anchorage, as well as enjoying rich cultural diversity from the indigenous Alaska Natives to the immigrant populations who choose to make Anchorage their home.

This mingling of cultures and traditions makes Anchorage known for great restaurants, world class museums and art, friendly people and stunning natural beauty.

September 22, 2008