More major Arctic Council conferences to Greenland

Greenland plays a central role in the Arctic Council – not least at the moment, when the Kingdom of Denmark holds the chairmanship of the organization, which this year turns 30.

The chairmanship is led by the Kingdom's Arctic Ambassador, Kenneth Høegh, who, from his offices in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Research in Nuuk and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen, pulls together the threads and coordinates the work.

But he is not alone. He works closely with Camilla Aviaja Olsen, who is a plenipotentiary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Research – and who is part of the Arctic Council team in the ministry.

Camilla Aviaja Olsen holds the responsible position of chairperson of one of the six working groups that together are the driving force of the Arctic Council.

The human dimension

Camilla Aviaja Olsen is at the head of the working group called SDWG – Sustainable Development Working Group. The working group's focus is particularly on the human dimension of the work of the Arctic Council, whereas the other working groups work more specifically on, among other things, pollution and environmental issues.

Important areas for the SDWG include mental health and suicide prevention in the Arctic, as well as economic development, where the involvement of indigenous peoples is central.

The working group's work is guided by the Arctic Council's strategic plan and the Kingdom's priorities for the chairmanship. These priorities are:

1) Indigenous peoples and communities in the Arctic

2) Sustainable economic development and energy transition

3) Oceans

4) Climate change in the Arctic

5) Biodiversity

The chairmanships of the working groups rotate for a two-year period among the eight member states of the Arctic Council – and the chairmanship of the SDWG always follows the overall chairmanship.

It is in the working groups that most of the work of the Arctic Council is carried out between ministerial meetings – and it is here that all key documents are written and approved. It is also in the working groups that many of the Council’s activities are organised.

- Due to our country's leading role in the Arctic Council, Greenland will be the site of several major events in the coming years, where the SDWG will play a central role, says Camilla Olsen.

Major youth conference

The Chairmanship will host a youth conference in Nuuk, which will be held in Katuaq on 26-28 February 2027. The conference will bring up to 300 young people from all over the Arctic to Nuuk, where they will both learn from each other and focus on the conditions of young people in the Arctic.

- The work on the conference is already well underway. In January, I facilitated a workshop in Ottawa, where we debated, among other things, which topics are current. In the coming time, we will hold additional workshops that will contribute to the content of the youth conference.

- In addition, Nuuk will host a major biodiversity conference in March 2027 – and finally, we are working on a workshop on economic development in the Arctic. It is not yet decided where and when, but we have a goal that the workshop will take place outside Nuuk.